Where Do You Want To Go Today? Let OnCourse Guide You!

Beginnings

For years, folks have dubbed our society as a "mobile" society. Some fly, some take the train or bus but many prefer to drive. The advent of navigation systems has been a wonderful addition to automobiles but it was never an option I would consider because I always thought it was too expensive. So I would always have a map in my car to assist me if I got lost or wanted to find a route to some far off place.

Of course, getting a "trip tic" from AAA was a great option for long excursions. I would drive, my wife would navigate and most of the time, we found our way. There was always a time factor reviewing the maps, looking at the trip tic and making sure there was a comfort factor for where we were going. It worked and we were happy!

As time went on, I found some terrific mapping programs that I could use on my laptop and eventually I purchased my first "wired GPS". It was HUGE in comparison to what is available today but what did we know then? This was cool! We could see where we were and even plan a route to follow. It was pretty close to accurate but it was never perfect.

It was not too long before mapping companies started to produce applications that could be used on a handheld. Of course that inspired me, if for nothing else than to have a significantly reduced sized device doing the same thing my laptop did. Of course, we were still using wires but eventually, the wires were gone and Bluetooth arrived.

I tried several GPS units with so-so results but settled in on one that was doing the trick for me. With luck and a clear sky, it would grab the satellite signals and guide me to where I was going. Of course, if there was a real heavy cloud bank, there was difficulty in getting that 3D fix. For the most part that was never a problem until the evening I got lost in Maine 50 miles from home and I had no, and I mean NO signal.