Comments on: A Breadbox-Size Navigating System

By: Al

Al — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:53:58 +0000

Yah – those clunkers were way too expensive, even for the times. i was doing this in the late 80s/early 90s and by then the entire receiver was available as a serial port connected device specifically made for the purpose.

Still way before moving-map software, though.

Alan

By: hwertz

hwertz — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:06:11 +0000

Al — sure, but just doing some googling, the early-1980s GPS units were a bit over $100,000. Also no laptops in 1980, you’d either be writing it down by hand, or (if you did manage to get a computer interface for the GPS) adding on another $2000-4000 for something like a Kaypro II or Osborne (the two semi-portable systems I can think of from that era.)

I think it honestly didn’t occur to them costs would drop from $100,000 to like $5 for a GPS receiver chip (and $150 for a nice GPS thingy with the ability to actually map and plan routes.)

By: John Savard

John Savard — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:35:16 +0000

I have a breadbox in my kitchen that I still use. But I have to admit, I’m still waiting for them to come out with a more accurate version of GPS that can be used for optical interferometry.

By: StanFlouride

StanFlouride — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:48:43 +0000

Did most people in 1980 still know how big a breadbox is? Playing 20 Questions with my now-20 y.o. daughter about 10-12 years ago I asked that classic standard, “is it bigger than a breadbox?” and she said, “I don’t know- what’s a breadbox?”

By: Al

Al — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:34:28 +0000

Myles: Depends on what you were using them for. I had one hooked to a laptop more than a few years ago that I regularly used to map trails in a 4-wheel-drive truck. Worked beautifully for plotting routes traveled, and the plots could then be correlated to paper maps later.

Quite handy, actually.

By: Myles

Myles — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:04:19 +0000

FJP – The early gps systems were horribly expensive, and just gave you a latitude, longitude fix. They weren’t useful for cars until moving maps came along.

By: MrG

MrG — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:35:55 +0000

For a history:

http://www.vectorsite.net/ttgps.html

WIRED had an interesting article on apps for GPS-enabled cellphones:

http://www.wired.com/gadgets/w.....10coolapps

You mean I can locate a public toilet when I need one? COOL! MrG / http://www.vectorsite.net/gblog.html

By: George Trudeau

George Trudeau — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:35:52 +0000

FJP: I’m not sure if accuracy is an issue any more. I do geocaching and all the GPS does is get me within 20 feet or so of the target. I know there are better differential receivers, but I’m not sure about the accuracy needed to determine if your neighbor has built their fence on your lawn.

Even if we’ve got the accuracy, and repeatability, it’s going to be quite a few years before laws catch up.

By: FJP

FJP — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:51:57 +0000

Wow, the article doesn’t even suggest cars as an application for GPS. I’m surprised that wasn’t one of the first things thought of. They did mention land surveying. I’ve been wondering about that for a while. Why don’t we abandon all our old fashioned ways of marking and describing property boundaries, some still dependent on marked trees or hammering a metal rod into the ground, in favor of using GPS coordinates for all property descriptions?