Using a gps in Rome

I pre-programmed my GPS with many points in Rome in hopes of using it in pedestrian mode to find our way around the old city center.

Unfortunately, at walking speed I found that the surrounding buildings kept me from being able to hold a satellite lock most of the time. I got satellites at the the open areas of Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona, but the rest of the time it just said "no satellite" when I was walking the streets.

Interestingly, when we were driving in such tight quarters it never lost the satellite. I guess at driving speed it gets enough glimpses of the sky to keep a lock, but at walking speed it just didn't work well at all.

Fortunately, all you need is a map and the hotels all have free brochures with area maps that work great for finding all the sites and restaurants.

Thanks -- this sounded like a good idea, but apparently not!

I used a gps with the european maps sd card this past July and August. I never walked around with it, but my neighbor walked around with it in Germany in July with success. Although, it was not 100% perfect, it was fantastic. However, sometimes it told me to turn when there was not a street.

Give it a try and see what happens.

Buon viaggio,

RB

sharon,

I've used my Garmin Nuvi in pedestrian mode while walking around Rome. It works quite well and is especially useful when I get lost!

Regarding the issue of the GPS not being able to get a "lock" when around tall buildings, I haven't found that to be a problem, with one exception.

If I've changed locations significantly (ie: another city), I find it's necessary to take the unit into a "clear area" and select "View Map" on the menu, so that it can determine it's location. Once it has a lock on which city/area it's in, there doesn't seem to be any difficulty using it even when between buildings. If that step isn't followed, the GPS searches for a LONG time before it establishes a location.

I also bought a Garmin, the 1260t model. I wonder if the brand makes a difference. Thanks for the heads up on changing locations. I'm going to try it; it's cheap enough!

Mine's a Garmin Nuvi. I don't think the brand makes any difference. I think it's the height and nearness of the buildings you're walking among. The signal just doesn't move well through concrete and steel.

But yes, give it try, and take one of the hotel's little maps along with you just in case.

We had a Garmin with us for driving in Tuscany (essential there!) out of curiosity we pulled it out a few times in Rome and it was not useful there at all. Too many tall buildings. It would show where we last were until we got to a more open piazza, then it would catch up, then be useless again until we got to another piazza.