GPS tracking on Mariner room TVs?

[mspink98]

My husband is in the market for some software he can use with his GPS to track where we are. I was thinking about it, and remembered on other cruises I have been on, there has sometimes been a channel on the room TV with that info displayed. Would save him some money if he could see what he wants without having to buy software for his GPS.

 

Has anyone been on Mariner lately who can recall if that info was available on the room TVs?

[jetlady]

I was just on Mariner in July I do not remember seeing and I flipped through the channels a few times.

[Radio]

The Info on the Channel you are talking about is recorded I think....It does not show the accurate representation of where the Mariner is...

 

I have used my GPS on Mariner many times , and it wotks out very well. You can tell if there is an itinerary change far before when you are told about it... The GPS Antenna is very inexpensive for your Laptop,

 

1 Garmin Handheld LegendC

 

1 GPS w/ Software for Laptop (Delorme)

 

Radio

;) ;)

[nlcentralchmps03]

My husband is in the market for some software he can use with his GPS to track where we are. I was thinking about it, and remembered on other cruises I have been on, there has sometimes been a channel on the room TV with that info displayed. Would save him some money if he could see what he wants without having to buy software for his GPS.

 

Has anyone been on Mariner lately who can recall if that info was available on the room TVs?

Yes, there is a channel that is constantly updating the position of the ship. It was always nice to wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning and see exactly where you were. If I recall correctly, they also scroll news, and the royal promenade camera on this channel.

 

Hope that helps.

[tripman]

All the ships I've been on have had that same moving map. However, I learned on one of them that it really isn't accurate, in fact, I think it is a prerecorded program. The reason I say this is because I had a port cancelled due to a hurricane last year. But on the day we were supposed to be in that port, the moving map channel showed we were there, when we clearly weren't.

 

I think you can take the map as an overall guide, but don't expect too much accuracy.

[Chawoobie]

On our last cruise, I took my handheld Garmin eTrex Vista with me. We sailed to Cozumel from Baltimore, and I was able to track things pretty precisely - including speed, altitude, etc. Even my wife, who is not a gadget person, was impressed.

[jwlane]

Even my wife, who is not a gadget person, was impressed.

The balcony for Rhapsody cabin 7152 is at N29 18.515, W94 48.134 when in port in Galveston.

[BallFour4]

My husband is in the market for some software he can use with his GPS to track where we are. I was thinking about it, and remembered on other cruises I have been on, there has sometimes been a channel on the room TV with that info displayed. Would save him some money if he could see what he wants without having to buy software for his GPS.

 

This is a fun hobby while cruising, and your husband needs to get the software compatible with the GPS he has.

 

Also, most GPS units come with a basemap of the Gulf of Mexico coordinates, and he'd be able to see the time to destination as long has he has the coordinates of the port.

 

I have a Garmin E-Trek and Garmin Quest and both work well on cruises. When I carried the E-Trek I Googled the coordinates for Costa Maya and Cozumel and then entered them in the Favorites part of the unit.

 

The older E-Trek units are straight line navigation, so as long as you have to go around the pennisula in Mexico the arrival times would not be completely accurate.

 

I used the Garmin Quest on the last cruise and found the ports in Mexico. The calculations for port arrival were accurate for the long runs, but from Cozumel to Costa Maya they were no where close. RCCL takes a leisurely time between these ports as to keep in international waters for the casino and shops.

 

Confused? Just advise back the model of GPS your husband has and I am sure some of the other geeks like myself can give some free (and perhaps worthless...) advice.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[TPKeller]

...I was able to track things pretty precisely - including speed, altitude, etc. Even my wife, who is not a gadget person, was impressed.

I hope your altitude only changed as you moved from deck to deck! :eek:

 

:D

 

Theron

[unforgiven]

I'm only in a ocean view for our upcoming trip, has any one had success getting the GPS unit to pick up though the glass? I know I can in my vehicle just not sure about a flatter surface like the side of a ship.

[TPKeller]

I'm only in a ocean view for our upcoming trip, has any one had success getting the GPS unit to pick up though the glass? I know I can in my vehicle just not sure about a flatter surface like the side of a ship.

I had pretty good luck from my deck 3 window on Grandeur last fall. With 3 days left on the cruise, I propped my Garmin receiver up against the window and recorded our track:

 

http://members.aol.com/cruisetip/GoS_Last.jpg

 

Turned out pretty nice, if I do say so myself. :)

 

Theron

[Radio]

I had pretty good luck from my deck 3 window on Grandeur last fall. With 3 days left on the cruise, I propped my Garmin receiver up against the window and recorded our track:

http://members.aol.com/cruisetip/GoS_Last.jpg

Turned out pretty nice, if I do say so myself.

Theron

 

 

Wow Theron I like the Map...What software is that. I use a Garmin ETrex Legend C, and Delorme` GPS with my Laptop...

 

 

Radio

;) ;)

 

Mariner of the Seas 2003

 

 

 

 

.

[unforgiven]

Wow that looks great, I'll be trying from our deck 4 cabin to see if I can get it to work.

[TPKeller]

Wow Theron I like the Map...What software is that. I use a Garmin ETrex Legend C, and Delorme` GPS with my Laptop...

 

 

Radio

;) ;)

Hey Radio,

 

I just imported the tracks from the GPS into MapSource (the software that loads maps into my GPS unit), then did a simple screen capture. Low tech, but it doesn't look too bad. :)

 

Are you still waiting to see if you will be with us on Grandeur? Oh you said you wouldn't know until really late...

 

Theron

[Radio]

Hey Radio,

 

I just imported the tracks from the GPS into MapSource (the software that loads maps into my GPS unit), then did a simple screen capture. Low tech, but it doesn't look too bad. :)

 

Are you still waiting to see if you will be with us on Grandeur? Oh you said you wouldn't know until really late...

 

Theron

 

I like the Map Source Maps.... I wish I could use them with my Garmin ETrex Legend C. I know that I purchased Google Earth Plus , which will allow me to add the tracks from my LegendC.... I will try that on my upcoming Explorer of the Seas cruise on Aug 11, 2006.

 

As you know I cruise using TA rates which will not be out until around OCT 1, 2006.... But I do plan to go.

 

I just booked Explorer about 2 weeks ago....

 

 

It would be great to see you on board !

 

Radio

;) ;)

[TPKeller]

I like the Map Source Maps.... I wish I could use them with my Garmin ETrex Legend C. I know that I purchased Google Earth Plus , which will allow me to add the tracks from my LegendC.... I will try that on my upcoming Explorer of the Seas cruise on Aug 11, 2006.

 

As you know I cruise using TA rates which will not be out until around OCT 1, 2006.... But I do plan to go.

 

I just booked Explorer about 2 weeks ago....

 

 

It would be great to see you on board !

 

Radio

;) ;)

I haven't looked at Google Earth Plus. I may have to see what that's about. The rates for my cruise are slowly going back up, so that usually means they are selling. Hope there is still space a month out. It would be fun! Isn't it MACOP who's signature says "one day we will cruise together"? :)

 

Theron

[Radio]

Yeah....But I might end up on Deck2....

 

Oh Well.... At least I'll be on Grandeur again. Mrs Radio thinks I should buy some stock !

 

Google Earth is free, Google earth PLUS costs $20.00....

 

 

Radio

;) ;)

[FLASHINGLIGHTS83]

The Info on the Channel you are talking about is recorded I think....It does not show the accurate representation of where the Mariner is...

 

I have used my GPS on Mariner many times , and it wotks out very well. You can tell if there is an itinerary change far before when you are told about it... The GPS Antenna is very inexpensive for your Laptop,

 

1 Garmin Handheld LegendC

 

1 GPS w/ Software for Laptop (Delorme)

 

Radio

;) ;)

 

This sort of thing is very interesting to me. i know nothing, however, about gps, or even what i need to get started, or what i need to purchase. if you could help me out with this, and maybe give me a lil insight, i would greatly appreciate it. thanx

 

GREG

[TPKeller]

This sort of thing is very interesting to me. i know nothing, however, about gps, or even what i need to get started, or what i need to purchase. if you could help me out with this, and maybe give me a lil insight, i would greatly appreciate it. thanx

 

GREG

Hi Greg,

 

I always suggest that folks start here: http://gpsinformation.net/

 

That is one of the best overall information sources about all things GPS. It's been around a long time so some of the information is a little dated, but they do also seem to keep up with the new equipment. You'll see they have a "New users start here" link on the front page. :)

 

I'm not sure if you are looking for any more than that. If you really know "nothing" about GPS, I will give you the 2 minute tour. And of course if you aren't interested, you can just skip it! :)

 

GPS is the real-world implementation of all those dreaded 6th grade math word problems!

 

It's all about Rate * Time = Distance. ::shudder from flashback::

 

There is a constellation of satellites flying around the earth with precisely synchronized atomic clocks. They all transmit a coded signal containing the exact time. Back on the ground, your handy-dandy GPS receiver listens for up to 12 of these satellites at a time, and receives those coded signals with the exact time.

 

Now back to our neat math formula above. Since the speed of the radio signal is the same for everyone, but the distance from you to each of the satellites is different, the coded signals all have a very slightly different time stamp, since each signal has to travel a different distance to go from the satellite to where you happen to be standing.

 

So, with all the different time stamps from each of the satellites, it is possible to calculate how far away each satellite is from you, and since the position of the satellites is also known, it comes down to a simple triangulation method (although with more than just 3 sources) to figure out your exact location.

 

Then you can add in the more fun stuff. Your location is recalculated once per second on most units, so that lets you determine your speed and direction of travel. You can set your receiver to record your location at certain intervals, which is how you make the tracks showing where you have been. You just have to transfer the data from your GPS to another computer with a program that can handle the data and map it out all nice and pretty.

 

Anyway, rambling for a late night, I hope that helps and was at least marginally interesting. If you want the real technical deal, check here!

 

Theron

[mspink98]

Blusry, he's got a Garmin 60C. We're looking at the BlueChart software through Garmin. I dl like the idea of entering coordinates rather than purchasing software. The software package is about $120, and who knows when we'd use it again.