During the last two decades, Panama City has had an explosive urban growth. The changes have been so dramatic that the metropolis has changed its physiognomy completely. When I go out and drive through the city, I think I’m somewhere else. It’s not the same city I’ve known since I arrived here in 1962.
In order to avoid confusions entering or exiting the fast lanes known as the Corredor Norte and Corredor Sur, I decided to acquire a GPS device. According to what I’ve researched about the gadget, it will guide me effectively and efficiently through the jungle of concrete and steel of Panama City, Panama. The model of the GPS device is the Garmin Nüvi 50. If you like techie stuff, here they are for your full enjoyment.
- Unit Dimensions: 5.5W x 3.44H x 0.70D inches
- Display size: 4.4W x 2.5 H inches, 5.0 inches diagonal
- Display resolution: 480 x 272 pixels
- Display type: WQVGA color TFT with white backlight
- Weight: 6.3 ounces
- Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion
- Battery life: Up to 2 hours
- Ability to add maps other than Canada or the United States
- Topographic map compatible
- Street map compatible
- System requirements: This USB mass storage device is compatible with Windows XP or newer and Mac OS X 10.4 or later
- Speaks street names, (e.g., turn right on Elm Street in 500 feet)
- Automatic routing (turn-by-turn routing on roads)
- Custom Points of Interest (ability to add points of interest)
- Where Am I? feature (find closest hospitals, police and gas stations, nearest address and intersection.)
- Touchscreen
- Speed limit indicator
- Garmin Garage vehicles compatible (download car icons)
- Garmin Garage voices compatible (download custom voices)
- USA maps preloaded street maps for the lower 49 states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico
The Nüvi has a big 5″ touchscreen display, more than 8 million points of interest (POIs) and spoken turn-by-turn directions. There’s no more guessing which lane you need to be in to make an upcoming turn. Available in metropolitan areas, lane assist with junction view, guides you to the correct lane for an approaching turn or exit, making unfamiliar intersections and exits easy to navigate. It realistically displays road signs and junctions on your route along with arrows that indicate the proper lane for navigation.
Its touchscreen screen is easy to look up addresses and services and to be guided to your destination with voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions that speak street names in Spanish, English and other languages. Nüvi 50′s speed limit indicator shows you haw fast you can go on most major roads in your country.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
The orange envelope contain the map of Panama embedded in a micro 3D 2GB SD card which is inserted into one of the sides of the Garmin Nüvi 50. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of the open box containing the Garmin Nüvi 50. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of the Garmin Nüvi GPS device in the middle of the picture together with the plastic mount and cradle towards your left and the power jack towards your right. You can recharge the battery by plugging a power cord to your auto lighter inlet. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
I took the puppy out for a ride this morning when I went for a hair cut. It worked well and I could see the names of the streets and a map of Panama City while I drove to the barber shop. There wasn’t much I could do, because I haven’t read the owner’s manual yet. Will get acquainted with the device in the upcoming days. Needless to say, I’m very excited with this new electronic toy.
Oh, before I forget. The device can be had for $199.97 and the micro CD card with the map of Panama for $99.97. You also have to pay a 7 percent VAT tax to the Panama government. The total expenditure for being able to drive safely in the ever-expanding city was $320.94. As you can see, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Good Day.
Reference: Instructional Videos on the Garmin Nüvi 50 GPS Device - GPSCity.com
Morning!
One thing I think GPS won’t help in Panama City is the daily rerouting of traffic, even the taxi drivers are getting lost. I was driving in David last month for the first time in years and was amazed at the increase in cars there, totally out of control.
I always get my best tech info from you. I have been wanting a GPS for years but am still relying on MAPS.
Fort Worth has a major road project underway similar to Panama City’s but it is primarily a bypass for the traffic so little impact on daily drivers.
jim and nena
fort worth, tx
Morning Jim and Nena:
Glad I can be of help regarding technology. I love devices, gadgets, tablets and computers.
Panama is working very hard to get its house in order. The replacement of the Diablos Rojos is a giant step forward. The next big step is the operation of the Subway System in 2014. Two new branches will open afterwards; one from Chorrera to Panama City and the other from Chepo to the city. Meanwhile, all the major roads and highways are being repaired and expanded to four or six lanes.
For too long we have been stagnant. Now we are accelerating our pace into the new century. I’m very positive about the future of our country.
Today I’ll be tweaking my GPS to get it fully functional so I can start using it next week. I’m beginning to feel part of this town again, after being relegated to the back roads.
Kind Regards,
Omar.-
Naturally I’ve used GPS for years running boats around. No street signs on the ocean. I bought my first land GPS when I was the office manager for my friend’s construction company. It was an immense help in getting us to places around Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties when we had to check places out to give estimates on jobs. And it ALMOST ALWAYS got us where we needed to go.But it did make mistakes a few times.
When I was making the move to Panama I bought the chip for the road maps here. It worked pretty good when I rented a car in PC to bring my stuff out to Potrerillos Arriba. It really wasn’t a huge challenge, after all, once you cross the Bridge of the Americas there’s only one road you can take to get to David. Pretty hard to go wrong there.
It did mess up when I tried to leave the hostel I was staying at in David to make my way up to Potrerillos Arriba when the voice on the GPS told me to make the next left turn which happened to be the WRONG way on a one way street. And wouldn’t you know it, but a police car was heading my way a block away. Of course I instantly knew after I’d made the turn that it was wrong and pulled over to the side of the road. When the police came I played the dumb gringo and said in English, “I’m lost. Where is the Interamerican highway. They were nice guys. Told me to follow them and they led me to it and let me go on my way.
But that wasn’t the only time the GPS led me astray here. You can read about it here: http://onemoregoodadventure.com/2010/05/09/senor-richards-excellent-adventure/
Hello Richard:
I realize that in the technological world, anything can go wrong. It isn’t as perfect as they say it is. Anyway, when it works it works fine.
As the city expands, I’m getting more and more banned from the fast lanes, (e.g., Corredor Norte and Corredor Sur). I have no idea how get in or get out; plus the speed of the cars on these speedways is horrendous.
Since I’m getting small dizzy spells, I want to be extra sure, I know exactly what I’m doing. That’s what triggered my decision to buy this device.
I’m still reading the manual to see how it works, than slowly I’ll break the code driving during Sundays when the traffic is slow. If it works, than I’ll foray into more congested traffic.
Panama City is getting too complicated to drive in, plus our drivers think they are racing in a Monaco race; they just don’t know or care how to drive properly. Give a Panamanian a car and he will morph into a paranoiac maniac. I’m not kidding.
Thank you for your story about a trip to Neverland with chains and locks, and stars, and frogs. I enjoyed it, as I enjoy all of what you write.
Take Care,
Omar.-
Hi Richard,
Your comment about GPS on the seas made me think of my late uncle. He shipped as 3rd mate on cargo vessels after leaving the merchant service at the end of War 2, as he called it. He was living the technological advances that made his sextant skills obsolete. (I learned to use a sextant from him.) During one shore leave I asked for a refresher course on “dipping the stars in the ocean” and he said they don’t do that anymore. If they want a fix, he just asked “the Chinaman”!? I was perplexed and said so, he explained that his last ship had installed a computerized nav system. The computer maker was Wang! My uncle had the most interesting way of explaining things. haha
jim and nena
When I was running crew boats in the Louisiana offshore oil fields back in the mid to late 70s we had what we called “Coonass LORAN. (For Omar’s edification, a coonass is a Louisianan of Cajun French Extraction. It’s used derogatorily by Texans but is a proud appellation for the Cajuns themselves.) (LORAN stands for Long Range Aid to Navigation. I was working those boats way before GPS was anything more than a twinkle in some inventor’s eye.
The Gulf of Mexico is divided up into “blocks” where oil rigs and oil wells are located. Various areas in the Gulf have different names and within those areas you find the “blocks.” Each well and rig has an assigned number. There are nautical charts known as “block charts” that show all this information. So, if you were a couple of hundred miles off shore and not exactly sure of where you were, you’d pull up to a platform or a well and check to see what it’s number was and then check it out on the block chart. For example you might find that the well is located in “West Vermillion block 236.” Now you have a pretty good fix on where you are and can chart your course from there.
While GPS is a great thing, what happens when your electronics crap out? What do you do? Hopefully, if you’re a long ways off shore you DO know how to use a sextant. On the other hand, navigation in the Atlantic Ocean, and even in the Gulf of Mexico isn’t any great feat. Steer due east or west and eventually a large continent will appear.
Oh dear, even more memories! haha Coonass, hadn’t heard that one in decades.
I worked LORAN systems in the ’70s, not on a boat but on an executive aircraft being sold to some sultan type in the mideast. They didn’t have the navigation system that the FAA has in the states (may still be that way) so finding their way home was LORAN based. It was never an exact system but OK for finding continents.
jim and nena
I don’t want to hijack Omar’s post, but I have to say this about LORAN. If you had good triangulation on the radio beacons LORAN would get you back to a specific spot more accurately using TDs (Time Differentials) than a GPS. And that’s a fact. The GPS signals, you know, are intentionally slightly distorted. Supposedly to throw off incoming IBMs. I always thought that was a bit silly, actually. I mean is it really going to make that much of a difference to you if that 100 megaton atomic bomb lands smack dab on top of your head or a quarter mile away?
The errors that used to be injected into GPS time keeping were called selective availability. It was turned off about a decade ago when the military had trouble supplying MIL grade GPS units. Field troops started buying off the shelf units so the government was forced to set sa to zero. Classic government operation. The new stuff doesn’t even have sa because as you discovered close does not count in thermonuclear war.
The biggest problem with LORAN was terrain “scalloping” affecting the radio waves, mostly a problem closer to the coast. Some multi-path signals could also add to errors. The long range bombers in war 2 used LORAN with great success.
Richard, no problem. You can write all you want. This is your house. Here I am enjoying the exchange of information between Jim and you. Thank you both for sharing.
Best Regards,
Omar.-
OK, Omar, here’s a test for your GPS. It comes from Google maps, click the link and wait for the directions to appear.
http://goo.gl/maps/qgR03
Look at waypoints 37, 53, and 114.
jim
Oops, forgot waypoint 103? Why a ferry?
jim
Morning Jim and Nena:
I saw a lot of turns and twists from New York City to Sydney Australia, but didn’t get the tricks on 37, 53 or 114. Am I missing something?
Regards,
Omar.-
Someone at google maps is having fun:
37. Kayak across the Pacific Ocean Entering Hawaii 2,756 mi
53. Kayak across the Pacific Ocean Entering Japan 3,879 mi
114. Kayak across the Pacific Ocean Entering Australia (Northern Territory) 3,358 mi
Then, for some reason, they recommend the ferry?
103. Take the 長崎~奈良尾~奈留島~福江 ferry Partial toll road 60.8 mi
I suppose staring at maps all day could make one a little “ditzy”.
jim
Hi Jim and Nena:
Okay, I got it now. Navigating almost 4,000 miles on a kayak must be quite an adventure.
I doubt if a ferry would do it though. If you ask me, I prefer a much larger passenger cruise ship, albeit they are not as safe anymore.
Thanks for the laughs,
Omar.-