Posts: 699
Location: Hugo, MN | Guest - 7/25/2007 5:46 PM
These incidents have been discussed on several boards and it appears everyone is quick to blame the technology as if it is still not ready for prime time. The fundemental technology behind the newer units we are using today was developed by the aerospace industry for very accurate weapons guideance. Obviously the units we use are not permitted to run quite as accurate as a weapons system but certainly they are accurate enough to avoid an island IF USED PROPERLY in combination with a accurate maping software. The question I have is were they using newer units with current Lakemaster map? Were they zoomed out too far to see the little structure they collided with? Were they zoomed too tight and outrunning the refresh rate of their unit?
The problem is not with the GPS Satellites those with WAAS are acurate to 3M(9ft). The problem is with the maps they are not accurate enough representations of the actual structure of lakes. I don't care if you have the 1M resolution maps which I have because I thought they would do a great job. They aren't good enough. There is no substitute for actually knowing where you are and what you need to do to get home. Moreover, throw the pitch black darkness of places like Vermillion to disorient you and it's a recipe for some tough luck if you think you're good enough to blaze across the lake at 50 Mph. Not to mention the effects of varying water levels. Bottom line Go Slow, take your time and you should arrive home safe. Happy Boating folks. |
