Why You Might Need a Handheld GPS in Addition to Other Marine Electronics
Many marine electronics feature multifunction systems that already include GPS, such as GPS/fish finder combos and GPS/chart plotter combos. Getting a handheld GPS for your boat might seem redundant if you already have a GPS/chart plotter combo or a stationary GPS but consider the benefits.
Unlike chartplotters or standard GPS receivers, portable units are a lot less expensive. Handheld GPS units are just as reliable and accurate as your other options so low price becomes a major benefit.
Portability is quite possibly the second most obvious benefit of handheld GPS. If you want to be able to use your GPS both on and off the boat, say in a car or while hiking, then you need a handheld unit.
On the other hand, small size has a major drawback – small screen and small buttons. In rougher weather conditions hitting just the right keys or making out waypoints might become difficult.
Another drawback of portability is that it implies having to rely on batteries to operate your handheld GPS. In addition to monitoring battery charge levels in your handheld and keeping replacement batteries handy, make sure to select a model that can run on external power as well as on batteries.
Even if you already have a GPS system in place, you might find a handheld unit helpful. For example, if you use a computer connected to a GPS receiver, you already know that you won’t be able to see much on your computer screen unless it’s below deck or otherwise shaded. By choosing a handheld GPS with a screen that can be read in direct sunlight, you solve this issue and get access to GPS info at all times.
If you are looking for a portable GPS to augment your built-in marine GPS, the Garmin Geko series offers a super light weight, and relatively simple GPS in a waterproof case with WAAS-enabled navigation. The Geko connects to a PC for user-configurable trip planning and can store up to 10,000 trackpoints.
Garmin’s Oregon series is considered by some to be one of Garmin’s best handhelds. It has a large 3 inch display that is easy to read and performs well in strong sunlight. The Oregon supports turn-by-turn street navigation as well as Garmin’s famous BlueChart G2 3-D map views for marine navigation, ocean and lake bed contours, harbors and coastal roads. Garmin offers a full range of United States coastal waters, inland lakes and international waters in addition to its extensive worldwide land map coverage. Simply select the map set you are interested in and use the SD-card slot to install the maps. The Oregon series is also PC compatible for instant configuration and uploading waypoints, favorite routes, etc.
Another great handheld GPS is from the marine electronics heavyweight, Lowrance. The Lowrance Endura Sierra is a high performance GPS with a full range of features that comes fully loaded with detailed topographic maps so you will lose no time in beginning your outdoor adventures. It has a large 2.7 inch color display and includes extensive outdoor trails as well as on-road maps. This hot little GPS also has a built in MP3 player and video player.
Related reading:
Mobile GPS Tracking
Categories: Handheld GPS System Tags: Addition, Electronics, Handheld, Marine, Might, Need
Marine GPS Units Have Been Quite Useful For Fisherman
Fishing used to be a means of survival, now it has become a popular sport and past time all around the world. From deep sea fishing to river and lake varieties, people enjoy fishing as a competitive sport, solo activity or family bonding experience, often during vacations and travel holidays. Auto GPS units have become popular with the technical advancements of vehicles. It used to be that auto GPS units were reserved for special government related, military and security systems. In our advanced world, it is now common for auto GPS units to come standard on most new vehicles.
Technology hasnt stopped with cars, though, fishing has become high tech, too. One such example of high technology fishing equipment is the GPS fish finder. This instrument helps fisherman find the animals they hunt, all credited to sonar transmitters. The word sonar is actually an acronym for Sound Navigation Ranging. Developed during World War Two to track enemy submarine fleets, a sonar has a transmitter, receiver, transducer and display, all of which translate to a device that is readable and serves the purpose of tracking various moving objects, in the case of fishing, fish.
A GPS fish finder locates swimming animals by sending an electrical impulse from the transmitter, converted into a sound wave by the transducer, which then travels through water en rout to a single fish or perhaps school of a specific species. Of course finding a school of fish is the more preferable of the two if you are a sports fisherman. As the sound wave continues to travel, it hits a fish or school or other swimming animal, bounces back and is displayed on the GPS fish finder screen.
These high tech electronics are often seen on television shows such as Discovery Channel, also on the same networks popular special programming Shark Week. Again, you dont have to be a commercial fisherman to have access to these devices anymore, now such systems are available to average Joe leisure fisherman.
While a marine GPS Unit is a handy toy to fish with, it still does not make a fish take the bait. It can find the fish, though, and so the marine GPS unit is a hit among serious competitors within the world of sports fishing. Just like driving your car to a grocery store you have never been to, with a marine GPS unit, a boat can get navigational direction to a body of waters specific coordinates so that bountiful fishing is more likely.
Related reading:
Mobile GPS Tracking