Posts Tagged ‘Etrex GPS’

Hiking – An intro to The Use Of GPS Navigation Systems

The Worldwide Positioning System is quickly turning into extremely much a common-or-garden navigational tool and is sometimes seen fitted into autos today.

It’s also now available in an easy handheld form, similar in size to several cell telephones. A GPS unit can be piled high with map data for just about any area of the planet and, by trying a series or satellites, it can pin down your position with noteworthy accuracy. Indeed, many units can not only indicate your position on the ground, but can also offer you an altitude reading. Like most things, GPS units are set at a moderately low level for a basic unit that may simply give you your latitude and longitude, to highly pricey units which are packed with extra features than the average walker could ever potentially use.

Because of this it is important that you decide just precisely how you need to employ a GPS unit before you go shopping. The planet’s number one manufacturer of GPS is Garmin and you will definitely find a variety of Garmin units on sale in virtually each outlet, including naturally outlets on the internet.

There also are other makes of course and, whichever brand you select, you will find a confusing range options available in different sizes and styles. For the walker it’s particular deserving of note that some models are water resistant, which can come in terribly handy if you are certain to be crossing streams and lakes or if you get caught out in a hurricane. Different models also offer different numbers of waypoints. A ‘waypoint’ is just another term for earthly coordinates like latitude, longitude and altitude. For most walkers these basic waypoints will be acceptable but, if you are into gizmos, you could like to take a look at the variety of other waypoints that may be used to show your position on the ground. You may find that when talking about GPS units the term ‘waypoint’ is also used to explain the amount of landmarks shown on the display. This may alter depending on the map that is loaded into the unit and the quantity of info displayed can be both bad and good as far as the walker is worried. Although it might appear that ‘the more information the better’, too much info can simply become confusing and basically make the job of navigation harder instead of simpler. One favored Garmin model with hikers is the eTrex which is light, water-resistant and displays up to 5 hundred waypoints.

It also has a number of controls along the side which let you control the dimensions of the display, including such items as zoom. The bulk of units fall into the $100 to $300 price range, though units can naturally be acquired at well higher than $300.

In the GPS arena, like most others, you regularly get what you pay for and you are likely taking a look at somewhere around $200 for a good unit that is appropriate for hiking. One thing to look for is a unit which will work in a ’static’ environment, as some units require movement to give you a reading. It may also be helpful to purchase a unit which provides an altitude reading as this could be extremely helpful in rocky areas when contour lines on the map can be confusing. The way to purchasing a GPS unit is to think carefully about how you can use the unit and then to do a little analysis and have a look at lots of models before making any buying call.

Etrex Gps Receiver