> I have a 10 day trip to India - Calcutta. My hotel is a small
> backstreet place and by no means a big well known chain hotel that
> every taxi driver will be able to find. I've just spent a few hours
> looking in to gps mapping solutions which will only lead to purchasing
> expensive maps from Indian suppliers for only 10 days use.
>
> All I really need is the ability to find my way back to the hotel when
> on foot. Paper maps are useless in India as street name signs are
> mostly non existent. So I was wondering if something like a Garmin
> 60CSx or Etrex Vista, once programmed with the hotel location, will
> point me in the right direction, say compass style? I know there are
> cheaper more basic models but these are ones I want to use elsewhere.
>When I go abroad and travel around on foot I carry a very basic Garmin unit
>(a GPS 72) which has no built in mapping at all. Whenever I go anywhere on
>foot I first make sure I have marked and saved my starting position on the
>GPS. This is often the hotel where I am staying but could be the bus stop I
>want to return to, or the place I left my rented car or whatever. Then if I
>carry the GPS switched on I will get a 'bread crumb' trail showing my route
>as I walk. If I get lost I can then easily retrace my steps using the GPS.
>Even if retracing your path can't be done for some reason, the GPS will
>always show the direction and distance of your destination that you marked
>(your hotel in this instance). You therefore will know which direction to
>head.
>I have found that a small magnetic compass is useful in some situations. If
>you know from your GPS which direction you should be going, it's often a lot
>easier to follow a compass than a GPS pointer - especially if the satellite
>reception is a bit difficult as it often is in cities.
>--

I agree with the above. I would just add that in the sort of back streets you refer to, I reckon that satellite reception is likely to
be pretty poor! Narrow streets, overhanging shades over the godowns, etc., Then having lost reception, there is the time taken
to re-acquire.
Especially with the sort of cheap device you really need, unless it has at least a SIRF III or later setup in it.
With the compass you could also draw simple diagrams as you go, turn left, then right then left, etc.
Or make chalk marks on walls at corners.
Or ask street urchins - they are pretty savvy, especally for a few paise (or rupees, I guess these days).
Or get the hotel to fly a large, tethered balloon above the hotel .
And if you do get lost, you can always call the hotel, announce where you are and Vijay will be sent to guide you back
because you are his very good friend, mister!
Anyway, enjoy the trip!

On Sun, 15 Feb 2009 10:11:00 -0600, trubble <trubble@t'mill> wrote:


>>--
>
>I agree with the above. I would just add that in the sort of back streets you refer to, I reckon that satellite reception is likely to
>be pretty poor! Narrow streets, overhanging shades over the godowns, etc., Then having lost reception, there is the time taken
>to re-acquire.
> Especially with the sort of cheap device you really need, unless it has at least a SIRF III or later setup in it.
>With the compass you could also draw simple diagrams as you go, turn left, then right then left, etc.
>Or make chalk marks on walls at corners.
>Or ask street urchins - they are pretty savvy, especally for a few paise (or rupees, I guess these days).
>Or get the hotel to fly a large, tethered balloon above the hotel .
>And if you do get lost, you can always call the hotel, announce where you are and Vijay will be sent to guide you back
>because you are his very good friend, mister!
>Anyway, enjoy the trip!

I was considering something not too cheap like the Garmin 60CSx which
I've read has good reception in confined spaces. I don't think I'm
going to be troubled by too much high rise stuff though. Thank you for
your reply.