Picking A Handheld GPS




A handheld GPS is perfect for people who like to get out and experience life, so if you have family or friends who want to spend some time together outside, the right navigational equipment can open up all kinds of possibilities.  Of course, picking a handheld GPS depends on the intensity of the outdoor activity that you and your friends want to pursue.  There are weekend warriors, sports enthusiasts and avid boaters, but there are also people who just want to go outside and have a have a good time enjoying nature.  No matter what outdoor activity you decide to participate in, there is a handheld GPS that can make a difference in the quality of your outdoor experience. 

For GPS beginners, geocaching is a great activity because expensive and elaborate equipment isn’t needed.  Geocaching is the sport of hiding an object at a location and then having others find it by using their handheld GPS devices. For this sport, handheld GPS devices should be easy to use and durable. The Garmin GPSMAP 60CSX is excellent for this activity because it has a quick satellite lock.  This is because it gets great reception no matter where you use it.  It has a military design, so it is durable and stands up to anything from being stuffed into a backpack to being dropped in a lake.  It only weighs 7.5 ounces and runs for 18 hours on two AA batteries, so its power will last for the length of a typical geocache treasure hunt.  

If you are a little more sophisticated and want to explore the finer side of a large metropolitan area, picking a handheld GPS unit for navigating your way around somewhere like New York is as easy a picking out a new backpack. The Mio Digiwalker H610 is a personal navigation and entertainment device that combines a sleek design with solid GPS navigation for exciting city adventures.  With this extremely tiny GPS unit, an urban explorer can command a 20 channel SiRFstar III GPS receiver and Tele Atlas maps to find museums, art galleries, shops, and cafes.  If there is a transportation tie-up, the H610 plays videos, music, photo displays, and preloaded games.

Anyone looking for more adventure will like the eTrex from Garmin.  It is a model that puts easy-to-use features into a rugged exterior with a lightweight package that is only 4” by 2”. The result is a lightweight GPS navigator that literally fits in the palm of your hand.  The eTrex works for hiking and camping because it is waterproof and the cover is an easy-to-spot bright yellow.
            
Using a handheld GPS system isn’t always just for fun.  Picking a handheld GPS device for hunting makes the sport a lot more competitive.  The Garmin Astro system not only tracks your dogs, it also finds the prey they are hunting.  If you haven’t been able to locate your hunting dogs in tall grass and dense cover before, you can now.  Just use the Garmin Astro to find your dog’s position.  This handheld shows you their exact location, even when they are out of eyesight and hearing distance.

There are also handheld GPS devices for boating, running, skiing and almost every other outdoor sport imaginable.  Companies like Garmin, Lowrance, Cobra, Magellan, TomTom, Mio, and Pharos all have handheld GPS devices that always make outdoor activities better.  The difference really lies in the fact that you can track your activities and record the results for later reference.  All handheld GPS systems measure things like distance, elevation and waypoints, but some of the handhelds take pictures and even record sounds.  At any rate, picking a handheld GPS means getting the model that has the right features for whatever you like to do outside.

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