To say a GPS saved my life, and the life of my family would be a lie. I could however say, that my Magellan GPS Sport Trak was a reassuring tool during a real life threatening situation. And that would be the truth. More…It was only the second year our family had been sailing, and we decided to venture a little further from our home port. The perfect starter trip, presented itself, when two other family friends decided to take their two boats on a short weekend sail from Bayfield to Goderich Ontario. It’s a pretty short distance. a couple hours sailing there on a Saturday, a stay overnight in different marina, and a couple hours sail home the next day. It also seemed like a perfect chance to try out the new GPS.
GPS And The Real World
The entire trip would be insight of land, and a GPS was probably not really necessary. But, as with all tech gadgets, there is a bit of a learning curve. So, I figured it would be a good chance to learn a bit more about the GPS in a very practical environment. With the added benefit, of something to amuse the cyber kids during a potentially long and boring (translation: no computer games) adventure. The trip up took a little longer then planned, as the wind was of course very light, and not blowing the direction we were heading. It was a nice sunny day, making a longer trip more pleasant. All three boats arrived just fine. The GPS worked fine, and it was kinda cool seeing it track our trip over the lake. Much more fun that watching it track my speed, as I walk around the block. That’s what I did the first day I had it, since it’s really not much fun to play with a GPS standing still.
GPS Bread Crumbs
After a pleasant dinner and fun time in the Goderich marina, we headed of for sleep, with plans to head home early the next day. The next day brought a little more weather early on, so it seem to be prudent to head off early. The wind picked up quickly, and pretty soon we were sailing in 20 knot winds with 3 to six foot waves. The wind of course blowing the opposite direction from where we were heading. A little rough, but we were managing, and we could easily find our way back home by following the shoreline, or our previous days trip, still stored in the Magellan GPS. About 5 miles directly off shore from our home marina, we made our last tack in and could see our home port in the distance. Thinking smugly that we had avoided any storms I relaxed a little. I noticed the big black wall heading toward us from the south, but was sure we had it beat. About 2 miles from our port, I realized just how wrong I was.
A GPS Makes A Crummy Umbrella
The line squall hit us dead on. Winds went from 20 to 30 knots, and the rain poured. We furled our head sail, and sent the kids below for safety’s sake (which of course sent one racing for the head to deposit her breakfast). Over the radio, helpful advice from our friends boats attempted to assure us we would be fine. The worst thing, was that the shoreline completely disappeared. Nothing but black. Sailboats like water, but they don’t do so well crashing into land. As one boating friend tells me, “In a boat, the land is not your friend”. And here we were heading for land, but just not sure where it was. Not a good thing. Fortunately, our GPS had our home port as a waypoint, and all we could do was follow it’s course. Actually all three boats had their GPS set for the home port, and they were following their GPS heading just as we were. Fortunately, it was a quick storm (only 15 minutes or so), a great beginners introductory storm. As the black dissolved, and the sun shone, our GPS had been true. We were right on target at the mouth of the Bayfield river, and it was pretty simple to just sail in and tie up. Fifteen minutes later, we watched the next squall blow through from the safety of our dock. Who says tech gadgets are just toys? My GPS was a real life saver.
By: Chris Campbell
Posts Tagged ‘Magellan Gps’
Pocket PC GPS, Tracking the Details
November 19th, 2009
The increased availability of pocket PC’s that run on a windows platform have allowed easy access to the Internet no matter where you are. The term pocket PC, PPC and Win CE are used together to describe the various new hardware devices that use the Windows mobile software to access the Internet. Many of these new devices have GPS capability which further adds to their function. Pocket PC GPS units and software give the user a wide range of applications to meet just about anyone’s needs.
Mapping capability within pocket pc GPS devices comes in several different formats. Probably the most desired format is called moving map with voice guidance. Many people are familiar with this type of GPS mapping as it is identical to that found in most automotive GPS systems that are used in motor vehicles. Included in these software packages are auto routing with detailed street mapping. In addition you can also find downloads for detailed topographic maps as well. Non voice guidance capable software is also available at a much lower price.
Marine and Aviation mapping capabilities are also available that include aircraft and boat performance features including altitude, crosswind calculations and horizontal situation indicators. In addition these pocket pc GPS units also allow you to do detailed flight and nautical trip planning. Many of the software packages that work in pocket pc’s will work in Garmin format for easily uploading and downloading waypoints. In addition Memory-Map software will work with Magellan GPS software.
Pocket pc GPS devices that have the new SiRF chipsets in them will be able to work faster and within less than ideal environments. Tall buildings, deep canyons and heavy canopy tree cover has been a problem with older GPS receivers. The new SiRF technology has greatly increased the effectiveness of all GPS units especially those that do not have a dedicated antennae like pocket pc’s
GIS software is also available to pocket pc users. This geographical information system data base information is great for providing not only location information but cultural, political and infrastructure data. This data is provided in map overlays each with specific information that the user can use in making planning decisions.
Having a pocket pc GPS on hand gives the user a powerful and diverse tool. No matter what the user’s location critical planning and operational information is always at hand. All of which making an investment into a quality pocket pc GPS system very cost affective.
By: Jim Kesel
GPS System Best Buy
October 8th, 2009
First, a few notes about the Magellan ColorTRAK GPS. It is so amazing that it has an internal lithium battery back-up that keeps the memory active for 10 years! That is a really long time! The Magellan ColorTRAK GPS is also scraggy and has a waterproof construction so you don’t have to worry it dunk into the water.
GPS for truck tracking is relatively new and have shown very good effects. It has been proved that tracking of your vehicles will keep your overhead down. For example GPS Tracking can eliminate the need for having your truckers fill out driving logs. The mileage tracking will allow fleet managers to observe vehicle performance and maintenance from the convenience of their computer.
GPS tracking is the term given to the process of being able to locate the exact location of a receiver on earth. Today, the devices can be very small. They are often used for a variety of purposes, and truck tracking is what actually remains as the most popular and widespread uses of GPS.
Today, mobile communication devices are becoming much more technologically advanced and offer more than the ability to just carry on a conversation. Cell phone GPS tracking is one of those advances. With GPS technology now more commonplace in many new cell phones, this means that the location of anyone carrying a compatible cell phone can be accurately tracked at any time. So GPS tracking is an excellent tool to use and take advantage of throughout our lives.
Tracking systems reduce vehicle costs by putting a spotlight on speeding employees, who waste fuel, cause excessive engine wear and drive up insurance rates. Vehicle tracking systems will also remind you when it is time for preventive maintenance, like oil changes, helping you keep your vehicles on the road and making you money.
GPS tracking systems are continuously offering something new and amazing for your use. Some also included the feature that allows you to track your own car via the Internet. GPS tracking systems are also great solutions to track the vehicles should it be stolen. In the near future we should expect most new vehicles to have GPS equipment. That will reduce the huge costs that is now associated with the transportation sector. Trucks and the cargo they carry are stolen and the cost estimates now show that the figures are not millions of dollars but billions of dollars. Every year.
By: Louise Wasa
