A Beginners Guide to Different GPS Units


by Joe Keller

Although GPS units come in all shapes and sizes and are targeted for various different activities, they all serve the same basic functionality; to tell you where you are in the world. GPS is an acronym for Global Positioning System. A GPS receiver passively receives signals from the currently 24 military GPS satellites in space. In order for the GPS receiver to accurately pinpoint your location, it must receive a signal from three different satellites, so that it can triangulate its exact location.GPS units come in many different styles, each designed to meet a specific requirement. Model types include handheld GPS units, vehicle GPS units, marine GPS units, and sports and fitness GPS units. Let’s take a look at the different types to determine what might be the best choice for you.Handheld GPS units are small and lightweight units, primarily designed for the outdoor enthusiast. These units can be used by camping and hiking enthusiasts, hunters, skiers, and mountaineers, and anyone else that needs to know where they are while out and about. Handheld GPS units can range in price for under $100 for basic entry model units, to over $500.00 for some of the more advanced GPS units. Some of the features that will increase the price of these units include; color displays, preloaded mapping software, trip computers, water resistance, extra sensitive receiver chips for finding positioning within heavy foliage and deep canyons. Be sure to carefully evaluate your individual requirements before purchasing a handheld GPS unit.Vehicle GPS units are usually mounted inside your vehicle and are primarily designed for anyone on the road; truckers, traveling sales representatives, bicyclist, etc. These units will excel at giving you your exact street location, helping you plan your trips, and even giving you turn-by-turn driving instructions. Vehicle GPS units will range in price from close to $200 to over $1000.00 for some of the very high-end models. Some advanced features will include voice prompting for turns, trip routing and re-routing when you find yourself off the beaten path, advanced detailed mapping software built-in, mounting hardware for vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles. Vehicle GPS units are changing the way we plan our trips every day.Marine GPS units are specialized GPS units, specifically designed for use in boating scenarios. These units are going to have specialized software built in for cartography, open water route planning, and navigation at sea. Some marine GPS units are equipped additional features such as fish-finders, and depth-finders, for recreational and professional fishermen alike. Marine GPS units will be waterproof and often come with hardware for mounting to your boat, open air cabin, or enclosed. These marine GPS units will typical cost you somewhere between $150 and up.Sports and fitness GPS units are the smallest and lightest units of all the GPS categories discussed in this article. These units are typically wrist mounted, or use a strap to mount on your arm or leg. Often times these types of GPS units will contain special features to assist you with your fitness goals, such as distance calculations for runners, built-pedometers, built-in heart-rate monitors, and goal tracking software. The price range for these units starts around $100 and can increase significantly based on the additional features required.There many different types of GPS units available on the market to fit your specific requirements. Take some time and do as much research as you can to find the unit that best fits your own personal needs. One thing is certain; there will most certainly be a GPS unit on the market that will meet all your requirements.

About the Author

Joe is the owner and operator of www.gpsgearonline.com and avid GPS enthusiast. Visit their website at: http://www.gpsgearonline.com

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