Will my GPS device (aka iPhone/Nokia 5800) work on the train?

[Sam31452]

I have to get a new cell phone as my old one is not capable to deal with the american cell phone frequency (but refuses to break down since the year 2001!).

So I thought to get myself a device with wich has a GPS function too.

This would be an iPhone ore more likely a Nokia 5800.

But after all GPS devices don't work well in trains. Do you have any experiences with handling a GPS device in a train?

Do Amtrak coaches have a metal layer on their windows?

Thanks.

 

[MrFSS]

I have to get a new cell phone as my old one is not capable to deal with the American cell phone frequency (but refuses to break down since the year 2001!).So I thought to get myself a device with which has a GPS function too.

This would be an iPhone ore more likely a Nokia 5800.

But after all GPS devices don't work well in trains. Do you have any experiences with handling a GPS device in a train?

Do Amtrak coaches have a metal layer on their windows?

Thanks.

As long as you can get the GPS device up to the window it should work. Folks use suction cups and other home made devices to hold it there (remember duct tape is always needed on the train) or many GPS units come with a device to connect to windows vis. suction cup. The glass in the window while tinted doesn't stop the satellite signal.

 

[Sam31452]

(remember duct tape is always needed on the train)

The No.1 travel rule:

Thou shalst carry duct tape with you!

(And a towel comes in handy too) B)

Thanks, I will also carry a little bottle with cleaning alcohol, to remove the duct tape from the glass.

 

[jis]

I have to get a new cell phone as my old one is not capable to deal with the american cell phone frequency (but refuses to break down since the year 2001!).So I thought to get myself a device with wich has a GPS function too.

This would be an iPhone ore more likely a Nokia 5800.

But after all GPS devices don't work well in trains. Do you have any experiences with handling a GPS device in a train?

Do Amtrak coaches have a metal layer on their windows?

I use my iPhone as a GPS device all the time and it works fine as long as you have data service in addition to GPS. iPhone AFAIK does not have any stored map GPS system available on it yet. So it has to go out on the network to download the maps or satellite views to display the position on. Also it has a nifty app for doing a speedometer thing using GPS. This can work independent of the availability of data service, and it is also amazingly accurate.

As someone else has suggested, you can duct tape the iPhone to the window if you are too tired of holding it up. BTW, make sure you bring along your charger. Simultaneous operation of GPS and 3G eats batteries like there is no tomorrow. But once plugged in, it hums along nicely.

 

[Steve4031]

My Iphone works fine too as long as you have data service. It usually follows the tracks too. It is fun to wake up in the middle of the night and find the train stopped, and not know where you are. In the days before the Iphone, you guessed. Now, you pick up the Iphone, hit the google maps function, and within a few minutes, you know exactly where you are. If you are stopped at the station, you will see the station icon near a blue dot (which represents your location when the GPS is working, or within a blue circle, which means your position is estimated by the cell network.

Also, the Iphone has greater flexibitily due to the ease of getting apps. I have an app that provide schedule for commuter lines in many major cities (3.99), another app that has subway maps for NYC, another that has the maps for LA, etc. Additionally, there is a GPS ap which allows you to track your progress. I have not used this yet, but will give it a try in the future. IMHOP, the Iphone is way more sophisticated than any other phone out there.

Also, it functions as an Ipod, and you can play your music on it. If Video is a big thing to you, get the 16 mb version.

Battery life is an issue with the Iphone. However, I addressed this with an extended battery from Mophie. If you good at using technology, you will find ways to make the Iphone work foryou and simplify your life.

 

[Rafi]

I second the recommendation for the iPhone. I keep three other receivers as well (man, I didn't realize I'm that bad until I typed that), but the iPhone is the most convenient. There is a great app called MotionX GPS which plots your route, speed, time, etc, and saves it in a format that can then be imported into an assortment of geomapping programs for your computer, like Google Earth. It also allows you to take pictures from within the app and geocode them for future reference. The only drawbacks to the iPhone route are that if you get a phone call, the app has to pause and can't keep tracking your location, and you can't switch to other apps while still plotting your progress (this is why I bring along some of the other dedicated GPS units for long trips). But the iPhone is a great, handy, "hey, where are we now and how fast are we going" device for occasional plotting.

Rafi

 

[Steve4031]

I just started playing with the motion GPX app, and have yet to determine its full capabilities. It should be fun.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

The iPhone is much better then the Nokia 5800 hands down. I would get an iPhone over that. Although I would look at a Palm Centro if your going wtih AT&T it also has some nice GPS functions

 

[Rob_C]

(remember duct tape is always needed on the train)

The No.1 travel rule:

Thou shalst carry duct tape with you!

(And a towel comes in handy too) B)

Thanks, I will also carry a little bottle with cleaning alcohol, to remove the duct tape from the glass.

Hi there,

Working in the film industry I was exposed to something called "Gaffer's Tape". It's worth its weight in gold as it is just as strong as duct tape, sticks just as well, but doesn't take a crowbar to get off. It peels right off and most importantly, does not leave that nasty sticky residue behind that you need alcohol or asetone to remove. One thing that really annoys me about some Amtrak sleepers is the leftover tape marks on everything from the closet to the windows, to the doors.

If everybody paid a little bit more for something like gaffers tape, we'd keep the trains looking better, *and* not have to scrub for hours to get the duct tape residue off.

That's my little tape rant.

Rob

 

[Alice]

(remember duct tape is always needed on the train)

The No.1 travel rule:

Thou shalst carry duct tape with you!

(And a towel comes in handy too) B)

Thanks, I will also carry a little bottle with cleaning alcohol, to remove the duct tape from the glass.

Hi there,

Working in the film industry I was exposed to something called "Gaffer's Tape". It's worth its weight in gold as it is just as strong as duct tape, sticks just as well, but doesn't take a crowbar to get off. It peels right off and most importantly, does not leave that nasty sticky residue behind that you need alcohol or asetone to remove. One thing that really annoys me about some Amtrak sleepers is the leftover tape marks on everything from the closet to the windows, to the doors.

If everybody paid a little bit more for something like gaffers tape, we'd keep the trains looking better, *and* not have to scrub for hours to get the duct tape residue off.

That's my little tape rant.

Rob

The blue tape in the painting dept has similar properties and may be easier to find.

I agree totally with the rant.

 

[jis]

There is a great app called MotionX GPS which plots your route, speed, time, etc, and saves it in a format that can then be imported into an assortment of geomapping programs for your computer, like Google Earth.
Rafi

Thanks for mentioning MotionX. I see it does have limited but very useful capability to preload maps. That should be a huge help when traveling in areas with scanty data service.

 

[GG-1]

(remember duct tape is always needed on the train)

The No.1 travel rule:

Thou shalst carry duct tape with you!

(And a towel comes in handy too) B)

Thanks, I will also carry a little bottle with cleaning alcohol, to remove the duct tape from the glass.

Hi there,

Working in the film industry I was exposed to something called "Gaffer's Tape". It's worth its weight in gold as it is just as strong as duct tape, sticks just as well, but doesn't take a crowbar to get off.

Rob

Aloha

I hate to burst Rob's bubble but "Duck Tape" and "Gaffer's Tape" are the same thing. The industry tend to buy the Best quality, regular consumer's tend to buy the lowest quality. And we all know "You get what you pay for" The reason that the common name is Duck Tape is the original formulations were designed for Air Conditioning duct use. The theater/movie industry found these tapes useful but demanded better quality. I am in the industry and I guess I personally use a roll per week. On a Ballet I will use 4-6 rolls on the Floor. I cant count the number of times I used color tape to repair a set, or costume, seconds before the curtain went up. Oh, even fixed the curtains a few time before we could get the seamstress to do it right and permanent. Don't Show un on stage with white sneakers, we will hid them with black tape.

 

[sechs]

I hate to burst Rob's bubble but "Duck Tape" and "Gaffer's Tape" are the same thing.

Baloney. Duct tape is silver or gray. Gaffer's tape is black.

 

[sechs]

As long as you can get the GPS device up to the window it should work. Folks use suction cups and other home made devices to hold it there (remember duct tape is always needed on the train) or many GPS units come with a device to connect to windows vis. suction cup. The glass in the window while tinted doesn't stop the satellite signal.

I've never found this necessary. As long as the device has a clear view of the sky through the windows, it does not matter where in the car it is.

 

[-Jamie-]

Just to add to this, I use both my iPhone (LOVE it! There really is an app for anything!) and my Garmin Nuvi on board and haven't had a problem with either GPS function.

 

[Sam31452]

Thanks for all the repiles, especially for those about tape.

As I'm from Europe I will probably buy the Nokia 5800, as it is cheaper (difference of $400 over here) and has a stored map system, which will save me a lot of money (1MB download means $12 to me).

 

[jis]

Thanks for all the repiles, especially for those about tape. As I'm from Europe I will probably buy the Nokia 5800, as it is cheaper (difference of $400 over here) and has a stored map system, which will save me a lot of money (1MB download means $12 to me).

Yeah. I have never used Duct or any other tape Silver, White or Grey or Black. I just set it on the tray table in front of me in coach or on the little table by the window in sleeper roomette and it seems to work just fine, specially if the window is on the south side of the train. Being on the north side can sometimes be challenging,since most of the sats are relatively to the south.

 

[DAWall]

Just to add to this, I use both my iPhone (LOVE it! There really is an app for anything!) and my Garmin Nuvi on board and haven't had a problem with either GPS function.

I'm thinking about buying a Garmin Nuvi for an up-coming trip, Does it show and or, follow the tracks? Can you get an A/C adapter to plug it in the room?

 

[-Jamie-]

Just to add to this, I use both my iPhone (LOVE it! There really is an app for anything!) and my Garmin Nuvi on board and haven't had a problem with either GPS function.

I'm thinking about buying a Garmin Nuvi for an up-coming trip, Does it show and or, follow the tracks? Can you get an A/C adapter to plug it in the room?

I have the 680, which I got at Costco. Sometimes it thinks you're on a road running parallel to the tracks, but you can still figure out where you're at. It's always really close. I don't think this model had the tracks on the map, but I just upgraded the maps from 2008 so they might be on there now. I did download a little train engine from the Garmin Garage the other day though. lol And yes, the GPS came with an A/C adapter. It also came with a window suction cup which we stick to the window above the table. It holds really well.

 

[Alice]

Just to add to this, I use both my iPhone (LOVE it! There really is an app for anything!) and my Garmin Nuvi on board and haven't had a problem with either GPS function.

I'm thinking about buying a Garmin Nuvi for an up-coming trip, Does it show and or, follow the tracks? Can you get an A/C adapter to plug it in the room?

I just got a Numi after many years with an earlier Garmin. The tracks only show when map is zoomed in all the way, and they show a single track regardless of how many there really are. I don't like the close-up view. Turn on "show track" to see where you've been on the tracks. It is interesting to see where you take different tracks or cross between tracks on a round trip. In towns, you can tell where the tracks go anyway because so many streets go right up to the tracks on both sides then stop, with relatively few crossings. The AC adapter is easy to find, I got mine from Amazon. I get better battery life when I don't run a route station-to-station, just let it follow where I am.

The Numi doesn't come with a full owner's manual so be sure to download and read it, even though it is pretty light on details. In addition, experiment a lot with different settings to see what you like. Speaking from experience, Garmin customer service and tech support are pretty good by email and happy to answer questions like "How can I <fill in blank> that I used to do on my 2620?"

I've been using the Numi on a bunch of short trips the past couple of weeks. Sometimes to get a signal when I first turn on the unit, I need to hold it up to a window, but the rest of the time I've been sitting it on my knee or a table with no problems. Most of these are the lower level of a variety of bi-level cars.

I've also used my cell phone GPS function. It is OK for speed but leaves a lot to be desired compared to a dedicated GPS. For example, the Verizon map does not display a scale, just "street level," "city level," etc. I want to see a line with a number of feet or miles. Also, it won't work in areas with no cell service, and we have a lot of that out here in the west.

 

[jis]

I've also used my cell phone GPS function. It is OK for speed but leaves a lot to be desired compared to a dedicated GPS. For example, the Verizon map does not display a scale, just "street level," "city level," etc. I want to see a line with a number of feet or miles. Also, it won't work in areas with no cell service, and we have a lot of that out here in the west.

The default GPS app on the iPhone just uses Google Maps, which is kind of neat, because you can choose between the map view and the satellite view just like you can at maps.google.com. Of course the "not working when there is no Edge or 3G service" is the price that you pay for such luxuries