Gotta love expressions of Luddism transmitted via the Internet...
Originally Posted by jamawani
How did Columbus sail westwards? How did the Polynesians sail eastwards? How did Lewis & Clark reach the Pacific? How did Lindbergh fly to Europe? Hint - they all did it without GPS.
Most of the great explorers traveled with the best available navigational tools where possible - compass, sextant, local guide. Few sailors today would skip on the GPS. More critically, their journeys were
extremely dangerous -- e.g. many men died in their attempts to complete the first solo New York-to-Paris flight. There is little doubt that many lives have been lost due to primitive and/or insufficient navigational tools or aides.
Originally Posted by
axolotl
I've never used GPS but I'm curious whether GPS coverage extend to third world countries.... While my map had topographic information, I could have used additional contour lines. Does GPS currently provide topographic information, contour lines, or detailed altitude information for places where there is coverage?
You might need something a little higher-end for topo information, like a Garmin Edge 605. Coverage can be a bit spotty; for example, here's Garmin's coverage for SE Asia. That map is extra for US residents, but might be the "base" map in SE Asia.
