I use Streets & Trips and it has street level mapping for the entire USA. Plus it also has the Windows Live Local feature, which enables me to see an aerial photograph of my shippers and consignees and then mark them on my map before I ever go to them. It cost me a whopping $30 on sale at Wal-Mart. Ain’t nothing wrong with being more productive.

 

From the article . .

"According to GPS industry insiders, this should be a non-issue for consumers using GPS devices, but taxpayers should be aware that funds will be needed to see this important work completed."


Which leads me to ask, just how important is GPS to you and, if you had to pay a subscriber fee, how much would be too much?

Beyond the cost of the software and receiver, GPS service is free to anyone who can access it. That's a bargain, IMHO. Not that I want to give anyone any ideas but if I had to pay for it I would. I'd go so far as to say it's more important to me than my satellite radio, which I just renewed, to the tune of $130.00.

I would pay $130 for GPS service. Probably more.

 

According to the GAO....the Air Force has about 2 Billion Dollars that has been set aside to take care of the issue....but hasn't spent it...and the GAO is pressuring them to take care of the issue.....

Some of the older GPS satellites are encountering problems...so the signals are degrading, and need to be replaced.....

 

PC Miler? Not so great, works but the maps need to be updated, its a tool not and end all for common sense. I would give it a C not the best. Get directions, program GPS make sure you put in the right options to make it work like you want it to or as close as you can, head out.

Then compare directions with what the GPS is telling you is the only safe way of doing it. No matter what brand of GPS you use its only as good as the map makers and software. They all make mistakes some more often than others but if you follow a GPS blind you will get into trouble sooner or later.

PC Miler is almost always right on your ETA and the distance to final is right as long as you follow the route, if you get off route say like a fuel stop the ETA updates nice. Next crossroad feature is nice, dont like the 3D view map not enough detail. The truck restriction road feature needs work cant tell if your ok say like local delivery is ok or not.

Beware of short vs practical feature, short means short not the fast way most of the time. Once I put in the short option and it was almost 2hrs longer than practical miles due to the number of towns and lower speed limits.

GPS nice when you need an ETA for the company faster than trying to figure out a map, its close enough to say to dispatch it will be there around 6am tomorrow, hint add at least 2 hrs to ETA to give yourself some wiggle room.

GPS is just another tool that can be used to help you figure out what you need to be doing its not a cure all for common sense all you need to figure out is do you want another tool that helps for the price.

 

As long as the GPS system is government maintained, it will never be pay. All they do is broadcast a repeating signal on 2.4ghz microwave band, and all that is in that signal is an identifier and UMT timestamp. The actual GPS receiver takes all the signals it see's, and knows the actual location of the satellites in orbit (since they are geosyncronized), and calculates the location based on triangulation, which is done by knowing how far away the satellite is, and the distance from the satellite is calculated based on how long it takes the signal to get to the receiver.