Satnav query,

[The Natural Philosopher]

Because it is a big postcode, thats why.

In the end I managed to send a URL to google maps.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Two problems with that I dont have a house number I am isolated, 400 metres from the postcode centre and about 2 couriers out of three fail to deliver because they cant find it. And dont speak enough English to ask.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Fortunately my home location is not 'miles from anywhere. Or actually it is, as the other name for the whole extended village of about 20 different hamlets is 'ten miles from anywhere'. But it does have a postcode, and latitude and longitude, and you can even see it on google streetview.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Same here.

The road sort of has a name at one end and at the other, but they are different

Instead I give the hamlet name, which more or less is the same as the postcode. Our village is aqllegedly the largest in England geographically, and has about ten 'greens' in which houses are clustered. Separated by a mile or so of road from each other.

And there is only one road through it and a very short road off my postcode.

I usually tell em to phone me on my mobile. And talk them in.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I dont think so.

[John Rumm]

There is a bit of wiggle room though since the resolution is quite fine. If it looks like the words for the exact location are going to have a high chance of confusion, adjacent cells may provide better options while still being near enough.

[Paul]

There are some cheaper phones, that have a processor and a low res screen, but they don't have the usual assortment of hardware inside. People on USENET seem to like stuff like that (people who don't have money to waste on expensive toy phones).

For GPS to work, it helps to be standing outside. My GPS, if I keep it on an inside window sill, it can get just two birds out of the constellation, with a decent signal level. Presumably that's high angle reception. If I had put the GPS outside the window, I'd get a fatter signal.

Hobbyist GPS have a 1PPS signal, and if you have the right computer interface components, that signal can make the calibration on your computer clock, very good indeed. The Meinburg software has an option for that (GPS cal). You tie the 1PPS signal to RI# (Ring Indication) on a serial port. And that's so the CPU can receive a hardware interrupt, on the edge of the second.

Paul

[Bob Eager]

That is my go-to approach.

[Bob Eager]

There is a case where they are only a few (4 I think) miles apart on the Thames. Close enough to be a worry.

[Paul]

GPS coordinates are an absolute reference, bereft of human foibles.

Telling people to "turn right, where the petrol station used to be", is how the delivery truck ends up in a ditch :-)

The only time the GPS is no good, is when someone is spoofing the signal and destroying it on purpose. Maybe some day, we'll get back Loran C as a backup system again.

Paul

[Bob Eager]

Find yourself on

Click on where you are, code shown.

[Bob Eager]

I remember seeing Decca Navigator in action!

[The Natural Philosopher]

I flew on the ex king of Morroco's Elizabethan stuffed full of Decca navigator test gear. A school friends father was its chief architect.

[Bob Henson]

It's not a lot of use if you are using Google Maps to get around though

- even if you have maps saved to memory Google won't plot a course if it cannot get a cellular signal. I have to switch to Co-pilot if I'm out of cell range - a common problem out here in the sticks.

[Bob Henson]

And a phone signal so it can find you. Round here it is not uncommon to not have one.

[S Viemeister]

We have a good mobile signal (and wifi), but delivery trucks are often stuck on bits of road where mountains block the signal.

[Rod Speed]

Not a chance. Makes more sense to use multiple gps systems and that is what the best smartphones do right now.

[Sam Plusnet]

Let's assume your transcribed version of that WTW identifies a spot in the Sahara desert. You might immediately recognise that _something_ has gone wrong, but that isn't much help in trying to work out what the correct version ought to be.

[Sam Plusnet]

I tried that approach, using my home as the test case. The WTW for each of the adjacent/nearby squares I sampled had some drawback of the type we're discussing. I did abandon the attempt after the first half dozen or so.

[Rod Speed]

BULLSHIT.