dblust
FNG
When it comes to selecting and using a GPS, I take what I imagine might be described as a minimalist approach. If you wish to spend $400 to $600 on a GPS, you are, of course, at liberty to do so, but you certainly don’t have to - a good GPS that sets you back $100 to $150 will do everything a serious back country navigator needs it to do. The fact is that the high-end GPSs are not better units, they simply feature more bells and whistles that you don’t need.
For a back country navigator, a GPS needs only be capable of four base functions, as follows:
1 - Determine present position.
2 - Store waypoints (reference points on the earth defined by their coordinates), based on either the physical presence of the user or through manual entry.
3 - Provide distances and bearings to stored waypoints or specified coordinates.
4 - Convert waypoint coordinates from one grid coordinate system to another.
That’s it. That’s all you need a GPS to do, particularly if you are following a solid back country navigation strategy of using map, compass, and GPS together in a comprehensive, practical package, with each backing up the others.
First of all, I am not a fan of on-board maps for GPS regardless of the manufacturer, because no matter what you do, your map’s viewing area is restricted to the size of your unit’s screen. You can, of course, zoom out, but then you begin losing detail and the map on the screen becomes difficult, if not impossible, to read, especially on a bright day. (Not to mention that if your map-equipped GPS is lost or becomes inoperable, you’re deprived of whatever map resources it offered.)
Smart phones with navigation capability suffer the same shortcomings as high-end GPSs, with short battery life, the need for cell phone connectivity (at least at some point in the process), and the risk of the navigation app crashing thrown in for good measure.
In my training I emphasize position plotting on paper maps. With that accomplished, you can then proceed using GPS, compass, landmark association, dead reckoning, and/or any combination of these. On the other hand, if you are totally reliant on a GPS map and the GPS crashes, you have little in the way of alternatives to fall back on.
I’ve always liked the phrase someone created and suggested to me years ago and I’ve used shamelessly ever since: You must be able to visualize your space, and you can only do so with a paper map, be it a “store-bought,” full-size version or one generated by a good mapping software program like Terrain Navigator Pro.
What you may want (but don’t need) in a GPS includes a color screen, a touch screen, wireless data sharing, an electronic compass, an altimeter, maps, satellite imagery, a camera, access to Twitter and Face book, and directions to the nearest MacDonald’s. If you want one of these, knock yourself out, but you don’t need it, and the difference in price will often cover the cost of a quality compass and/or a good chunk of your mapping software.
What I recommend - because I’ve used both extensively and trust them - is the Gamin eTrex 10 and the Gamin Foretrex 301, which cost about $105 and $150, respectively.
Both units are shown below. Their specs are about the same and both feature high-sensitivity receivers and come with a USB cord, which is very handy when you’re working with computer-generated mapping software. The biggest difference is that the Foretrex is smaller and lighter and comes with a detachable wrist strap - you can wear it like a watch if you choose to do so.
The Garmins’ high-sensitivity receivers are important in situations of very dense, tall timber or foliage and when you’re in deep canyons. They also acquire the necessary satellite signals considerably faster than older GPSs
The battery life of the eTrex 10 is rated at 25 hours, and the 301's at 18. I’m willing to take Gamin’s word for it, as I’ve never compared them directly myself. (The fact is, with my “turn it on, turn it off” approach to navigation, I seldom leave a GPS turned on for more than a few minutes, anyway.)
Gamin and Magellan alone offer dozens of GPS models. It’s bewildering. Anyone who has walked into a Cabela’s or Sportsman’s Warehouse to check out what is available in the way of GPSs knows what I’m talking about. And the reason it’s bewildering is that the primary difference between most of these GPSs is what bells and whistles are included - the four base GPS functions we’ve discussed are featured on virtually all of them.
The two Garmins I’ve identified handle the four base functions splendidly. (The fourth - the ability to convert waypoint coordinates from one grid coordinate system to another - may not at first seem to be important, but for law enforcement and search & rescue in particular it’s a very serious consideration. Aircraft use Latitude-Longitude. So do cell phones and Personal Locator Beacons and Emergency Locator Transmitters. If, for whatever reason, you are dealing with a Latitude-Longitude coordinate, it’s a huge benefit to be able to instantly convert it to a UTM coordinate and plot it on a map. The same is equally true in reverse - if you have a UTM coordinate and need to convert it and transmit it to an aircraft, you can do so very quickly.)
On another thread, elkhunter_241 recommended my old “essay,” Back Country Navigation for the Hunter,” on the Kifaru website at http://www.kifaru.net/essays.html . (And by the way, elkhunter, thanks for the kind comments.)
The information on navigation in the four-part essay remains accurate; the only things that are a bit outdated are the location of certain websites and what was once available on them. In addition, at the time I wrote the essay, Brunton still marketed the Expedition 54 compass, which they no longer do. Happily, it’s still available as originally manufactured, as the Silva Expedition 54, available from several reliable sources in the United Kingdom, including Outdoor Great Britain at www.outdoorgb.com .
I take my one- and two-day “in-person” back country navigation course on the road, and am nearing completion of a comprehensive online webinar I hope to have available this summer. When it is, I will post a notice here.
Two more thoughts, and here endeth the lesson:
Don’t buy your GPS on eBay or other Internet auction sites. If you do, you will probably save a couple of bucks, but you may be getting an older model or version and will surely not be getting any warranty. Bite the bullet and buy brand new from a reputable commercial source.
Don’t try to make your car GPS function like a back country, handheld GPS or vice versa. It never works out. They’re two different devices performing two different variations of the same function.
For a back country navigator, a GPS needs only be capable of four base functions, as follows:
1 - Determine present position.
2 - Store waypoints (reference points on the earth defined by their coordinates), based on either the physical presence of the user or through manual entry.
3 - Provide distances and bearings to stored waypoints or specified coordinates.
4 - Convert waypoint coordinates from one grid coordinate system to another.
That’s it. That’s all you need a GPS to do, particularly if you are following a solid back country navigation strategy of using map, compass, and GPS together in a comprehensive, practical package, with each backing up the others.
First of all, I am not a fan of on-board maps for GPS regardless of the manufacturer, because no matter what you do, your map’s viewing area is restricted to the size of your unit’s screen. You can, of course, zoom out, but then you begin losing detail and the map on the screen becomes difficult, if not impossible, to read, especially on a bright day. (Not to mention that if your map-equipped GPS is lost or becomes inoperable, you’re deprived of whatever map resources it offered.)
Smart phones with navigation capability suffer the same shortcomings as high-end GPSs, with short battery life, the need for cell phone connectivity (at least at some point in the process), and the risk of the navigation app crashing thrown in for good measure.
In my training I emphasize position plotting on paper maps. With that accomplished, you can then proceed using GPS, compass, landmark association, dead reckoning, and/or any combination of these. On the other hand, if you are totally reliant on a GPS map and the GPS crashes, you have little in the way of alternatives to fall back on.
I’ve always liked the phrase someone created and suggested to me years ago and I’ve used shamelessly ever since: You must be able to visualize your space, and you can only do so with a paper map, be it a “store-bought,” full-size version or one generated by a good mapping software program like Terrain Navigator Pro.
What you may want (but don’t need) in a GPS includes a color screen, a touch screen, wireless data sharing, an electronic compass, an altimeter, maps, satellite imagery, a camera, access to Twitter and Face book, and directions to the nearest MacDonald’s. If you want one of these, knock yourself out, but you don’t need it, and the difference in price will often cover the cost of a quality compass and/or a good chunk of your mapping software.
What I recommend - because I’ve used both extensively and trust them - is the Gamin eTrex 10 and the Gamin Foretrex 301, which cost about $105 and $150, respectively.
Both units are shown below. Their specs are about the same and both feature high-sensitivity receivers and come with a USB cord, which is very handy when you’re working with computer-generated mapping software. The biggest difference is that the Foretrex is smaller and lighter and comes with a detachable wrist strap - you can wear it like a watch if you choose to do so.
The Garmins’ high-sensitivity receivers are important in situations of very dense, tall timber or foliage and when you’re in deep canyons. They also acquire the necessary satellite signals considerably faster than older GPSs
The battery life of the eTrex 10 is rated at 25 hours, and the 301's at 18. I’m willing to take Gamin’s word for it, as I’ve never compared them directly myself. (The fact is, with my “turn it on, turn it off” approach to navigation, I seldom leave a GPS turned on for more than a few minutes, anyway.)
Gamin and Magellan alone offer dozens of GPS models. It’s bewildering. Anyone who has walked into a Cabela’s or Sportsman’s Warehouse to check out what is available in the way of GPSs knows what I’m talking about. And the reason it’s bewildering is that the primary difference between most of these GPSs is what bells and whistles are included - the four base GPS functions we’ve discussed are featured on virtually all of them.
The two Garmins I’ve identified handle the four base functions splendidly. (The fourth - the ability to convert waypoint coordinates from one grid coordinate system to another - may not at first seem to be important, but for law enforcement and search & rescue in particular it’s a very serious consideration. Aircraft use Latitude-Longitude. So do cell phones and Personal Locator Beacons and Emergency Locator Transmitters. If, for whatever reason, you are dealing with a Latitude-Longitude coordinate, it’s a huge benefit to be able to instantly convert it to a UTM coordinate and plot it on a map. The same is equally true in reverse - if you have a UTM coordinate and need to convert it and transmit it to an aircraft, you can do so very quickly.)
On another thread, elkhunter_241 recommended my old “essay,” Back Country Navigation for the Hunter,” on the Kifaru website at http://www.kifaru.net/essays.html . (And by the way, elkhunter, thanks for the kind comments.)
The information on navigation in the four-part essay remains accurate; the only things that are a bit outdated are the location of certain websites and what was once available on them. In addition, at the time I wrote the essay, Brunton still marketed the Expedition 54 compass, which they no longer do. Happily, it’s still available as originally manufactured, as the Silva Expedition 54, available from several reliable sources in the United Kingdom, including Outdoor Great Britain at www.outdoorgb.com .
I take my one- and two-day “in-person” back country navigation course on the road, and am nearing completion of a comprehensive online webinar I hope to have available this summer. When it is, I will post a notice here.
Two more thoughts, and here endeth the lesson:
Don’t buy your GPS on eBay or other Internet auction sites. If you do, you will probably save a couple of bucks, but you may be getting an older model or version and will surely not be getting any warranty. Bite the bullet and buy brand new from a reputable commercial source.
Don’t try to make your car GPS function like a back country, handheld GPS or vice versa. It never works out. They’re two different devices performing two different variations of the same function.
