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Portable GPS Navigation Systems
Portable GPS systems are becoming popular navigation and safety devices for hiking, mountain biking, xc skiing, and boating. Their small size and ease of attachment to wrists, backpacks, handlebars or boats make them easy to carry and use. If you want a small lightweight GPS with some basic navigation features at an affordable price, there are some good options available from both Garmin and TomTom. In any unit look for the following features. Size and Weight – especially if you are physically carrying the unit Ease of Attachment – depending upon whether you plan to attach to your wrist, bike, boat etc, select a unit that has the best attachment system. Screen Display – don’t expect color in low weight-small size power saving models. Check for power saving screen dimming; illumination boosts for bright sunny days. Memory Capacity – to store past tracks. Check to see if it will store part tracks if you want to isolate certain legs of a single journey as separate trails. User Interface – most portable units are easy to input commands but check that buttons are big enough. I find onscreen commands can be difficult to see in bright environments. Check that inputing feature waypoints is easy as this is a well used feature by many users. GPS Engagement – different systems are better and negotiating the protocols to get a GPS fix. They also vary in how they update locations, whether it is totally automatic or requires some manual input. Holding Signal – once you have picked up a GPS signal, check that it will hold the signal under the conditions you plan to be in. Geo-caching – holds start point past waypoints so that a return trail is possible and position relative to past points are easy to identify. More on geo-caching - geocaching.com Field option list – there are usually a number of field options to keep track of times, spit times, height profiles, average speed, estimated time to destination Power supply – check type of batteries used, and how long they last without replacement or recharging. Look for units with AC/DC capability if you will be in mixed power environments. Under normal conditions the unit will give 8-10 hours use on a set of AAA batteries. Always carry additional batteries in your safety kit. Connection to PC – check how the system connects to your PC to update software or load maps. Some do not come with any cables, but suitable cables can be purchased inexpensively online. There is a free version of EasyGPS program available that is useful for downloading tracks and loading waypoint data. Look for USB2 connectors. The Garmin Foretrex uses a PC RS232 connection but does not supply an adapters. It requires a Garmin Interface 232 cable AND a 232 to USB adaptor, which together cost half as much again as the navigation unit. Most portable units are not map capable, due to their size constraints and power management requirements. They provide relative start and current positions as well as tracking distance traveled. The Garmin Foretrex 101 Wrist-Mounted GPS Navigator seems a popular choice amongst consumers.
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