Trading maps for the GPS, it’s gonna bite us

[Ronald_55]

 

20 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

Of all the possible SHTF scenarios, a massive EMP scares me the most. 

In physical disasters ( tornado, flood, etc) people tend to pull together and help each other.  But if all of a sudden computers, cars, cell phones, etc all just stopped working, people would go completely nuts! 

My biggest concern is 100% of the population left with just the local resources. At least if it was a fast sweeping pandemic the population drops quicky so some resources are left. 

11 hours ago, jgradyc said:

If an EMP hits, you won't need maps. Your world will shrink to a 10 mile or so radius. Old cars will quickly be worthless because gasoline won't be available. Everyone will be on foot, except for bicycles. 

Old yard-sale bicycles will be worth their weight in gold if the grid shutdown continues for more than a week.

Unfortunately you need to know where in that 10 mile radius to find more supplies when yours inevitably run out. 

Producing ethanol takes time but eventually might get us back driving. Or at least running tractors and chainsaws. In the interim I agree bikes and horses (if you can keep people from eating them)  would be priceless. 

[beebee233]

18 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

 

My biggest concern is 100% of the population left with just the local resources. At least if it was a fast sweeping pandemic the population drops quicky so some resources are left. 

Unfortunately you need to know where in that 10 mile radius to find more supplies when yours inevitably run out. 

Producing ethanol takes time but eventually might get us back driving. Or at least running tractors and chainsaws. In the interim I agree bikes and horses (if you can keep people from eating them)  would be priceless. 

Those bikes must be pretty crunchy.

[Wheelgunner]

For anyone interested in good maps with MGRS coordinates, there used to be a website called MyTopo where you could order them easily in 1:50,000 or 1:100,000 scale.  It's probably still around.

If things ever go seriously wrong, a good topographical map in a zip lock bag (or field acetate, if you're that guy) can make a big difference. 

[Jeb48]

8 hours ago, mike_f said:

For relatively compact set of maps I like the "DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer" maps that are published by state:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/575993

(DeLorme was recently purchased by Garmin.) They're also sold at brick & mortar stores, Amazon, etc.

I've found them to have enough detail to be useful for both road and terrain navigation.  Not as good as a city street maps or 7.5 minute USGS topo quads, but a decent compromise.

Also, since they're bound books, there's no map folding required.

 

Didn't know these were still being published. I bought these for every state I spent much time in. Loved them. I got myself in trouble a couple of times following the smaller roads they showed. Once in the mountains of NY, I couldn't turn around and the boulders sticking up in the middle of the road were to big to straddle. In Maine a lot of the smallest roads belong to the logging companies and they can change fairly quickly. I was taking a short cut because I was getting low on gas and got lost when there were more roads than the map showed. I made it with about a quart of gas to spare.

[Grayfox54]

Bear in mind that if you're they guy with the bicycle or horse, you've got a huge target on your back. Everybody is gonna want your ride. 

[Ronald_55]

9 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

Bear in mind that if you're they guy with the bicycle or horse, you've got a huge target on your back. Everybody is gonna want your ride. 

And that is why we have guns... discussion brought full circle lol

[DaveTN]

1 hour ago, Ronald_55 said:

And that is why we have guns... discussion brought full circle lol

Sure, but that gun doesn’t help when someone steps out and places a red dot on your chest. Assuming he leaves you alive, now he has a new bike and a new gun and you are standing around with nothing but your good looks.

[bersaguy]

One of my grandsons is a prime example of living a life depending on technology for about everything in his life. I don't think he could drive if it was not for his GPS unit mounted in his dashboard. Thing is he needs to learn that those things are not an exact science yet!! He was going to visit a friend that lived out in the country and he had the friends address programmed into his GPS. Well, it was kind of late that evening and a fog had moved in where he was going so he was driving more or less from GPS to stay on the road. As he began to approach the road his friend lived on the GPS said to turn left onto the small gravel road so he turned left and ddrove directly into a ditch. The road was another 15 feet farther up the road that he was supppose to turn on. He had to call for a tow to get him out of the ditch. that turned out to be an expensive learning experience about technology!!

[E4 No More]

2 hours ago, bersaguy said:

One of my grandsons is a prime example of living a life depending on technology for about everything in his life. I don't think he could drive if it was not for his GPS unit mounted in his dashboard. Thing is he needs to learn that those things are not an exact science yet!! He was going to visit a friend that lived out in the country and he had the friends address programmed into his GPS. Well, it was kind of late that evening and a fog had moved in where he was going so he was driving more or less from GPS to stay on the road. As he began to approach the road his friend lived on the GPS said to turn left onto the small gravel road so he turned left and ddrove directly into a ditch. The road was another 15 feet farther up the road that he was supppose to turn on. He had to call for a tow to get him out of the ditch. that turned out to be an expensive learning experience about technology!!

https://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/performance/accuracy/

"High-end users boost GPS accuracy with dual-frequency receivers and/or augmentation systems. These can enable real-time positioning within a few centimeters, and long-term measurements at the millimeter level."

I'd say it's an exact science given the distances that we're talking about. Scientist call it being within significant digits, IIRC.

Same article backs up my immediate thought as that the maps are wrong for various reasons. Some GPS' lead people right to my house but Google and other GPS' show it several hundred yards away. It depends on the maps they use and their quality.

[Ronald_55]

2 hours ago, DaveTN said:

Sure, but that gun doesn’t help when someone steps out and places a red dot on your chest. Assuming he leaves you alive, now he has a new bike and a new gun and you are standing around with nothing but your good looks.

I know you can 't always avoid ambushes or snipers. One guy with a beat up Mosin Nagant could headshot a guy in full armor with a mini-gun.  It is impossible to prepare for every eventuality. 

Fighting to keep what you have might be a day to day ocvorence then .

 

[Jeb48]

9 hours ago, bersaguy said:

One of my grandsons is a prime example of living a life depending on technology for about everything in his life. I don't think he could drive if it was not for his GPS unit mounted in his dashboard. Thing is he needs to learn that those things are not an exact science yet!! He was going to visit a friend that lived out in the country and he had the friends address programmed into his GPS. Well, it was kind of late that evening and a fog had moved in where he was going so he was driving more or less from GPS to stay on the road. As he began to approach the road his friend lived on the GPS said to turn left onto the small gravel road so he turned left and ddrove directly into a ditch. The road was another 15 feet farther up the road that he was supppose to turn on. He had to call for a tow to get him out of the ditch. that turned out to be an expensive learning experience about technology!!

I drove by GPS to get home in some really bad snow storms back in the snow belt but only turned with visual confirmation. When you only have 10 or 15 feet of visibility and are going very slow it works. Couldn't see well enough to keep track of where I was but the GPS warned of curves that I could watch for and tell me when I was close to the road I needed. Probably not the smartest thing to do but when your half way home from work and get caught in lake effect snow you don't have a lot of choice, no safe place to pull off and you can't turn back.

[enfield]

GPS  (with additional local signals) is wonderful when you're drilling seed in a field or spraying and you can't visually tell where you've been.  Www.ravenprecision.com.