How to Choose a GPS

"Little Known Secrets About
Using Your GPS that 99% of GPS
Owners will Never Know"


Welcome to GPS Made Easy Tips,


As you’ve probably been reading and hearing about GPS in this last few days, I guess that you might now be interested in buying one for yourself. The first three things you should do are: 1) Understand what a GPS is and how it works, 2) determine how you will use it, and then 3) determine a budget. There are many choices available, but once you have completed these three steeps you will be prepared to make an educated choice and get the best value for the GPS system that meet your needs.

What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System, better known simply as GPS, is a satellite based navigation system developed by the United States military and made available for civilian use in the 1980's. The overall GPS network is made up of 24 satellites orbiting the earth with an additional 3 being on "standby" in the case of one or more satellite failure. Basic GPS receivers can pinpoint any location within a few feet. It is widely expected to become the next personal utility in the same way that cellular phones have over the past couple of decades.

GPS works using the navigational process of triangulation. It can determine your location by using its' relative position to that of three or more satellites. The more satellites a GPS receiver can communicate with the more exact a position can be determined; in some cases precision may be down to a few inches.

How will you use your GPS?

GPS work differently and provide different output based on the need they were designed to fulfill. There are specific GPS designed for automobiles, pilots, and others for hikers and/or other outdoorsman. Some will show a map while others will just give longitude and latitude coordinates for someone charting their movement. Within each category there are several choices based on how sophisticated a system you want and how much you are prepared to spend.

If you plan to use you GPS in your car there are several choices available; a system designed specifically for cars, a laptop system or a system that integrates with your PDA. In addition a handheld system can be used but offers much less versatility than the other options. I would not recommend buying a handheld unit for use in your car as it is harder to manipulate while driving and do generally have the road data and maps included. In any cases, if you already have one, it can still be very helpful for your navigation while driving of whenever you stop.

If you are planning to use your GPS in your car on a regular basis I would recommend a unit designed just for cars. The advantages are that they have a bigger screen which is easier to see while driving, have voice commands, and will give you the direction turn by turn. These advantages make for fewer distractions while driving and, in my opinion, are well worth the extra cost involved. While both laptop and PDA compatible software are available these options may require additional equipment such as external antennas to operate properly and even then you may experience some reception difficulties. Don’t forget that space available in the car or at the driver seat may also be limited and a laptop (combined with a GPS receiver) may not be the most convenient solution.

If you are looking for a GPS to use while hiking/backpacking, hunting or fishing, you have several options available. You can use a basic handheld unit, a handheld mapping unit, or a PDA based system. While relying on any of these systems if you are off the beaten path or un-familiar or remote regions, I strongly recommend you take alternative means of navigation with you such as a map and a compass as well as back up batteries for your unit.

With the most basic handheld units you will have to plot your position as obtained from the GPS on your paper map – therefore make sure your map is marked with latitude and longitude coordinates. Systems offering a mapping feature may well worth the extra cost of money, but remember because they offer more functionality they are slightly heavier. For the fisherman there are also systems that include depth sounders and chart plotters in addition to the basic functionality.

What is your budget?

Depending on your requirements, systems range in cost from around $100 for the most basic handheld unit to several thousand dollars for the more sophisticated systems. Some GPS may also have non-GPS integrated function as a Transmitter, Sonar to find fish, Dept Sounders, 2D or 3D mapping, Voice commands or indications, Voice recognizing functions, PC interfaces, etc. The more functions you need the more expensive it gets. Unless you already had a GPS before, I recommend that you buy a GPS between $300 and $600 as they are the one which includes most of the above functions. Also, the price of any chosen GPS device varies so much across the internet that, unless you buy it from a trusted source or site, you may want to compare the prices before buying.

Hopefully, the above tips will help you in your future decision making of which GPS to buy. We wish you good luck and hope you will stay with us for more tips.


Charles
President & CEO
Preferred GPS & GPS Made Easy