Re: The 7° Road Trip
Recieved this private message with some questions that I thought the answers might be of general interest so post them here:
"Really liked your story on the trip to Milford. Have a couple of questions about the equipment you mentioned.
First, what is the brand name and model number of the indoor/outdoor thermometer you use? Is the battery power self contained?
Second, your mapping setup is very interesting. Would you mind sharing your software and hardware configurations? I am unfamiliar with what is available but like the concept of using my laptop with its larger display.
Your stories are always interesting and I generally learn something every time. Please keep writing them."
My response:
Thanks for your positive response and interest in the technology.
My indoor/outdoor thermometer is an Acu-rite model 00592W
I don't find that exact model available any more but it's cousin that does the same thing but looks a little different - 0592 is available here:
http://www.acurite.com/weather/therm...ygrometer.html At home I have the main station in the kitchen with an outdoor sensor under the mailbox by the street and one at the back of the back yard to get both temperatures outside in the summer that's usually 10° difference between the two outside. Extra sensors can be bought to use with it. The base station and remote sensors are all battery powered and sense both temperature and humidity.
For the GPS tracking I use Microsoft Streets and Trips on the lap top with an old Deluo wired GPS receiver plugged into the computer and on the roof (it's magnetic). Microsoft sells the software and wireless receiver together here:
http://www.microsoft.com/streets/en-...treetsgps.aspx Just need to be sure to update the Streets and Trips with the latest data base before each trip to get the latest changes in roads.
One caveat with any GPS system - they have no common sense as hard as they try. A good paper map and, even better, local knowlege and road signs are still better. Too many times we have ignored paper maps and road signs to follow the GPS and have been taken on crazy back roads that were probably the shortest routes but much longer to drive and often unpaved, over a mountain, or even closed. My advice is to navigate as much as possible by road signs and paper maps and just use the GPS to keep track of where you are - they're real good at that - not to get you to where you want to go by the best route. The nice thing about Streets and Trips on a laptop - you get to see the whole map that you can zoom in and out of to get the whole lay of the land with your location pinpointed on it instead of the usual little dashboard GPS models that just show a few hundred feet ahead.
