How to choose the right GPS

There are scores of GPS devices and half a dozen manufacturers of GPS products. The customer is often lost when he goes to buy a GPS device. It is therefore important that you know how to choose the right GPS device. There are four factors that must be kept in mind. These are: purpose, portability, features and mapping.

The purpose for which a GPS is being bought is most important. A GPS device must meet specific requirements of the user – be it vehicle navigation, hiking or maritime needs.

If you are buying a GPS for a car then you need a unit that is accurate, reliable, and contains details of roads, addresses and points of interest for the given region. Your GPS can be a part your car’s entertainment system, or installed under the dashboard; but the drawback is that they are fixed. They cannot be moved to another vehicle.

If you ant to switch GPS units to different vehicles, then you need a portable GPS. But the downside of portable devices is that the voice commands are drowned in music being played by the car’s entertainment system. Portable devices also have a limited road database.

Another option can be to go for a PDA with a GPS antenna. These units are not as rugged as fixed units but can provide useful information.

If you need a GPS for maritime work then you should look for features like waterproofing and information on nautical charts. Similarly, maps should give undersea elevations as well as navigable channel information. Devices such as ‘fish finders’, are useful for locating schools of fish.

If you want to buy a GPS unit to ensure that you are not lost during hiking expeditions then you can go for devices ranging from mobile phones to watches. These radiate a signal that can be used to locate you.

The next factor you need to look at is updating. Each GPS unit is updated differently; so you should choose a device that updates easily and economically. You can go for vehicle units that update information via a CD or you can go for PDAs and handheld devices that are updated via a PC.

Finally, you should look at features that make usage easy and convenient. The features that you should be looking at are screen size, route planning and route recording capabilities and display facilities. You should also check if the unit is waterproof and shockproof. These features will increase the life of your GPS device.

GPS watches can put you in proper shape

There is no end to surprises that technology can throw up. The latest is the use of GPS watches to put you in proper shape. These watches work like a handheld GPS unit and monitor speed, distance, time, heart rate etc. They are especially useful for serious runners or people who are earnest about exercising.

Before investing in a GPS watch one needs to understand its features. Let's say you are a beginner and have just started training. You may want to look at a unit such as the Garmin Forerunner 101. This is basic model and quite affordable. Timex Navman is another option in this field.

If you are an intermediate to an advanced runner, then you should try the Garmin Forerunner 201. This watch allows you to enter routes, monitor heart rate, and track distance and speed. In effect, the watch is the perfect tool that a serious runner will need to optimize his training. What's more the watch allows the wearer to review daily or weekly histories for a period of two years, and evaluate progress.

The GPS watch allows you to set targets. You can start with a distance that is within reach. Then increase the distance bit by bit every day. This will help you to adapt to a stricter regime gradually and will also keep you motivated. If you set yourself impossible goals then you are most unlikely to achieve them. Your motivation too will come down.

The GPS watch is especially helpful for those runners who use unknown terrain. This is because as your distance increases, you are likely to leave familiar surroundings and venture into unknown areas. It is imperative that you have a device that helps you find your way back should you ever take a wrong turn.

A GPS watch also helps you to change exercise parameters. Instead of choosing distance, you can choose speed as a goal. You should then cover a specific distance in certain time every day. Gradually, you should reduce the time taken to cover the distance. You can then increase the distance but reduce the time. This method is suitable for short distance runners, as well as cross country runners who need to work on their speed rather than their distance.

You can also focus on the heart rate, especially if you happen to be a cardiac patient. The watch enables you to monitor your heart rate. You must slow down when the heart rate starts climbing beyond the figure prescribed by our doctor. Gradually, with better stamina you can increase the jogging distance – without increasing your heart rate.

So if you are looking to exercise, your time starts now. Get yourself a GPS watch and shoot off the block.

GPS use in every day life

The benefits of GPS use in every day life cannot be over stressed. These are not only limited to the vehicle navigation as is commonly believed but can enrich your lives in a myriad ways.

Some of these benefits are:

• They can help you get the most mileage out of your gas bill, while zeroing in on places of interest. You can also impress your kids by giving them a ready and precise answer the next time they ask- “When will we reach?”
• They can be of great use if you get a flat tire, and you don’t want to change the tire yourself. You can just press a button and wait for ready roadside assistance. The assistance crew can locate your position accurately and give you the exact time they will take to reach the spot.
• With GPS help you can track the outlets that your children are using in buying services.
• GPS can tell you precisely where your senior family members are in case of an emergency. This is because it can locate their position, and tell you where to send an ambulance or first aid.
• GPS enables emergency personnel to pinpoint your location after an emergency call. They can reach the accident spot faster than if they were following oral directions given by a passer by.
• GPS can help you save time especially when you are in a rush. It can locate shortcuts and routes that you did not know earlier.
• GPS can help you locate a good Chinese restaurant near the theatre in which you saw a popular play.
• It can even keep track of your luggage, laptops, and other important items on a trip.
• Similarly, if you loose track of your kids in a crowded gathering, you don’t have to worry. GPS can locate them in no time.
• While taking a group tour you can go your own merry way when you feel like, secure in the knowledge that the group will be easy to locate even in an unfamiliar location.
• GPS can also act as your travel guide, by storing records of all your favorite haunts. You can also create your own handy travel guide and catalogue.
• You can use a GPS device to locate pets that are used to wandering off in parks and picnic areas.
  

These advantages will only get better and better as the technology improves.

GPS terminology

If you are planning to buy a GPS it’s a good idea to get used to the terminology. Some common terms used by GPS users are:

Q. What are waypoints?
A. These are important locations on a route that you would like to record. These points then become useful navigation aids as you move around in unknown areas. The waypoints need not be important landmarks or major crossings. They can be small references like a fork in a trail, a broken tree, a jutting rock etc

Q. How do you store a waypoint?
A. There are two ways in which you can store a waypoint. The first is by taking the coordinates from a map or any other source. This is usually done before you leave your home, office or hotel room. The second is by entering the coordinates of a waypoint directly into your GPS unit. To remember the waypoint you can give it a distinctive name.

Q. What is the difference between bearing and heading?
A. 'Bearing' is the course you are aiming at while 'heading' is the course you are really on. Sometimes they vary due to obstacles like fences, rocks, fallen trees etc.

Q. What is a Route?
A. It’s a sequence of waypoints entered in the order in which you want to cross them

Q. What is TTFF?
A. TTFF stands for Time To First Fix. It indicates the actual time taken to get a complete ‘fix’ from three or four satellites to ‘triangulate’ or fix your position.

Q. Which are better- 8 or 12 channel receivers?
A. A 12 channel receiver is better than 8 channel receiver. This is because the former can receive signals from 12 satellites while the latter can get signals from eight satellites only.

Q. What is WAAS?
A. WAAS stands for Wide Area Augmentation System. It is a system of satellites and ground stations providing accurate GPS signal corrections. A WAAS-capable receiver gives position accuracy above three meters, 95 percent of the time by using 25 ground reference stations across the USA. WAAS satellite coverage is currently available only in North America if trees or mountains don’t obstruct signals. In South America, WAAS signals are available but inaccurate due to developing technology. WAAS satellites function best in open land or with marine applications.