TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

GPS Units Have Come A Long Way

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

Not long ago, Global Positioning Systems were mostly big, heavy boxes that sat on the console of ships and big offshore boats. They were very useful for navigating deep, open waters, but not much else.

That has changed dramatically in the last decade. These days, some GPS units are so tiny they can be fitted into a cell phone.

With the downsizing has come a downsizing in price; they used to cost thousands, but now the least expensive handhelds, weighing only a few ounces, are available for a little over $100. And they have become very user-friendly, as well.

Of course, for those who rarely venture into truly wild country, owning a GPS may seem a useless expense, whatever the price. But tucking one of these in your shirt pocket before you head into the woods or out on the water can be a huge confidence booster. On some occasions, they even can make the difference between spending a miserable night with the mosquitoes or at home in your own bed.

I personally find the tracking feature to be extremely useful. It's sort of a trail of electronic breadcrumbs that you lay down as you walk into that remote mountaintop or hidden fishing creek. When you're ready to go home, you simply retrace the track shown on the screen, step by step, and you can be sure you'll wind up back at the car or campsite.

The $100 units, such as Garmin's eTrex H, have black and white screens and some are not actual charting machines. You may see a track on the screen, but there's little context of rivers, roads and lakes around it. This still allows you to get out and back, but it's much easier if you move up to a full color charting machine, where prices start at around $200 and go to around $500.

Using these little tools is simple for anyone familiar with electronic menus like those found on cell phones and computers; you may not even have to read the instruction book for basic functions. Most operate on two AA batteries, which give up to 32 hours of continuous operation - or many days of intermittent use.

I particularly like the Magellan Explorist 500, which has a built-in lithium battery that can be recharged many times and lasts far longer than AA batteries. The negative on built-in batteries is that it's far more expensive to buy an extra set to install in the field should the built-in run down.

GPS for your vehicle also makes sense these days. The reason isn't because you're going to get lost on your way to grandma's house, but because the modern units with charts of all the nation's roadways make it so much easier to plan your route from point A to point B, and to choose alternate routes when you hit a traffic jam or other delay on the main highway.

Of course, paper maps also offer this possibility, but the GPS makes it so much easier. You can see a moving arrow on the screen that represents exactly where your car is located. If you like, you also can turn on voice prompts that will guide you through every turn on whatever route you choose to your destination.

What's more, some units now offer information on where gas stations, state parks, rest stops, restaurants and all the other necessaries of highway travel can be found - and will guide you to them when requested. Prices vary from $400 to $700 depending on screen size and features.

For details on the pocket versions and vehicle models, check out www.bushnell.com, www.garmin.com, www.lowrance.com or www.magellan.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT