GPS Systems and Reviews

Why a Hand Held GPS Is Right for You

Have you seen someone walking around on the street or on a hiking trail with a contraption in their hand and wondered what they had? It’s possible that they were using a hand held GPS device to navigate to the location they were trying to get to. Mapping and navigation devices have become very popular among those who love to travel in their cars, on their motorcycles, or even on their boats, but they are also very useful to people traveling on foot. So let’s take some time to look at why they are so popular and how they might make a difference in your daily life.

About Hand Held GPS Devices

Before we take on the idea of picking up one of these devices, let’s look at the difference between them and standard portable units. Many people are used to using the ideas interchangeably, but typically the portable unit simply means that you can take your unit in and out of your car and into another and it will still work as effectively. However, the portable units are usually not as useful when you take them on a trail or boat. Instead, they mount to your dashboard and help you navigate roads and highways.

On the other hand, the hand held GPS units are more versatile and allow you to take them off the roads and into areas that may not normally be picked up by these devices. You might be able to pick up remote trails, rivers, valleys and more, so that if you want to go camping, hiking, biking, or boating you can still find your way around effortlessly. Below, we will look at the specifics of some of these units and how you might find a way to make them useful in your life.

Hiking on a Trail

If you love the great outdoors then there are a number of hand held GPS devices that can help you find your way around whether you are in your car or decide to venture outside for a walk. One in particular is the Magellan SportTrack, which was created for those who love to hike, as well as those who enjoy game hunting and fishing. It offers nine large graphic navigation displays that cover a wide variety of areas away from roads and highways and even is WAAS enabled with a quadifiler antenna so that you can pick up information from all 12 satellites orbiting at the same time.

While you are trekking along outdoors, you can store up to 20 different routes you’ve taken so that if you ever come back to the area you don’t have to worry about remembering the trails you took. Also, you can store up to 500 waypoints and 2,000 tracks. If you are outdoors with the intention of hunting or fishing, you can use the unit’s calculator to determine where fish and game are located in the area. And if you are dependent upon light to get the job done, the unit can determine the Sun and Moon positions for you.

Playing Golf

Believe or not, there is a hand held GPS device that helps you improve your golf game. The GPS Golf Pro is a position system with let’s you same time and improve your skill level simultaneously by informing you of how fare you are away from the front and center of green at all times. In addition, you can determine how other golfers are fairing while on the green. It has an electronic scorecard that contains yardage, par, handicap and other scoring information. And it determines the last shot distance as well.

Keeping Track of Your Dog

If you have a hunting dog, or a family pet that you worry might wander off, then the Garmin Astro is a unit you may want to consider taking advantage of. It has a high-sensitivity tracking collar that you simply place on your pet’s neck, as well as a bright color screen that you hold as you track your pet. With this device, you can track his location in no time, even if he has wandered into dense cover that seems untrackable. Even more, the unit lets you know if he is walking, sitting, running, on point, or treeing.

A hand held GPS device has many functions that can be very beneficial to the everyday person. So take time to explore these and other units on the market that might help save you time and effort when spending time doing what you love. You never know, a hand held GPS device might end up being you next best friend.

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What is the Best Handheld GPS Unit?

It’s always fun to find a new device that you can tinker with like a toy. For some, this device might be a new watch, or a new stereo system, or even a new computer. But for those who like to get outside and have an adventure in a new area, their fun might be in purchasing some type of GPS device to help them navigate in the great outdoors. But of course, you can’t just go out and buy anything sitting on the shelf (or website). You have to be able to determine which ones are better than others. So in this article, we will look at which is the best handheld GPS unit according to the types available so that you can have a better idea of those that you might want to have accompany you on you next excursion.

What’s Available in the World of GPS?

Before you set out to buy the best handheld GPS unit on the market, it’s important to understand how many are really out there. Basically, there are a lot. There are some to be used for hiking, keeping track of your dog, biking, boating and more. So you will need to narrow down the reason you want to utilize one of these devices first – then begin to choose the one that has a reputation for being the best. To help you narrow down the options, I have created categories of popular use then listed the unit that had a top five ranking among reviewers. This way you can begin to determine which is the best handheld GPS unit based on your needs. 

Hiking – Magellan SportTrack

According to the experts, the Magellan SportTrack is one of the greatest options for those who love to get outdoors to hike along trails or in other remote areas. But it is not just good for hiking – you can also take advantage of features created for those who boat, bike, hunt or fish. It is revered for its high level of accuracy and offers nine large graphic navigation displays so that you can view all of the charting information regarding your travels in one place.

It is WAAS enabled and offers a quadifiler antenna that is able to pick up all 12 satellites orbiting the Earth at once (most devices on pick up 4 at a time). During your trek, you can store up to 20 of the routes you’ve taken so that you can easily go back and find where you hiked without having to guess. In addition, the device stores up to 500 waypoints, and 2,000 track points. And if you are hiking in a very remote area, the device can give you the Sun/Moon positions, and can even help calculate the fish and game in the area with incredible accuracy.

For Boating – EKP-IIIC Color

While it is hard to pinpoint the best handheld GPS unit for boating on the market, this device definitely makes the list. It is a great system for those who are on the water as professional boaters, or those who like to get out there occasionally. Its great features start with a high resolution TFT color display that is easy to view on a cloudy day or in the bright glare of the Sun. In addition, it offers WAAS compatibility, AvMap technology, and a C-MAP C-Card that lets you locate nearby areas and keeps you closely connected to other databases in the North, South and Central Americas.

Some other features of this device include internal land cartography for the Americas, a large 6.4” anti-glare screen with HIS display and 640 x 480 resolution, a simulator mode, auto zoom, and a fuel calculator. Overall, you can guarantee that this device will never let you get lost on the water.

For Fitness – Garmin Forerunner

There are several Garmin Forerunner devices on the market – seven to be exact. But what many people consider the best handheld GPS unit of the bunch is actually “wrist-held” which makes its use even more convenient. The Forerunner 101 was created for fitness purposes such as keeping track of your time, distance when running laps, cycling speeds, heart rate and more. It stores your stats from day to day so you can easily compare and improve, and even comes with a foot pod.

The best handheld GPS unit is probably impossible to find because there is so much competition. But this list will certainly help get you started. Just be sure that you have a type of device you’re interested in. That way, you’ll be able to find the best handheld GPS unit for your needs.

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