I exactly have the same question! I've been searching around the internet for any information about using GPS in the Philippines coz I've been hooked to my GPS since I got it August of last year here sa States. I couldn't go anythere without my GPS. It gets the anxiety out especially when driving to a destination that you barely know the way around.
Anyway, here is what I think. What I know is that for a Global Positioning System(GPS) to work, at least 3-4 satellites should be on the line of sight for the GPS receiver. Only with this number of satellites that GPS will be able to triangulate your precise location on the map. From what I read, Philippines has one satellite. Tama' ba ako? Sa nabasa ko, Philippines has a satellite called AGILA 2.
The last time I was there, I brought my receiver coz I had a stop-over in San Francisco for 12 hours and did some driving around the city. However, I haven't tried to see if my GPS receiver would work in there.
Hopefully, some of our fellows here would enlighten us about this!Thanks!
Last edited by cyberdoc95; July 28th, 2004 at 03:23 AM.
i do not really have what you may call an onboard navigation gps system that you see on new vehicles now but rather, i have the handheld garmin gps III plus. its a rather old model but still functional
unfortunately, wala pa akong nakitang city map of any city in the philippines that you can upload.
the map i am using now is the WGS 1984 geographic survey and its accurate to about 80% of provincial roads in the philippines, or least what is reflected in the map. if you are looking for nlex or slex, forget it
likewise, if you are looking for specific city streets, forget it also
i mean, great sayote of zapote, even my waypoint of picc and the other buildings nearby including the senate are on the water, mwahahahaha :D
perhaps buti nga nasa ilalim ng tubig yung senado natin but that is another topic. eh hehehehehe
anyway, i have tried using this as far as baguio, candon, cebu, negros and panay and with the provincial roads, okay so far
yes, your GPS will work in the Philippines, yun nga lang....as benderbot has mentioned, walang local map of the Phils to upload to the GPS.
I use the Garmin GPS III. I have been as far up north as Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, and south to Laguna, and yes Baguio. it works fine! Just make sure you create waypoints as you go. It may not be as accurate in relation to the map installed on the GPS, but that is just because the maps are 'approximates' since it is a world map. In the US, there are maps that can be purchased that are updated yearly to include new roads and establishments. There isn't one for the Philippines yet, though. (that I have heard of)
yung agila 2 sattelite is a telecommunications satellite (pls correct me if I am wrong) The GPS recognizes geostationary positioning satellites, which are all around the earth (there are 32 I think) and your GPS will recognize a few of those at a time. The more satellites it locks into...the more accurate your position will be. That is why a clear view of the sky is essential. Before using your GPS in a different region of the world, make sure that you choose your location correctly. This will orient the GPS to the satellites it must look for or 'see' in order to give you a precise location.
sir knight, very sorry to inform you that GPS wont work here in the Philippines for the simple reason that, so far, there are no digitized maps of any locations here in our country, not even metro manila. we are a third world country, remember?it is so pathetic, if i may say.
knights -- if you do not have a loaded world map with the philippines, then hanggang marking of waypoints ka nalang sa gps mo. functional but it wont excite you. mag sasawa ka rin. i remember this when i had my very old garmin II. its nice for hikes and, just in case, a back toy for mountaineering. but for city navigation, well huwag nalang. mawawala kalang, he he he he
conszky and benderbot.. yeah sayang,I am really facinated by its use and really would love to have it...sana...well.... we still have the old way of navigation.... asking the kanto boys
i am going to use my garmin gecko handheld to look for costal area dive sites in Mindanao versus US published satelite nautical charts. hopefully the combination of a satelite nautical map and a fairly accurate handhelp GPS will help me find the dive sites.
i have tested the GPS versus the GPS o my friend's yacht and the speed that each showed was spot on. i guess it is accurate. and if it is not acurate because of lack of triangulation of satelites, it will tell you by how many meters it may be off.
explo dive an gagmitan ko ng gps. i ordered two satelite nautical charts that cover the whole Davao-Samal island area streching to the sarangani bay area. you can tell that there are underwater reefs by taking a look at the depths. anything that starts at 15 to 60 feet will be worth looking for. anything deeper than 80 feet starting shallowest point might be too dangerous to look for depending on visibility and currents...
i already have two sites in mind, i just need to get my ass in gear this sunday and look for it using a pumpboat. excited na nga ako
the best to discover are the off-shore sunken reefs kasi di masyado accessible by the locals (to destroy with their destructive fishing methods) i dove one in Kiamba, reef starts at 15 feet. my brother and i went all the way down to 190, solid talaga. daming talakitok
I'm Planning to buy a car GPS Navigation system in Switzerland and bring it home to Philippines. My question is : can I use it there? Meron ba tayong maps nabibili para upload sa GPS unit?
actually their is a GPS MAP down detail to 3 sqmtr acurate.. i seen it infact a friend mo mine selling his cellphone with GPS system he used it when he go fishing..sa bundok at dagat..
I dont think there is a digitized map of any place/city in the Philippines, available. If there is any, perhaps, for MM only. What fastlove is talking about is, maybe, just the general geographical position in the Philippines.
Calling the attention of software developers. This will be a big bucks business, i suppose.