GPS: an Investment in Certainty

Traveling across the country or even state lines can be an enjoyable but complicated experience, especially when family or friends are involved. Despite keeping vigilant eyes on the road, distractions are bound to happen out of your control. You might miss an obscure turn in an unfamiliar neighborhood, or you might not see an overhead sign on a highway telling you to keep right to stay on that highway. You could just turn around when you realize you past the street or exit, but how long would it be before you realize it? Two miles-maybe even twenty? What about the gnawing doubt of being lost? And wasting precious time and gas might be the least of your worries if you're in an unfamiliar neighborhood when it's dark outside.

But there is an easy solution: a GPS.

A GPS unit, like Garmin's Streetpilot or Magellan's Maestro, would solve all these problems and more. Backseat distractions causing you to miss your turn and passenger seat navigators are things of the past. With a pleasant voice directing you to your destination, whether you're traveling across the country or in your own neighborhood, you'll never have to worry about getting lost again. The voice will automatically tell you the distance until the turn, and it will remind you of the street's approach. It will even tell you when to keep left or right. If you want a quiet ride, you can adjust the GPS's easily accessible volume and watch the screen from the corner of your eye. The GPS always highlights your route with a red arrow, and it will automatically dim the background at night. Even if you miss a turn, it will recalculate the quickest route to your destination without any involvement from you. You wouldn't have to pull over.

The GPS also has a touchable screen. This allows you to quickly adjust any settings or type in the address to your destination. On the go, you can configure a short stop into your destination without any trouble. If you're looking for food, hotels, airports, shopping malls, then the GPS will be able to redirect you. It will you a list of restaurants and fast food places. This is an important feature if you're in an unfamiliar area. Also, one of the best features of the GPS is its ability to accurately calculate the time of arrival at your destination. It automatically estimates your current speed, the speed limit, and your overall speed and factors them into the arrival time. With this feature, you'll certainly be on time.

A GPS is a good investment no matter how often you hit the road. When purchasing a unit, among the many features of a GPS, you aren't only buying a piece of hardware and software; you're buying the certainty to get where you need to go and the removal of the doubt and fear of being lost. It's an investment in the certainty that you will get where you need to go. That in itself makes the GPS worth ever penny.


< Back to Top >
< Back to GPS Articles Main Page >

What You Need to Know about GPS Fishfinders

When fishing out on the water, you want to unwind and enjoy your time. Despite the wish for a relaxing, easygoing day, deep down you never forget the thrill of a catch or the hope of your dream catch. But sometimes hours pass with not a single bite even after repeatedly moving locations. You wait with baited breath for that tug, but it never comes. Without prior knowledge of hotspots in the area, it's hit-or-miss. But there is a solution for the wait time. With a Marine GPS System like a GPS fishfinder combo, you spend less time looking for fish and more time catching them.

So now you're interested in a GPS fishfinder combo, but you're remain uncertain of what you want in your fishfinder. You don't understand how it works, and you want to know questions like how it determines a fish from debris. To give an example, a Humminbird fishfinder analyzes the sonar return shapes of a suspended target using sophisticated software. When it detects a fish, the GPS fishfinder represents it graphically by an "arch" or a fish symbol on the LCD or color screen. With a multiple beam configuration, you can even identify the location of the fish in respect to your boat. It determines if it is directly below your boat or to the left or right.

Also, many GPS fishfinders include a speed sensor and a temperature gauge in the transducer that calculates the surface water temperature, and you can purchase separate speed sensors for trolling speeds. Some fishfinders show where warmer waters intersect with cooler waters, called thermoclines. Since some fish prefer certain waters, this can bring you that much closer to catching a particular fish. Your dream catch is that much more possible with the fishfinder's temperature gauge.

So now you know you want a GPS fishfinder, but how do you know which one to buy? Knowing the answer involves understanding the parts of the fishfinder. When considering a purchase, you need to consider things like the display resolution and size and the transducer's power and frequencies.

There is a wide variety of display resolutions for fishfinders. The higher resolutions create better images. When choosing between a LCD and color screen, price can becomes a factor. While LCD screens are less expensive, they are harder to see in poor lighting and glares from the sun. Color is generally easier to see, and most find it worth the extra cost. The typical size of the screen usually ranges from 4-7 inches, but some come larger. The bigger the screen, the easier it is to see, but the greater the cost.

The transducer is another part to consider. Generally, there are two types: a single frequency and a dual frequency. If you mostly fish in lakes or on shallow coasts, then single frequency will suffice, but dual frequency is needed for deep-sea fishing. The quality of the transducer also affects the sonar depth range. Better transducers will perform at greater depths, but water quality also affects it.

Now that you understand the abilities and benefits of the GPS fishfinder, you have everything you need to make your dream catch. By purchasing a fishfinder, you can make it happen. Fish can't hide from you any longer!

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Hunting GPS:

1. Most GPS units weigh only 6-10 ounces, so they won't slow you down.

2. They come with compasses, and some are even camouflaged and waterproof.
3. You can have up to twelve satellites calculating your exact position on the hunting grounds.
4. It calculates the sunrise and sunset times. It also calculates speeds, distances, and a great deal more.
5. You can store between 500 and 2,000 "waypoint" locations to which you can navigate to at a later time. If you want to make a note of a sighting, you can save and label the location of it. The track logs can save between ten and fifty retraceable paths.
6. You can wander off designated paths without worry and still find your way back to your vehicle or base with the GPS's directional or compass screen, even in bad weather conditions.
7. If you have hunting dogs, some popular GPS hunting units include several receivers that can track the dogs' location, average distance and speed, and if they are running or on point. With different colors representing each dog, multiple dogs can be easily tracked.
8. If you do not have access to private hunting grounds, you can upload public hunting area maps and topographical maps. You can get personalized software to create your own maps to use as well.
9. You can use the GPS as a two-way radio to communicate your location to fellow hunters.
10. Safety comes first. If you get into serious trouble, you can use the GPS unit to communicate your exact position to rescue teams.