Auto GPS » Waypoints

Best Handheld GPS Units for Geocaching Part 1 – Garmin Gmaps 60CSX

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:45:12 +0000

Do you want to know that you have a GPS you can be certain will lead you to different caches, under different conditions, … and then home again? A GPS you can set and forget? A GPS you are confident will keep you and your co-hunting friends and family safe?

If so, Garmin Gmaps 60CSx is an important GPS to consider for geocaching.

Why?

Because it does all this:
It is phenomenally sensitive and remains locked unto satellite signals even under tree cover, even under cloud cover. It is super accurate. Full stop. It has a map screen so you can easily see where you are relative to everything else. You can read the screen clearly in bright sunlight. It’s small. It’s light. It can take being bounced around – which it will be, of course. It’s waterproof. You can programme in up to 20 routes. You can save up to 1000 waypoints (reference points to keep you on track) You can save your track unto the memory card. Keep it secure, even if you switch off. Afterwards you can download the data and analyse your hunt – to share your glory with all and sundry, or improve your game. It’s batteries last a long time. It’s ultra easy to use.
So your Garmin Gmaps 60CSx makes it possible for you to simply load up your cache positions for the day, and head off for a day of fun and games. Easy as pie.

That’s why Garmin Gmaps 60CSx could be one of the best handheld GPS units for geocaching.

By: Tessa Green

The Many Uses Of A Garmin Street Pilot GPS

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:58:52 +0000

There are several great things about the Garmin StreetPilot gps and a few ‘tricks’ to help you gain the best out of an already great performing product.

Envision never having to stop to ask for directions or never being lost again. The Garmin StreetPilot gps makes that possible. The Garmin StreetPilot gps is the ultimate traveling escort and leader to your destination. With the StreetPilot gps, you are able to set a course and relax while you follow the directions mapped out for you by the navigational system. A soothing voice will give you turn-by-turn directions to your destination on the fastest and shortest routes available. There is also estimated time of arrival along with the directions so you know how long it will take to get there. In addition, automated voice prompts will alert you to deviations in the route and turns when needed. You can touch a button and you instantly see every exit, ATM, restaurant, rest area and gas station on the color screen.

MapSource and City Navigator are just two of the downloadable CD-ROM’s you get with the StreetPilot so you can put them on your computer and then transfer the information onto the gps receiver unit. Then, just place the gps unit on the dashboard of your vehicle and you are ready to go, without any hookup fees.

The Garmin StreetPilot gps takes you where you want to go and if you are going down a shortcut, which is often the case, and it might be a dirt or gravel road and you wish not to be taking this route, simply hit the redirect or detour button and the gps will turn you around and find another route to your destination. Another ‘trick’ is to put address numbers in the front of the waypoints, this reduces the address to six to 10 characters and renames it, making it easier to find. In the points of interest – POI – put in areas where there are slow driving required, such as school zones and hospitals. Also mark where there are traffic cameras to remind yourself to slow down in these areas so that you won’t get caught or get a ticket in the mail, which will save you time and money.

There are many accessories you can purchase to upgrade your Garmin StreetPilot gps unit. There is the A/C – PC adapter which allows you to connect your gps to your computer. There is also the standard A/C adaptor for charging your gps receiver without having to connect it to the computer. There are several varieties antenna’s available to boost the strength of your StreetPilot gps. In addition there are different styles of mounts for the gps navigational system, such as the window ‘arm’ mount which allows you to place the gps where you can see it best, or the adhesive ‘disk’ which allows you to place the gps on a ’sticky’ pad making removal fast and easy.

The Garmin StreetPilot gps is small, about the size of a baseball, and portable, you can take it out of the car and carry it with you around town or into the woods to help you find your way back to the car after hiking all day. There are many practical uses for the Garmin StreetPilot gps and finding your way in a big city is only one of them.

By: Charlie Lee

Handheld GPS Hunting – Never Lose Your Trophy Kill Again

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:46:03 +0000

There are handheld GPS receivers for just about any sport out there today, hiking, biking and now fishing and hunting. Several manufacturers of GPS units are making handheld receivers for hunters complete with camouflage and compasses. Many of these personal GPS receivers have up to 12 satellites calculating your position. Some have a built in calendar helping you to chart the best time to go hunting. Most weigh between six and 10 ounces and won’t weigh you down, but have so many capabilities. Features include being able to store 500 to 2,000 waypoints – which are location you can navigate to later – both with graphics and names and the track log stores up to 10 to 50 retraceable paths. The trip computer indicates such things as sunrise and sunset times, speeds, distance and much more.

Some hunters think the handheld GPS receiver units are great when out wondering in the woods. One reason is because they don’t have to pay close attention to where they are going and can pretty much wonder freely and still be able to find their way back to their vehicle or campsite with the GPS trackers. Since you have marked your waypoints, you can easily find you way back to camp or your vehicle by turning around and placing the GPS on directional or compass screen and when the arrow points left, go left and when the arrow point right, go right and you will soon be where you want to be.

One of the most popular handheld GPS hunting receivers is one that has multiple receivers for hunting dogs as well as the hunter. You attach a GPS tracking unit to each of your dogs and then you can track there whereabouts with your GPS handheld unit. There are two screens in which to do this. One is a compass and if you have more than one dog, will show you which direction each dog is going, if they are running or on point (pointing to a bird or other wildlife) and do it in different colors so you can tell the dogs apart on the screen. The other way to track the dogs is on the dog info screen which give you individual dog information, such as where they are located, if they are running or on point, how much battery life their GPS unit has left and average distance and speed they have traveled over a predetermined amount of time. There is a dog screen for each dog you have, it even shows if one or more are back at the camp in their crates, not just out in the field.

There is additional software available for the handheld GPS hunting units to upload topographical maps and public hunting area maps. These are very useful to hunters who do not own or know someone with private property to hunt on. This upgraded system also comes with a memory card and personalizable software so you can create your own maps to use year after year.

By: Charlie Lee

Free GPS Software

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:51:34 +0000

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