Request Google Satellite Photos of Known DMV Motorcycle Test Patterns

I'm about 95% certain that the Oakland keyhole is in the shadow of
the trees in the northeast corner.

-Patti

 

That's too hard!
Here's what I do.
- Go to Google and find the DMV location: Enter your city and state,
then search for DMV. Zoom in to the smallest or next-to-smallest scale,
click to Satellite or Hybrid view.
- One by one, click on the links in the list. Find the painted keyhole,
doubleclick on it, click "Link to this page".
- Copy & paste the link.

Latitude and Longitude (Sorry. "GPS Coordinates" is the cool way to say
that) are cumbersome for this purpose.

 

Not all are satellite images; the smaller-scale images are just as
likely to be from airplanes. If you look at a large-scale image, (or do
I have that backwards?) you can sometimes see that certain regions use
one set of photos and others use other photos. Frequently rural areas
aren't presented in as much detail.

 

Los Gatos is a "rich" community. Maybe they don't like modal cycles.
There are plenty of DMVs not too far where motorcyclists can go, though.

 

Ok people, When you post a long URL, please put it between "< >" . It
keeps the link connected, not fragmented. Thanks.

I think this is the one for Arden Hills, MN:
<http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=mn+dmv+driving+test&sll
=44.980342,-92.452698&sspn=1.493982,2.570801&ie=UTF8&ll=45.10438,-93.1851
02&spn=0.002912,0.005021&t=h&z=18&om=1>

 

There's a hidden missile silo underneath each of those painted circles!

Seriously though, Turby, you're probably a social worker or a nurse or
something like that so it's understandable you don't see the value in
understanding differences and forming hypothesis and conclusions.

If the world were populated with girls like you, we'd never have figured
out genetics or evolution or penicillin.

If you were Mendel, for example, you'd be bored to tears, claiming "geez
louise, all these pea plant sure do look pretty, don't they".

Or, if you were Darwin on the Beagle, you'd complain "Every island atoll
looks like the next one; let's go back home."

Or, heaven forbid, if you were Alexander Fleming you'd have disclaimed in
disgust, "Damn. These bloody fungi have just ruined my bacteriolical
experiments!"

Let me guess. You're a lawyer or politician?

 

I like it!

Let's start a contest titled "If Turby was a scientist, he'd _<blank>_."

I'll start.

If Turby was an engineer, he'd design all bridges exactly alike.
If Turby was a teacher, he'd teach every class exactly the same.
If Turby was a software coder, all algorithms would report the same answer.
If (you finish the sentence)

Turby, the point I'm making humorously is some people like you don't care
about the differences between two blades of grass, or two photographs, or
two opinions, etc but those that do are the ones who are intelligently
improving the information for the rest of us. I'll bet the posters have
learned more in the last day about the dmv test circuits by running these
observations than you'll ever know in your entire lifetime.

I can tell that just from the way you write. Amazing isn't it.

Anyway, what I'm more amazed at is the fact that the two lines show up in
the satellite photographs as a solid gray! That's utterly amazing to me!

Look at these two photographs of the same or similar dmv site.

This ground-level photograph shows the dmv course as two distinct lines.
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/6595/CA_DMV_TEST_IN_PROGRESS.gif

But the satellite shows the same or similar course as "solid" gray!
<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=address+dmv+santa+clara+california&btnG=Google+Search#>
3665 Flora Vista Ave Santa Clara California 95051

It think that's an optical illusion of great interest to understand why.
Don't you?

 

The simple answer is that they're exactly where Congress put them. ;-}

It's no problem to look up addresses of motor vehicle offices and then
scan the satellite photos. The problem is that I'm not sure what to
look for.

Here's one from the successor to the office where I first got my Drivers
License (Garden City, NY). Is this large cricle a test pattern?



40.73981727957134, -73.60829919576645

Rich, Urban Biker

 

There are many forms for GPS Coordinates e.g. UTM. Lat/lon is just one
of them. What's more coordinates can be found in many ways. GPS is
just one of the better ones.

Ted

 

Here's Enfield, CT--you can't really see anything much--the test area
is the empty space in the parking lot to the lower left

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...-105.009588&spn=0.001306.003771&t=h&z=18&om=1

I also took a ride down there today and shot these

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39383723@N00/sets/72157601922951463/

Unfortunately I had a telephoto lens on the camera and didn't feel
like riding home to change lenses and riding back, so they don't
really give a feel for the layout, just details. If anybody really
really wants to see the whole thing let me know and I'll take another
run.

 

Wow. Enfield all the way to Denver in a single day. Ride Report!

Well, I don't blame you. That's a long ride back to get a lens. ;-)

 

Dunno, whole thing's kind of a blur. Bugs at Mach 2 _hurt_. On the
way back I must have passed a hundred cops who were going west at high
speed. Told the dealer that I was _not_ gonna buy that 'Busa unless
he fixed the throttle. He gave me a song and dance about the stain on
the seat but I stood firm. Didn't like his attitude so I left

Seriously, I pasted the wrong link. Try this one

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...9&spn=0.003105,0.004329&t=h&z=18&iwloc=A&om=1

If that's still Denver I'll pull a copy and put it up on Flickr.

 

If Turby was a Scientologist, he'd say I pulled in my back problem
and offer to fix it for several hundred thousand bucks.

--
barb
Chaplain, ARSCCwdne

buy my book!
http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1198812

read my blog!
http://xenubarb.blogspot.com/

 

Check this one out:
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=...l&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&tab=wl&q=

This is Scientology's armed compound north of Hemet, california.
That big circle is their "running program" site, where bad clams are
forced to spend up to 14 hours a day running around the palm tree in the
hot sun for punishment.

Doc Wong will never have the privilege. He's a paying public. This abuse
is reserved for the very dedicated who join the Sea Org and devote their
whole lives into serving the cult.

--
barb
Chaplain, ARSCCwdne

buy my book!
http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1198812

read my blog!
http://xenubarb.blogspot.com/

 

No, it isn't. That link contains no information about location.

 

Check out the Rahway New Jersey DMV testing site!

If you think two parking spaces are a bit small for the California keyhole,
you'll think you'll run out of petrol on the NJ course!

Yikes! You could fit a half dozen Boeing 747s in the New Jersey DMV test
pattern here - they might even find Steve Fossett somewhere on the NJ DMV
course!

I ran the suggested program on "1140 Woodbridge Rd, Rahway, NJ 07065"
javascript:void(prompt('',gApplication.getMap().getCenter()));
which shows the NJ DMV test course location to paste into google as
(40.597213609386124, -74.26971852779388)

Good Gawd. They have it easy in NJ!

 

Arrgghh! The resolution is too crappy for the Santa Teresa DMV in San Jose.


--
Heaven is where the police are British, the chefs Italian, the mechanics
German, the lovers French and it is all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is where the police are German, the chefs British, the mechanics
French, the lovers Swiss and it is all organized by Italians.

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/paul1cart/albums/

 

I can't seem to get any of the long urls to work without resorting to
editing them and deleting the multi-line spaces. Ug.

I wish there were a SIMPLER SHORT GPS URL for you guys!

If you have a SHORT GPS URL that will handle the coordinates pasted into
maps.google.com, that would be useful to us all.

For example, these coordinates are for the Arden Hills, MN DMV:
45.104020013219106, -93.18535655736923

Does anyone have a short google map url for this (sans tinyurl.com)?

 

I agree. San Jose must be impoverished.

I can't find the DMV keyhole for any San Jose office.

Santa Teresa DMV, 180 Martinvale Lane, San Jose, 95119 (800) 777-0133
37.229427158582, -121.7797189950943
+37 degrees 13' 45.94", -121 degrees 46' 46.99"
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4700/dmvkeyholesantatheresasgi1.gif

Looking up nearby DMVs, at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/fo/offices/toc_fo.htm we
see this next closest San Jose DMV seems to have the same lack of lollipop!

Alma Ave DMV, 111 W. Alma Ave, San Jose, 95110 (800) 777-0133
37.315166462766875, -121.87707781791687
+37 degrees 18' 54.60", -121 degrees 52' 37.48"

We already covered the nearby Los Gatos DMV which shows a BOX instead of a
lollipop it seems, unless the keyhole is hidden under trees somewhere where
a ground operative can find it for us.
Los Gatos DMV, 600 N. Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos, 95030 (800) 777-0133
37.233711103757315, -121.97851896286011
+37? 14' 1.36", -121? 58' 42.67"
http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dmvkeyholelosgatoscadx0.gif

Luckily, there is always the nearby Santa Clara lollipop.
Santa Clara DMV, 3665 Flora Vista Ave, Santa Clara, 95051 (800) 777-0133
37.350347, -121.993639
+37 degrees 21' 1.25", -121 degrees 59' 37.10"
http://img502.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dmvkeyholesantaclaracafl4.gif

Can someone on the ground determine if San Jose even has a lollipop?

 

Oops. Forgot to post the Alma Avenue satellite photograph.

Alma Ave DMV, 111 W. Alma Ave, San Jose, 95110 (800) 777-0133
37.315166462766875, -121.87707781791687
+37 degrees 18' 54.60", -121 degrees 52' 37.48"
http://img297.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dmvkeyholealmaavesanjossd1.gif

One thing I noticed is that the javascript doesn't work well in other
browsers than Firefox so bear that in mind when you're centering the
picture using the right-click button in maps.google.com and when you're
obtaining the exact centerpoint using the javascript
javascript:void(prompt('',gApplication.getMap().getCenter()));