Stop and ask directions

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap

How 'bout just planning ahead?

Newport must not be that big.

Peace

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by All_Heart

Does anyone use a GPS navigation system to help get you to games on time? Can anyone recommend a decent unit with real-time traffic? Don't want to show up to the game to late

Consumer Reports just evaluated them -- in the issu prioor to the current one, I think. I don't think "finding schools" was one of the tests.

[Rich]

I have a Garmin Nuvi 350. I travel around the country for my job and it's small enough to fit in the front pocket of my briefcase and charges via a car or home power outlet.

I haven't printed a map since I bought it, although occasionally it won't find the school by name in the built-in "phone book" so I have to get the address of the school from the Internet.

[TimTaylor]

Originally Posted by All_Heart

Does anyone use a GPS navigation system to help get you to games on time? Can anyone recommend a decent unit with real-time traffic? Don't want to show up to the game to late

I have a Garmin 340 with the add on FM traffic receiver. I didn't get it for officiating - in my job I travel the better part of 3 states and use it when I'm traveling. That said, I have used it fairly consistently both to find the best route to schools whose location I'm not familiar with (most recently this afternoon) and to get enroute traffic in general. It has a very extensive built in location database that includes schools. In the unlikely event a school isn't in the database (only happened to me once) you simply input the street address as the destination.

In my experience it does a much better job than Mapquest, which sometimes will give you pretty convoluted directions. Another plus is that if you have to detour enroute it automatically recalculates the directions in real time as well as providing a real time ETA.

I personally prefer Garmin, because I have used their aviation products for years, but there are other good units out there - for example, I have a friend that has one of the Tom Tom units and is very pleased with it. I've also heard good things about Magellan.

Best suggestion I can make is to hit one of the big box electronics stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.) and check out the various units they have on display.

[BillyMac]

Our local IAABO board using the Arbiter program to assign games. The Arbiter can also be used, through Mapquest, to get directions to the site.

[Drizzle]

I use Mapquest (thru the Arbiter) but I have a GPS unit on the way so I can do detours or directions from non-household starting points. I'm not completely sure, but I think if you want real time traffic services through the GPS unit you'll have to pay a monthly fee.