Man, how times have changed

FastST said:
If she checked the tracker or just called you, could it show you still at home? :)
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Yes, it showed me still at home sitting in my recliner lol and she knew I was out riding.

I don't take or make calls, check texts, listen to music, or podcasts and very rarely GPS directions from google maps on my phone while riding. I do use it as a camera at stops lol. Anyhow, I think of it more as a mobile emergency phone booth that's (usually) always with me that I don't have to stick a quarter in when I want to male a call.
 
While riding, I still primarily use paper maps for navigation. I have a GPS, but I mostly use it for map purposes and ride stats, and I never develop my own GPX files. I do carry a phone, mostly for taking pictures. I carry a SPOT tracker unless I'm just riding local. If I'm riding asphalt, I'll put the tracker in the tailbag. If I'm riding dirt or forest, I'll put the tracker on my arm.
 
I'm a troglodyte. Maybe more so than Uncle Phil. I use to laugh about guys whipping out their cell phones at every stop. Trying to find service. My comment was that I was glad I wasn't that important. I can't imagine being on vacation and needing to check in every 5 minutes. I don't even wear a watch since I retired. My cell phone is in my top box and usually stays there. On the home front, no news is good news. The cops will call if a call is needed. I have a GPS but it usually tells me where it thinks I am. I had to deal with technology (most of it poorly implemented) for 40 years. At my house, the computer, printer, modem and what ever else is hardwired. Oh and I don't have music to listen to when riding. One ride was from San Francisco to Orlando with just me myself and I.

About the tracking, if your not the customer, you are the merchandise.
 
I carry maps (for each country) whenever on a foreign tour (never bother within the UK... I know my little island too well to get properly lost :) ). What I find is that a paper map sitting in view in my tankbag is great for longer and more detailed views than a satnav gives, also allows me to see alternative routes at a glance, the satnav will catch up eventually..... and after all a satnav is just a guide, not a master ;)
 
Bahhumbug says this ol grouch. I have what I think is an excellent sense of direction and an uncanny ability to identity locations of road pictures and movie locations but.....

If i'm out on the road, on the bike or now the little car, I want to roll not park in a traffic jam. Love my GPS that shows traffic jams and now I use Waze all the time in the Miata. I should have listened to it yesterday leaving town. It told me to go south then west but no I took the short route straight west and the traffic jam at the I10 construction cost me over 5 minutes sitting to go a half mile.

And now can you show me a picture of campsite 16 at Silver Springs state park campground, Ocala FL. using your paper map or flip phone? I used this new tech stuff all the time to find the good stuff.


Site 16 from Googler mapz.

site16.jpg
 
Edit: in this new post.

Ain't nobody lower tech here than Uncle Phil. I've seen his phone and what he calls a GPS. My dearly departed Granddad had a newer tech flip phone than he has.

No idea how he finds his way to STOC events.....

I sent him a text once and found a month later when I saw him his high tech stuff don't do text...
 
dduelin said:
Everything costs more, living costs more. Since the ST1100 was introduced the price of tinfoil hats has gone up roughly 400%
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Yeah, but the ST1100s (at least mine) still work ... ;)
 
If you don't plan routing, you can get away with what have you.
But for someone like me who plan custom routes over a rather large size of territory (150 - 250mi/day) with tens of shaping points and many different roads and turns, a good navigating device like Garmin Zumo or a phone/CarPlay/(kurviger) is essential for this.
At times of paper maps I had pages of directions with arrows and roads/streets names (something similar to Dakar racers just not rolled up) on my tank, in conjunction with paper maps. On occasions if lost I had to guess directions based on the sun (provided the sun is out).
Today it sounds like a nightmare in comparison with today's tools.
I wouldn't want to go back to that :)
 
FastST said:
If you don't plan routing, you can get away with what have you.
But for someone like me who plan custom routes over a rather large size of territory (150 - 250mi/day) with tens of shaping points and many different roads and turns, a good navigating device like Garmin Zumo or a phone/CarPlay/(kurviger) is essential for this.
At times of paper maps I had pages of directions with arrows and roads/streets names (something similar to Dakar racers just not rolled up) on my tank, in conjunction with paper maps. On occasions if lost I had to guess directions based on the sun (provided the sun is out).
Today it sounds like a nightmare in comparison with today's tools.
I wouldn't want to go back to that :)
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W0QNX was pulling a 'funny' ...
I do use a basic GPS (cheap Chinese version) but it doesn't have traffic, weather or an internet connection.
It's worked well all over the States and Canada, the UK (even to find Hard Knott Pass), Ireland and New Zealand.
It allows bucket loads of points so you can get very specific in your routes, notifies you of upcoming turns, etc. ;)
I do have a 'smart phone' but I seldom turn it on - my flip phone quit working on the newer networks ... :biggrin:
 
Uncle Phil said:
It allows bucket loads of points so you can get very specific in your routes, notifies you of upcoming turns, etc. ;)
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I hear ya. In the early days of gps, I had garmin nuvi 1450. Simple but it worked magic for custom routing.
 
FastST said:
I hear ya. In the early days of gps, I had garmin nuvi 1450. Simple but it worked magic for custom routing.
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Main reason I swapped to a GPS was on my first ride up to Alaska.
I figured knowing how far to where I was going and the possibilities of gas was very important.
Before that I had enough 'memory' I could remember all the waypoints of long routes. ;)
In those days (thanks to SoloTotoCoyote's artistry - I miss that feller!) -

SoloTotoCoyotes Uncle Phil White Flag.jpg
 
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Flip Fone o my. I took this pic just a couple weeks ago of most of my old high tech phones. Note they are all on and working but like Phil said the old flip phone won’t do anything more than take a picture. I can’t even get the picture off the phone. I read the old iPhone 5 won’t connect to a network either. Not sure.


IMG_1423.jpeg
 
W0QNX said:
Flip Fone o my. I took this pic just a couple weeks ago of most of my old high tech phones. Note they are all on and working but like Phil said the old flip phone won’t do anything more than take a picture. I can’t even get the picture off the phone. I read the old iPhone 5 won’t connect to a network either. Not sure.


IMG_1423.jpeg
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One of those is obviously broken... lol
 
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