Posts Tagged ‘Waypoint’

Hiking - GPS Buying Tips

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

Due to the nature of the activity, hiking can pose some risks and challenges. Among them miss is probably the most common throw caution to the wind from hikers and think that will not happen to them. Experienced hikers will tell you to track your hike and route planners are as essential as the proper equipment and provisions. The best tool you can use a Global Positioning System or GPS, which uses satellites to locate their position no matter where you are.

A basic unit has controls and a screen to display your latitude (east-west location) and length (north-south location). They also have a number of channels so that they can change frequently when there is interference. While the base models conform to a close, there are a number of options that are beneficial and sometimes essential in terms of the types of hiking you’re doing.

Added features include waterproof cover that is a necessity if you think you will be hiking through streams or rivers or the combination of outdoor activity with the rafting. Another is a digital compass that is beneficial as a quick reference. Altitude reading is another good option to have. Calculate the height when planning a hike in the map can be a lot of conjecture, but when used in conjunction with a GPS unit can calculate the degree and height of your walk.

No less critical are the options that will help you with locating and monitoring. These include features such as the ability to download maps of your area and zoom and relocate. Some of them have again turned on a screen so they are easier to read at night and a tracking so you know you’ve been. A built in compass does not require you to be in motion to determine its location either locally or from the forests of Costa Calida.

A feature of the sale of GPS units is the number of waypoints, or ways to find your location (there are many more latitude and longitude). This term is also used as the number of landmarks in the display unit charged with a map. Showing too many milestones can make it too confusing to read more is not always better.

Prices vary depending on the model and brand of GPS unit and usually range from $ 100 to $ 300. You usually get what you pay for you, but sometimes you can find deals on older models.

While the use of the Internet for research and evaluation of user features GPS unit is beneficial, you must test the units to see which one is best for you. Find a store that specializes in units and has a staff with knowledge on the features GPS.

If you do your research and know what you need for your GPS, you will find the unity that is right for you.

GPS Navigation in the Great Outdoors

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Heading out into the wilderness or unknown outdoors? Make sure a handheld GPS receiver goes along! For as long as you know your final destination, a GPS would guide you through. In its simplest form, a GPS receiver calculates your exact location based on range signals it receives from various satellites in the space. But when you are out in the wilderness, knowing your current position alone is not adequate, what is just as important is to know how to get where you have to be. Mostly, simple GPS receivers, apart from measuring the position, would also measure additional information like speed and time. Depending on how sophisticated a GPS unit is, you can get various other details such as bearing and distance to your destination, an accurate compass direction, height above sea level as well as almanac information such as sunrise & sunset timings.

Of numerous details that a GPS receiver is capable of providing, what you actually need to know is to be handy with your unit. Once you know how to use it, you can make an effective and intelligent use of your GPS unit. It is of key importance to know how to store the coordinates into your GPS receiver, which has a two-fold benefit:

- First, by storing the coordinates of your current location you can always find your way back to where you started from.

- Second, you can store the coordinates of your destination and the GPS unit would continuously provide you with a bearing and distance of your destination as you move along the direction of the bearing.

Most GPS units label this feature as “Go to”. The current location in most receivers can be stored by simple depression of a single key, which is usually labeled as “Mark”. A second method of storing the coordinates of a position is by manually entering the latitude and longitude of a location as a waypoint. Once the waypoints are entered, a route can be created by using two or more waypoints. A GPS receiver would then calculate the bearing and distance of the second waypoint from the first in a route.

Following the bearing, by an inbuilt compass in GPS unit or an external magnetic compass, would then lead the user to the destination. As you go along a route, guided by your GPS receiver, it is a wise idea to store your location coordinates at regular intervals especially while you are in the wilderness. This would be useful in case you need to trace back your track exactly. It is much easier to use the “Go to” feature, then following your breadcrumb trail.

So before you head out for your next excursion, just know:

- The coordinates of the destination

- How to enter a waypoint

- How to follow a bearing and/or use the “Go to” feature

Now go learn these basic steps of GPS navigation and then hit that trail and start exploring! Just don’t forget to bring along extra batteries!