Even if it has no map in its database for your actual location
If you only have a car GPS Navigation device, there is another very good reason to always take it with you. Outside the car and even in the woods. First, leaving it in the car is not such a good idea, as it could very well be stolen. After years thieves found out the value of those small electronic devices.
But there is more
We recently ran out of gas on a small concrete road amidst farmland (yes, I know, not too smart). The road was not to be found on any map and also TomTom Navigator did not know it. Here is the TomTom screen at the spot where we stranded.
The direction in which we headed
And here is where we came from, when we still had gas
How can you explain a friend on the phone where you are?
Here we come to the point of our article. Even if your car GPS Navigator can not show you on a map where you are, it still knows your exact location. So we searched for our GPS coordinates in TomTom Navigator 5 on our pocketPC: Change preferences--> Show GPS status.
Our coordinates on the GPS status page
We called a friend with our cell phone and explained what had happened and at which coordinates we had come to a standstill.
Our coordinates in Google Earth
Our friend entered this in the "Fly to" field in GE: "50 38 02 N, 5 10 40 E" and was flown to this spot of our planet.
Indeed, we were in the middle of the fields, but he had a very good idea of where we were and one hour later our car had 5 liter of gas to drive back home.
Never leave your GPS Navigator in the car
It can always tell you your coordinates (even in the woods) and thus can save you a lot of trouble. And it seems that manufacturers finally get it after we talked for about two years of those clumsy, heavy, ill shaped designs of the past, and now make their devices "shirt pocket friendly". Hopefully you have one of these.
