GPS for Model T

[Michael Paul]

Hey guys, found this great GPS device.
It'll look great mounted on the dash!

All kidding aside, I've been doing some research for an archeological project, and found locations John Fremont mapped while using one of these. We've found an old trail that hasn't been used since 1856!

Did you know Fremont recorded elevations along the way using a thermometer and boiling water. Amazing what they did back then..

Finding your latitude is fairly easy, longitude is a whole nother ball game. I haven't mastered that yet.

[Norman Kling]

My GPS is a folded paper one. Works fine if I stop to look at it or have a navigator along!
Norm

[ModelTWoods]

Item, pictured is PRE-Model T.

[John Codman]

I rarely get far enough from home to need a GPS of any sort. If I do, I use a small paper GPS that folds neatly and doesn't take up much space.

[Norman Kling]

Only place I have problems is in the plains. Can't tell which way I am going, especially around noon. Most of the places I go have mountains and I can usually tell if I am going the right way because I have memorized the shape of mountains and direction from the road. Even here GPS can be misleading. Our road is named until another intersection. Then from there on it is a private easement. According to GPS the intersecting road is the end of the road so people go straight to our house and think it is actually the house across the canyon from here!
Norm

[Oldav8tor]

I get the joke, but for what it's worth, I do use an old Garmin GPS primarily as a speedometer / odometer. It also tracks max speed, elevation, direction, etc. If I want a map, it has that too.

My car has a 12 volt battery-if you're running 6 volts you might want to consider a small, stand-alone 12 v battery to power it. A friend uses a battery such as some folks carry to keep their cell phone charged. It doesn't take much.

You can usually buy an old Nuvi for $20 or less on ebay.

[Michael Paul]

Yes, it was just meant to be a joke. I was surprised to learn many sailor's still carry them as a backup while navigating the ocean.

If you read John Fremonts journals from 1842-1846 mapping the west, he would take readings with his sextant everyday.

Finding his latitude was by using a pan of water. He would line up the sun reflection off the water, then angle up to the sun.

Finding longitude required a very accurate watch. He would calculate his time location at noon from Greenwich mean time.

The used GPS for a speedometer is a great idea.

[Michael Paul]

This was all triggered by archeological work I've been involved in. We've uncovered some trails that have been abandoned since 1856. Walking in his footsteps is like time travel back to the 1800s.

The trees that were blazed are very slow growing blue oaks. One we found was listed as 30" diameter oak tree.
It's only 36" around after 180 years!

It's been fun learn how to use the sextant.
Back then it involved being a very good at math. Nowadays, they have a book of tables to use.

[Norman Kling]

On a clear night you can base your direction on the position of the north star! (unless you are south of the equator)
Norm

[Art M]

A club member and I found that a Garmin will work without any problems with our 6 volt cars. Each of us have been using a Garmin for at least 7 years.
Other members use a cell phone to track speed, mileage etc.

Art Mirtes

[SurfCityGene]

Old TIM, What Model is your Garmin?

I using an old Garmin Nuvi but it doesn't have elevation but has more other data info like moving average, moving time, stopped time max speed plus it'll tell you where the ice cream is at!! I mainly use it for speedo and to record miles driven.

You can pick them up for nearly nothing and they're nearly indestructible. It doesn't like too high a voltage though. I run mine on 12vdc

[KimDobbins]

Glad your still at it Michael, sure wish I lived closer, that's a great piece of property.

[Harvey Bergstrom]

I use PRO55 speedometer app on my iPhone. It records mileage, tells mph, elevation, time, & maps the routes traveled. It is interesting to look back at the 100 recorded trips we have taken this year & the 3100 miles traveled this year alone! It would be awesome or maybe fearsome to know exactly how many miles are on our T since it was new!

[Jonathan.2909]

I get the joke, but for what it's worth, I do use an old Garmin GPS primarily as a speedometer / odometer. It also tracks max speed, elevation, direction, etc. If I want a map, it has that too.

My car has a 12 volt battery-if you're running 6 volts you might want to consider a small, stand-alone 12 v battery to power it. A friend uses a battery such as some folks carry to keep their cell phone charged. It doesn't take much.

You can usually buy an old Nuvi for $20 or less on ebay.

I am not new to a T but I am new to a 12 volt system T, how would I go about getting accessory power from something like a cigarette lighter port or how do you have your GPS wired?
Thanks,

Jonathan Sinclair

IMG_4863.jpg

[Oldav8tor]

Jonathon, I added a cigarette lighter receptacle wired to a 12 volt switched terminal on the firewall. The cigarette lighter receptacle allows me to use the Garmin power cord, which reduces the power to the GPS to 5 volts. I'm not sure that the Garmin power plug would properly reduce 6 volts to 5.... that might be out of it's range.

One advantage of using a power pack that is designed for a cell phone is that the output is 5 volts. A USB power cable with the appropriate plug for the GPS is all you need.

[varmint]

When I lived in Virginia I got an altimeter and we lived at exactly 400' elevation. So, it was easy to set before going up in the mountains. Fell in love with topographical maps in the 70's and still use them today as we travel the country to find the old roads. I get them straight from the USGS web site in digital format and view them on a laptop. As for the sextant, B52's used them. No clue whether that one pictured is the correct year for your car

[Michael Paul]

The sextant is an amazing tool. The one pictured is from harbour freight $12.99 , it works, but about zero accuracy. I thought would be fun to mount on my 1909 touring, claiming to have the first car GPS.

I'm looking for a used one in the 1840 vintage. This may seem a little crazy, but I have a rare opportunity to take readings at the same location John Fremont stood in 1844-46 . I'm very excited about doing this!

I've been taking youtube classes and learning to use one. Always flip down the sun shade lens first, or you'll end up with an eye patch like the pirates! Apparently that was a real thing, blinding yourself using the sun to take readings. If you see a guy driving an 09 touring with an eye patch, you know what happened....

[mbowen]

… I'm not sure that the Garmin power plug would properly reduce 6 volts to 5.... that might be out of its range.

One advantage of using a power pack that is designed for a cell phone is that the output is 5 volts. A USB power cable with the appropriate plug for the GPS is all you need.

It’s easy enough to test whether a car charger will work on a 6V system by simply hooking it up to your Model T’s battery. Lacking a cigarette lighter-style power socket, I just wrapped a wire tightly around the ground contacts on a Verizon car charger, touched that wire to the cutout can on the generator, and touched the center contact to the generator wire coming from the battery, and an old iPhone 7 I have started charging. I tried the same test with a 16-year old Garmin NUVI GPS with a power plug labeled for 10-30V input, and it also worked. An Aukey brand dual USB car charger labeled for 12-24V and did not work. I measured the voltage at the generator wire (without the engine running) at 6.25V.

[RVA23T]

I have also been successful getting my S10 Galaxy to charge off the 6v battery.
My concern with charging directly off the battery was a lack of amperage or charging rate controll chose to install an AmazeBay 6v to 12v step up converter and a cigarette outlet. In an emergency I would use the 6v but monitor the charging level to stop when close to 80 or 90% charged.
Example of:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/196514639094

[Steve Jelf]

When I decided to add turn signals, a phone charger, and other electric "upgrades" to my 1915, I considered what kind of LED for the signals would be best. I decided to forego six volts because 6v LED's are uncommon and might eventually become unobtainable. So I went with a 12 volt battery. That was fine for the signals, of course, and perfect to buzz the coils for starting on BAT, and also took care of the phone charger.

But reading of the methods some people used to charge their batteries in non-starter cars struck me as more inconvenient than I wanted. I preferred never having to charge my battery between drives, so I went with John Regan's charger that works off the mag. I found this arrangement quite practical, and if I ever have another pre-starter car I will do it again.

Instructions for the magneto battery charger (6 or 12 volt) are here: https://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG102.html