 deep canyons with its new high-sensitivity receiver.
This GPS does everything I need for Search & Rescue work and backcountry travel but without a bunch of what I consider "bells and whistles" that would drive up the price. And Amazon often has really good deals on this unit and the next one I'll show you, lower than I usually see in local stores.
Storage space for 500 waypoints and 20 routes
Garmin exclusive TrackBack feature to find your way home
Runs for 25 hours on 2 AA batteries
Weight: 5 oz. with batteries
Waterproof to survive an accidental dunk
A Step Up From The Etrex 10 - The Garmin Legend
This device has more features and additional memory capacity than the Etrex above, but I still find it easy to use and the price in the very affordable range.
The Legend comes loaded with a full basemap of North and South America, with position accuracy to less than three meters. The basemap contains lakes, rivers, cities, interstates, national and state highways, railroads and coastlines.
Additional features include:
- Internal memory totaling 8 MB
- Stores up to 1000 waypoints with TrackBack and 20 routes
- Includes PC cable for downloading or uploading Mapsource maps
- Port for MicroSD card instead of built-in memory
- Runs for 18 hours on 2 AA batteries
- 1.1-inch x 2.1-inch display
- Weight: 5.3 oz. with batteries
Video: The Basics of the Garmin E-Trex Legend
This short video will show you how to access and read the satellite screen as well as several other navigation screens.
Common GPS Problems
- GPS units can break or the batteries can run out. Be sure to carry extra batteries ... and that map and compass.
- A satellite signal can bounce off of other objects before it reaches your GPS, which changes the timing and therefore makes the location fix inaccurate. This is called "multipathing." Move away from buildings, cliffs and other large objects as much as possible to minimize this problem.
- Using the unit while in 2D mode can be very inaccurate. The GPS will try to use the elevation of the last time it was turned on, which can cause the calculation to be off by many miles. For example, if you last used the GPS at 500 feet in elevation and then travel to 5,000 feet and turn it on again and use it in 2D, the read-out could be more than a HUNDRED miles off. So either input your new, known elevation or wait till you get 3D mode.
- Signals can be blocked by solid obstacles, like trees, buildings and cliffs or canyon walls.
- Extreme temperatures can slow down the GPS or make the screen fade. In very cold weather, keep it in your jacket.
- Because your GPS is calculating a distance across the surface of a datum (to be discussed in another article) like that on a map, GPS distances can be off when calculated for a slope.
- Operator error is the biggest GPS "problem." Too many people become "out of the box users," not practicing with the technology before using it--and relying on it--in the backcountry. Keystroke errors are also quite common, with an error potentially causing a discrepancy of hundreds or thousands of miles.
While Your GPS Should Come With A User's Manual
Whether you are climbing a glacier, orienteering in the backcountry, or on an easy day hike, Mike and Bob Burns cover all the latest technology and time-tested methods to help you learn to navigate-from how to read a map to compasses and geomagnetism.
Another GPS How-To
This book below (by Steve Hinch) focuses only on the GPS.
Starting with essential definitions such as UTM coordinate systems, position formats, and map datums, and moving on to creating "waypoints," and using your GPS with a computer, long-time GPS instructor Stephen W. Hinch breaks down the jargon and teaches you what you really need to know.
Up Next in the How-To Series....
- How To Use A GPS: Coordinate Systems and Datums
When you use a GPS, it's important to not only have an understanding of how the unit works and receives the information it provides but also the languages it speaks.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute fo