Handheld GPS units are a hikers best friend. Any hiker knows that being able to find your way around, especially in wilderness areas, is important. Hikers also know two of the deterrents to hiking in the wilderness are how to find the head trail and then how not to get lost during the hike. A handheld GPS unit can give people the freedom to explore the experience hiking in the wilderness areas that they have not attempted before.
A typical handheld GPS unit is powered by standard batteries and is 2 to 3 inches wide and 4 to 6 inches long. These handheld GPS units have a small screen which shows an icon representing your current location and pre-plotted locations. Various models also have maps showing roads and streams, topography, etc.
Handheld GPS units which can be used for hiking in the wilderness, use satellites orbiting over 12,000 miles above the earth to determine the position of the handheld GPS unit on the ground. It does this by using travel times to the handheld GPS unit’s signals being emitted from some of the 24 Navstar satellites. Consumer grade handheld GPS units need to receive signals from at least three of these satellites to calculate your “XY” or map coordinated position. At least four of these satellites are needed to also calculate your altitude.
There are several physical elements which may prevent a handheld GPS unit from receiving a satellittes signals. Mountains, canyon walls, high metropolitan buildings, and dense forest growth can limit the number of low in the sky satellites that are visible and therefore useable by the handheld GPS unit.
Once a handheld GPS unit has a location fixed in it, here’s what it may do for you while you are hiking in the wilderness.
1. Waypoints: A waypoint is a single point location. It can be saved in the handheld GPS unit’s memory. As you are hiking in the wilderness you can see your current position in relation to the point you want to go to. Waypoints may be created and saved in the handheld GPS unit’s memory before leaving for your trip or while you are in the field exploring. Sometimes a series of waypoints are sequentially linked to form a route.
2. Routes: A route is a series of locations that are linked in sequence to describe a path along which you intend to hike in the wilderness. The maximum number of positions that can go into a route varies depending on the type and model handheld GPS unit you have.
3. Tracks: A track is essentially a route that is made up of many linked sequential locations which a handheld GPS unit automatically creates and saves as you hike in the wilderness. This is analogous with leaving markers along a trail, so you can retrace your path that your came in on while hiking in the wilderness. This helps the hiker avoid getting lost while enjoying and exploring in the wilderness.
Waypoints, routes, and tracks are the three principal categories of locations that are fixed by a hiker in a handheld GPS unit. An understanding of these three basic categories gives the hiker insight into how a handheld GPS unit can help one navigate and explore safely while hiking in the wilderness. It can be used to preplan trips and to guide the hiker along their from their start to the destination and back again. A handheld GPS unit is ideal for the hiker to track and show them where they are going, where they have been and to reverse the course and return the hiker safely to their starting point.
By: Beth Appel
Posts Tagged ‘Waypoint’
What Can A GPS Handheld Unit Do For The Hiker?
January 12th, 2010Free GPS Software
November 24th, 2009
I took a look at some of the online offers for free GPS software and found, like many “free” offers there were often limits and provisos involved. Often the freeware is a scaled–down version of purchasable products. Sometimes the free product has restricted functionality with features disabled, other products are trial–based and are disabled after a certain time (hours or days or use).
An example of limited free GPS software can be found at GPS Utility. The downloadable freeware is limited 100 waypoints and 500 track points. (There are 65,000 of each in the registered version of their program.) The free program gives you a good opportunity to try before you buy, and this is the benefit of most free programs.
There are online sites that list various free GPS software and describe how to use the programs after you download them. Often individuals who have used the programs themselves develop the sites. These are great because they give you an unbiased interpretation of the benefits and disadvantages of the programs before you use them.
Using free GPS software you can download programs that allow you to retrieve and display aerial photos, topographical maps, USGS landmarks. There are programs available that allow you import scanned images and add latitude and longitude points and other data.
Free GPS software downloads are available for PDA units that are capable of communication with GPS receivers. With these downloads you can have a useful navigation assistant, location database manager, and GPS data converter.
Programs to manage GPS waypoint and route files are available for both PC and Mac users. The waypoints and route files can be saved or converted to various formats used by other mapping programs.
If you need to transfer information to and from your GPS receiver and your home computer or laptop there are several free programs that allow you to do so. There are also programs that allow Garmin GPS receivers to “talk” to one another.
Many of the programs listed here are directed at the hiking/trekker community, but there are also free programs available for auto GPS systems and marine navigational systems. I found a couple of marine navigation programs that allow you to download nautical charts and plotters.
There are free GPS software programs that allow you to download street maps that might not be included in your auto–navigation system. If you intend downloading in–vehicle software, make sure that it has audio capacity, an essential safety factor for motorists. One such program offers data for several countries with voice guidance in twelve languages.
Free GPS software is also available for downloading to your cell phone. This is mostly tracking software and can be phone specific. You might want to check with your carrier before downloading anything to your cell phone to make sure that it does not incur extra charges.
As satellites are constantly moving, it is helpful to know the optimal time for data collection in your area. There is free GPS software that includes an almanac to let you know the availability of satellites at any given time.
Some of the free GPS software is brand specific. Programs designed for a Garmin receiver may not work for a Magellan, so check out the specifications carefully, especially if you intend purchasing a registered version after your trial period. Other software works with most brands.
By: Anne King
