Why should you need a GPS tracking device for outdoor
What’s my favorite outdoor activity? Although I enjoy riding my mountain bike
to work, what really turns me on is diving into a patch of thick woods and getting completely lost. If it’s an area I’m familiar with, all I need is a water bottle, an energy bar, and a hat in case I’m out after dark. So why would I buy a GPS tracker?
Because they’re small, they’re relatively inexpensive, and they provide the biggest tax-dollar bang-for-the-buck that I can imagine. When I switch on the GPS, I’m plugging into a multibillion-dollar satellite-based navigation system that is coddled in some manner by several of the largest and most powerful U.S. government agencies, including all branches of the military beneath the wings of the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation. It’s almost irresistible once you realize the enormity of what a simple $150 cell phone–size device can do A GPS unit, coupled with inexpensive topographic-map software, allows you to preview your excursion, gets you to the jumping-off point, guides you along the way, and provides you with a visual record of your adventure much as a camera does. On hikes that I’ve done dozens of times, I routinely take my trusty Garmin Etrex along, especially if I’m with other people.
“How far have we gone?” inquires hefty Aunt Sarah after a short uphill spurt.
With a twinkle in my eye, I reply, “Exactly 0.35 miles” instead of “I’m not sure”or “Probably about a half mile.” I could also rattle off a dozen other interesting details such as, “Our average moving speed is 5.3 miles per hour” or “We’ve ascended 38 vertical feet” or “At this pace, it will take us exactly three weeks to return to the parking lot.” On a solo day hike along the brushy West Fork Sipsey in north-central Alabama,
I encountered a married couple and their teenage daughter walking in the opposite
direction. They were on the trail and within easy reach of the parking area, but the looks on their faces signaled distress. It was pretty hot that day, and they had already beat out 10 miles or so. They were tired, and evidently the wife and daughter had begun to doubt their whereabouts. Was Dad leading them astray? Glancing at my vehicle GPS tracking device, the man asked me how far it was to the parking area.
I replied, “1.4 miles.”
“How far, how far?” asked his wife eagerly.
“1.4 miles,” I repeated.
“And this is the Sipsey River Trail, right?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“And the parking area by the bridge is 1.4 miles from here?”
“Yep.”
I’ve never seen such a forlorn group perk up as quickly they did, simply from a few bits of information. I may have even saved a marriage.
Over the past several years, GPS receivers have become extremely popular and affordable. Lots of people who venture away from urban areas are carrying them. Cars come installed with GPS navigation systems for negotiating city streets and highways. Cell phones are even starting to show up with tiny GPS receivers embedded inside. And even if you don’t have a GPS receiver you can always go out on the Web and print a map of where you want to go. As more and more individuals have to travel for work, travel and a myriad of other reasons, it has become somewhat of a priority to have the best technological device to help them get from one point to the next.
As a result of this GPS Units have become exceedingly important, especially for those who are on the road on a daily or weekly basis. That is why "How To Pick The Perfect Portable GPS Unit" is a must for every consumer. Gone are the days when printed maps are used to find out just which way to go, not to mention that they tend to become outdated pretty quickly as more and more changes are made to the infrastructure. In this day and age electronic devices are needed to help the user to select the fastest route to their destination. They are pretty user friendly and can easily be updated.
More GPS Solution at http://www.jimilab.com/ .
to work, what really turns me on is diving into a patch of thick woods and getting completely lost. If it’s an area I’m familiar with, all I need is a water bottle, an energy bar, and a hat in case I’m out after dark. So why would I buy a GPS tracker?
Because they’re small, they’re relatively inexpensive, and they provide the biggest tax-dollar bang-for-the-buck that I can imagine. When I switch on the GPS, I’m plugging into a multibillion-dollar satellite-based navigation system that is coddled in some manner by several of the largest and most powerful U.S. government agencies, including all branches of the military beneath the wings of the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation. It’s almost irresistible once you realize the enormity of what a simple $150 cell phone–size device can do A GPS unit, coupled with inexpensive topographic-map software, allows you to preview your excursion, gets you to the jumping-off point, guides you along the way, and provides you with a visual record of your adventure much as a camera does. On hikes that I’ve done dozens of times, I routinely take my trusty Garmin Etrex along, especially if I’m with other people.
“How far have we gone?” inquires hefty Aunt Sarah after a short uphill spurt.
With a twinkle in my eye, I reply, “Exactly 0.35 miles” instead of “I’m not sure”or “Probably about a half mile.” I could also rattle off a dozen other interesting details such as, “Our average moving speed is 5.3 miles per hour” or “We’ve ascended 38 vertical feet” or “At this pace, it will take us exactly three weeks to return to the parking lot.” On a solo day hike along the brushy West Fork Sipsey in north-central Alabama,
I encountered a married couple and their teenage daughter walking in the opposite
direction. They were on the trail and within easy reach of the parking area, but the looks on their faces signaled distress. It was pretty hot that day, and they had already beat out 10 miles or so. They were tired, and evidently the wife and daughter had begun to doubt their whereabouts. Was Dad leading them astray? Glancing at my vehicle GPS tracking device, the man asked me how far it was to the parking area.
I replied, “1.4 miles.”
“How far, how far?” asked his wife eagerly.
“1.4 miles,” I repeated.
“And this is the Sipsey River Trail, right?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“And the parking area by the bridge is 1.4 miles from here?”
“Yep.”
I’ve never seen such a forlorn group perk up as quickly they did, simply from a few bits of information. I may have even saved a marriage.
Over the past several years, GPS receivers have become extremely popular and affordable. Lots of people who venture away from urban areas are carrying them. Cars come installed with GPS navigation systems for negotiating city streets and highways. Cell phones are even starting to show up with tiny GPS receivers embedded inside. And even if you don’t have a GPS receiver you can always go out on the Web and print a map of where you want to go. As more and more individuals have to travel for work, travel and a myriad of other reasons, it has become somewhat of a priority to have the best technological device to help them get from one point to the next.
As a result of this GPS Units have become exceedingly important, especially for those who are on the road on a daily or weekly basis. That is why "How To Pick The Perfect Portable GPS Unit" is a must for every consumer. Gone are the days when printed maps are used to find out just which way to go, not to mention that they tend to become outdated pretty quickly as more and more changes are made to the infrastructure. In this day and age electronic devices are needed to help the user to select the fastest route to their destination. They are pretty user friendly and can easily be updated.
More GPS Solution at http://www.jimilab.com/ .
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