It’s never a good feeling when you are lost on your boat in an unfamiliar lake, yet on occasion even experienced boaters have had that unnerving feeling of losing their navigational way. However, if your boat is equipped with a Marine GPS unit, your chances of returning safely to shore increases exponentially.
It does not matter whether you use a standalone Marine GPS unit, or a handheld unit or have a GPS capable personal data (PDA) finding your bearings can be made much easier. Additionally, God forbid there is an emergency, you can use your marine GPS unit to give rescuers an exact location which would make you safe return to shore pretty much guaranteed and you will also get a quicker response.
When utilizing a handheld Marine GPS unit, it is best to first check the location when you are on the shore and market that down in your unit, in the event you get lost while you are out on the water. You can get to your destination in a quicker, safer, simpler manner by knowing where you are and where you need to go. Particularly if you are in water that you are not familiar with or a quick storm makes visibility nearly impossible. A Marine GPS unit can help you find yourself into a safe harbor in the event that you travel too far away from shore and loose any of your directional bearings that you were hoping you had if you maintained a line of sight.
Marking and Recalling Locations of Successful Fishing Spots
When on the water and your fishing and you come upon a suitable location that gives great results, you cannot put a ‘X’ on the water, but by utilizing a Marine GPS, you can do the next best thing. You can go back to the precise spot the next time you are looking for a place to catch fish, by marking the location that is revealed by the unit. There will be no judging location by a reference point on the shore and there will be no guessing involved because your Marine GPS unit has the data within it marked.
When boaters sometimes wander away from the territory that they are familiar with they need to send for help. Whether there was a malfunction on their boat or they lost their bearings on the lake and they have a need to guide the rescue craft to their location it becomes more crucial as time goes by. A Marine GPS unit on board can make your imminent rescue easier and faster if you can provide them with the exact location to give to a rescue craft.
In a more severe accident on the water, such as your boat sinking, then a quick rescue is in order. By utilizing a Marine GPS, particularly if equipped with a GPS locator, you can assist rescuers to find you near your last reported location. Having a starting point for a rescue operation can be a life-saving and critical piece of knowledge.
By: Korbin Newlyn
Posts Tagged ‘Marine Gps’
Marine GPS Maintains Boater Safety
March 7th, 2010Tips On Using Marine GPS Based Devices
February 11th, 2010
Marine GPS based devices are a boon to all seafarers. It is based on the Global Positioning System or GPS. It is a constellation of satellites which orbit the earth twice a day, transmitting exact time and position information. With GPS, you can spot your precise location and get back to your original destination. A marine GPS can be of a great help should you get lost in any large body of water – lakes, seas or oceans.
A marine GPS device’s use starts off the first step prior to going out to sea – voyage planning. One of the most vital advantages of using marine GPS is that it is a device commonly responsible for saving lives. In addition, marine GPS also reduces the chances of getting lost at sea.
Normally, marine GPS systems are used by the Coast Guard to keep track of ships as they move along the coastlines. This will give them an idea of the direction in which a vessel is heading. They may be able to communicate with the vessel and provide precise information regarding its current position and directions to take to get to its destination.
With marine GPS technology, planning routes for other ships have been made possible for the crew. In addition, this technology also helps in avoiding collisions that may cause fatality or other accidents that may cause damage to the ship.
Basically, there are many different kinds of marine GPS in the market. They range from voice-enabled computer systems to simple radar-oriented GPS systems. The more popular marine GPS systems will be the one that is voice-enabled. Somehow seafarers relate to this type of marine GPS systems since they find some comfort in listening to a ‘human’ voice; though it may be a computer generated one. As for the radar-oriented GPS systems, they only give off a beep as a form of signal. This makes the interaction with the marine GPS a less ‘personal’ one; although they are very effective in locating positions.
People usually perceive that they need lots of sea knowledge in order to operate a marine GPS. However this is not the case. Just like any other GPS system, all you need to do is to read the manual and understand the signals that are shown on the GPS device. Thereafter, you can program the marine GPS device according to the requirements of your journey on the high seas. Whether you use a marine GPS on land or at sea, they provide user friendly interfaces that makes them easy for everyone to operate.
GPS Fish Finders Is A Great Tool For The Fisherman – Hobbyist Or Professional
GPS fish finders are amazing devices that take away the hassle of finding your catch during your fishing expeditions. There is a great variety of GPS fish finders today. The Internet is a great place to start your search for information. Some sites will have general information regarding these innovative devices; others will have details regarding commercially available models. You can review their features and functions and what they will cost to buy to improve the chances of successful fishing. Here is a summary of some well-known models:
1) Hummingbird 383c GPS Fish Finder Combo
This GPS fish finder has a built-in nautical mile resolution UniMap of USA inland lakes, rivers and coastal areas. In addition, it includes many key features in its package such as an internal 16 channel WAAS GPS receiver with omni-directional antenna for higher performance. This model gives accurate water temperature readings and can be designed for both fresh and saltwater environments.
In addition it also can freeze frame immediately; pause display allowing more time to examine the details. Its compact design is perfect if there is insufficient space on your boat. Moreover, this GPS fish finder can be easily mounted on a mounting space on the boat. This model possesses the DualBeam PLUS sonar, which delivers wider coverage of the bottom. It also makes the job of finding fish much easier with the built in adjustable zoom levels for display.
2) Eagle FishElite 500c GPS Fish Finder
This model is another popular choice for a GPS fish finder. It has a high quality ultra bright and 256 color LCD screen. Furthermore it is a full size combo 200 kHz sonar and mapping GPS and WAAS with 256-color, sunlight-viewable 320Vx240H pixel display.
What is great about this mode is that it offers high definition to help you identify what you are looking for. In fact, the GPS fish finder can reveal fish hidden in underwater color. It also comes with an optional sensor and adjustable ping speed with automatic HyperScroll to show fish targets at higher boat speeds.
This GPS fish finder system also comes with a built-in temperature sensor in the transducer, zoom in bottom tracking and easy zoom in and out control as well as on and off sonar alarms. This model also comes with pre-installed maps of the continental U.S and Hawaii.
Basically, this particular GPS fish finder is good, durable and easy to use. Its internal memory helps to store GPS data and sonar settings. Therefore, with this tool, you can be assured that you will bring in loads of fish home.
By: Cindy Heller
