Kansas City Tacoma Crew - 816/913

Just curious lol. I never made the jump to full grain brewing because it requires so much more equipment, time, and patience. I lack all three requirements for grain brewing.

 

Yeah, that's how I feel too. maybe one of these days I will make it happen.

 

According to gps coordinates of that monolith found in Utah, which apparently has been there for years, and is now gone as well.. we were really close to it. Dammit.

 

Yeah, those Burning Man desert artsy types are super weird. There are probably a bunch more installations out there. I've always wondered how close I get to things like that when I'm hiking.

Who knows how many buried treasure chests we've all missed while wheeling.

 

Indeed.

I really need to get a GPS tracker. I didn't even know about this monolith until a few weeks ago, however with the MOAB trail edition mook, they mentioned a 1954? plane wreckage on the trail that you could hike to. I tried to keep an eye out for it, but without a GPS tracker, I was unable to locate it by eye from the trail.

 

The monolith was only "discovered" a week or so ago

 

Yessir, I remembered when the stories came out. I was like dang, I missed out.

 

Supposedly it had been there since 2016. Some guys went back through satellite imagery..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_monolith

They also found one in Romania that disappeared the same time the one in Utah did

 

Shits getting weird....

 

I believe, I believe!

 

I have a few GPS devices and if you'd like a durable, cheap, bare bones, and no map image (however it will show you an uploaded track and your position marker in relation to it), the Garmin Foretrex 401 has treated me very well for 5+ years. I think you should be able to find one for $100 or so.

 

So if I wanted to input a GPS coordinate to walk to, it will point me in the right direction?

I'm new to GPS devices as well.

 

I’d get something like a garmin etrex. They come with basic maps and you can add additonals down the road if desired. It’ll also record your route so you can save it for later or use it to reference finding your way back out. They are $100-300 depending on how fancy you want to get.

I’ve also got an inreach explorer+ for satellite coms and it does mapping and waypoints. I typically just turn on the tracking when I’m out and it uploads to garmin.com people can follow me when I’m out of cell range or i can look back to see where I’ve been. There is a cost during usage with the inreach (as there are with any satellite devices) but its well worth the piece of mind.

Really just depends what you are looking for. You can also use Gaia and load tracks or record trips locally and upload once you have connectivity.

I use all 3 for various things. Just depends what you want.

 

Yes and no. With these bare bones basic units, like the 401, you have to input most everything via computer and can just pull up preloaded points, tracks, and anything that you've recorded with the device. My 401 doesn't have manual input without a computer. I ALWAYS have a paper map of any area that I have marked up as well, so I don't need much from my GPS other than to record tracks and waypoints, as well as referencing any preloaded tracks or looking up any sensor readings. The 601 is mostly the same, just better. The 701 has functions for military maneuvers and shooting that you'll likely never need.

The nicer GPS units with topo maps get expensive fast. If you're using a Garmin, you'll be very limited by their proprietary software and by difficulty of uploading non-Garmin maps. They really like for you to buy their maps. Most units, including high end ones, require map uploads via computer.

 

@ResearchMonkee an eTrex 22x is about the lowest you can go and still read map images reliably. I'd also recommend it if you're interested in a decent all around low cost unit.

 

Well, I'm using Gaia to record my truck routes, I'm going to start using a tablet I bought awhile ago and use that as a dedicated route recording device instead of my phone, though I'm concerned it won't be accurate.

My biggest thing was, when I was on the Lockhart Basin, the trail book mentioned a 1954 plane crash. I was scouring everywhere I could in the areas I thought the wreckage would be (from the trail), but I never found it. I believe book said it was a small hike from the trail.

If Gaia was capable of finding that spot for me, maybe I just need to learn more stuff about Gaia. But when I was trying to put the monolith coordinates into the search bar on the phone app, it kept taking me to China instead of Utah.

 

You can do as much or more on Gaia than a dedicated GPS device. There’s definitely a learning curve though. I do most stuff through the web.

Accuracy can vary, but thats mostly dependent on the device you are using and the accuracy of the GPS. I usually dont have any problems. You can also get a Bluetooth GPS sensor to mount on the dash or a GPS repeater that you mount externally for better signal in cab.

 

Word, that may be just what I'll do.

 

Gaia can definitely do GPS coordinates manually. I have tried relying on Gaia and although it's a tempting app to use because it has so much data and is easy to navigate, my cheapo 401 does an infinitely better job of acquiring and keeping satellite signals. My phone and tablet both lose GPS as often as they lose 4G service and I've abandoned Gaia except pre-trip route planning.

Another issue is that mobile apps are buggy, which might have been your problem. Even the best apps have issues sometimes and that's worth taking into consideration if you are depending on your GPS for survival. I know that's an unlikely situation, but I know that my 401 is waterproof, will run for days and not lose satellites, takes common batteries, and isn't at risk from being bricked by dropping or a weird app interaction. GPS apps that use the screen defintely use up an insane amount of battery just listening for the satellites and showing you the map. I can run my phone with unreliable GPS and a map showing on the screen for less than a few hours in the wild.