RifcoMobile

First thing to decide is how you plan on using a GPS, and the second is how much you plan on spending on a GPS.

Do you plan on using it in your car, for hiking and backpacking, or for hunting and/or fishing? Current GPS receivers are limited as to what they can do and are optimized for a specific purpose. There are GPS specifically for flying, others for hunting and/or fishing, and others for car navigation.

A few are just an electronic map that shows your position on the map screen. Others have no maps at all and can be just fine if you just want to know your longitude/latitude. If you plan on using your GPS in an automobile, there are several choices: a basic or mapping handheld receiver; a dedicated automotive receiver; a GPS with a PDA; or a Laptop GPS.

Although handheld units can be used in a car there are several disadvantages-the screen can be hard to see due to its small size and some units need to be placed forward on the dashboard where they can get a better signal. With a basic (non-mapping) unit you can tell where you are, as long as you have a paper map with you, to interpret that data. A mapping unit is the more useful choice considering driving usually involves roads.A dedicated automotive receiver is larger than a handheld in order to accommodate a screen large enough to be seen while driving. They are powered by the car's electrical system and because of this; they can only be used in a vehicle. Automotive units usually have voice instructions to allow you to navigate without taking your eyes off the road. Prices start at about $500 US.

A GPS with a PDA needs clear access to the sky for satellite reception. Some receivers have the antenna built in or have the capability for an external antenna. An antenna on the seat of your car may or may not work. The console is the next best place - reception may be questionable. An air vent mount is better and a windshield mount or the antenna placed all the way forward on the dashboard is better yet.

The most reliable place is for an external antenna to be attached to the roof of your car.A laptop GPS requires a CF with an external antenna, a Bluetooth GPS receiver, a mouse-type GPS receiver, or be connected via a cable to a handheld GPS unit so the receiver can be placed in a position for good reception. Of course a laptop is large, but the main advantage is a very large screen for maps. If you have a need for a laptop in your car, this may be the best choice and a mouse-type receiver is inexpensive.

If you plan on using your GPS for hunting or backpacking there are three choices, a basic handheld receiver, a mapping handheld receiver and GPS with a PDA. It is also recommended that in addition to your GPS, you should take a paper map, and magnetic compass, and extra batteries.

Weight and size need to be considered when deciding which GPS to choose. A basic receiver does not have mapping abilities, however it will display your location in a format that you choose, and most likely latitude/longitude. Providing your paper maps have your chosen position format marked on them, your GPS will allow you to find your location on the map. If your maps don't have the position format grids marked already, this is something you'll want to do yourself.

These are going to be the least expensive choices for GPS, often less than $100 US and are as accurate as more expensive units; they just don't have as many features. The main feature they lack is mapping capability.

For hunting or fishing many handheld models include best hunting and fishing times for a given location and date. Mapping handheld receivers are often larger, heavier, and/or have shorter battery lives than basic units. Shorter battery life means carrying more extra batteries adding bulk and weight. With a mapping handheld unit you will have the benefit of having the maps displayed on your GPS. These also include other benefits such as a barometric altimeter, an electronic compass, games, and a calendar and you can plan your route ahead of time on your PC and upload it to your GPS. These units display pre-loaded maps and map detail is reflected by the size and resolution of the screen. This means that mapping units are generally larger than basic units.

The downside of a GPS with a PDA is that it will drain your battery quicker and it also of the top of your PDA. Mapping units are more expensive than basic units; prices start at about $150 US unless you get one with Bluetooth capabilities which are more expensive. For fishing a chart plotter/GPS or a GPS sounder are also available. The chart plotter/GPS and GPS sounders usually have a lot of features and start at about $400 US.

The author is a successful, independent business woman who is a nurse by profession and remains to actively practice. http://CartersGPS.com

Vacations are times to relax and enjoy, not worry about finding your way around. Are you flying, or driving? Are you going somewhere that you know well or somewhere totally new? Are you renting a car if you’re flying, or are you going to depend on taxis? If you are traveling by taxi do you know if a ‘shortcut’ the taxi driver suggests is really a shortcut or possibly are you being scammed to increase your rate. What are your plans once you get to your destination? Are you going backpacking, hunting, or fishing, or do planning a trip to a resort and plan on lying by the pool and just relaxing? Wouldn’t it be nice not the have to worry about finding a location, or a good restaurant. Your visit would be much more enjoyable without this concern.

Is it possible that you will be off in your own airplane, with a GPS you can create your flight plans and get automatic calculations of headings, winds, time, and fuel or recalculate your heading. Are you driving or plan on renting a car once you get to your destination? Do you know the route well or is this a new adventure? Whether this is a trip that you frequently make or not a GPS can be indispensable. What if you get detoured due to an accident or road construction, what if you run into a large traffic jam do you need to sit and wait, or is there possibly another route you could take? Have you ever wanted to get off the beaten path and explore somewhere new but were afraid of getting lost? Wouldn’t it be nice just to take off to somewhere new without the fear of getting lost? Do you plan on going fishing? Wouldn’t it be nice to know where the fish are, so you can spend your time catching fish, instead of spending your whole vacation with the possibility of catching nothing?

Have you planned a trip to visit a foreign country but were afraid you have trouble getting around when street signs are in a different language? With a GPS you put in your destination and find the location that you would like to go to. There is also translation software which can be downloaded to your PCA.

Are you going backpacking, hiking or camping, or even plan on taking a bike ride, with a GPS you have the added security of knowing if you get lost you can find your way out. Is there an area you always wanted to explore, but was afraid of not finding your way back.

Vacations are too far apart (2-3 weeks a year?) and are planned, paid for and anxiously awaited for, to have to worry about getting lost. Whether you plan on lying by the beach or pool all day, you might want to find a certain restaurant or shop, or hiking through the forest a GPS can take the worry out of traveling and allow you to enjoy you’re trip.

Copyright 2006 Angela Carter

http://CartersGPS.com

One of the most useful and exciting features of the newer PDA's, is their ability to serve as real time maps. A PDA GPS built in system serves two purposes - it can help you keep track of your busy schedule as every PDA does, and, it can help you find your way to just about anywhere. You will no more get lost trying to find your way to a new client, to see your son's soccer game, or in a new city. Some of the PDA\s on the market don't have a GPS Built In system, so they require a special receiver that has to be bought separately and attached to the PDA.

The PDA's we'll discuss are PDA GPS Built In devices. You get them with the GPS system already integrated into the machine itself - the receiver, the maps, the antenna. Nothing needs to be added.

So here are the selected few pocket PC's that have a BuitIn global positioning navigation system:

1.Pharos Traveler GPS 525 - Includes maps and all your personal data. $388-$529
2.Mobile Crossing WayPoint 200 - A Good PDA and a great GPS. Too Expensive - $599.
3.Mio 168RS (GPS/PDA combo) - practical and cheaper than others. -$209
4.Garmin iQue M5 - Excellent navigation software makes this one of the best PDA/GPS combos. It's expensive - $599
5.Asus MyPal A636 - This is a PDA with a built-in GPS receiver that puts maps and directions on an equal footing with appointments and e-mail. While it delivers accurate directions and long battery life, it's a bit sluggish - not priced yet.

No matter what you use your global positioning navigation system for, you will find that the improvement over traditional paper maps is startling. Instead of trying to drive with the map folded on the steering wheel, the navigation system on your PDA can give you step by step and turn by turn directions to guide you right to your destination. No more stopping at every gas station for directions. Your satellite connected PDA will give you great instructions and keep you from getting lost.

If you are traveling on a regular bases, and often to unknown destination, you'll probably want to consider getting a PDA/GPS combo device. The cost will be considrably less than purchasing these two products separately. Why not stop by your local computer store or internet retailer and take advantage of this great technological breakthrough?

Ron Heller is the owner and operator of a website
devoted to PDA, hp iPAQ, PDA accessories, PDA computers and more.

Nearly all cell phone end users have a cell phone feature that they did not even realize they possessed. Not everyone recognizes that their phone is outfitted with a GPS tracking device. All the same, the question that comes up is that does that sound chilling or pretty neat? To the majority of individuals, it feels paradoxically both good and bad. Although more individuals are frightened that a GPS function on cell phones pulls us one step nearer to a 'Big Brother' kind of society, however many other people are enthusiastic for the abilities it provides users.

Nevertheless, where the line gets blurred is when safety is overshadowed by the potential for invasion of your privacy when the ability to track daily movements of an individual sets in. This gives rise to concerns of who has the ability to access such private information.

However, E911 has a relevant law that is fairly explicit in its orders. It gives the ability to carriers to give tracking location information to third parties for E911 emergency calls only, however this data cannot be furnished under any circumstance at all without the prior consent of the cell phone owner.

Their features that help consumers, such as maps, directions and restaurant and Movie Theater finding abilities, the GPS equipped cell phone supplies emergency call centers with data critical to preserving lives. Regrettably, it's rather frequently that a person dial 911 to report an accident, fire or other emergency, and whenever requested where they are, they can merely state the name of the city they are close to, or the interstate highway on which they are traveling on. In such cases, the location information is inadequate. This is why cell phones are nowadays GPS enabled; call centers can detect your position through GPS in the same manner they have been able to trace calls from land-lines for so numerous years.

What's In It for Consumers?

Although the above-mentioned safety option is meant to be used for emergency uses, cell phone companies have brought the GPS cell phone far beyond this rudimentary 911-enhanced phone. In order to make GPS attractive to customers, cell phone suppliers have produced numerous methods that cell phone end users can utilize the GPS feature on cell phones for themselves, irrespective of whether or not the 911-enhancement is ever used.

The majority of cell phone service providers have made directions and maps ready to be used as part of the GPS feature of their phones. Before you become too charged up in regards to this, you have to recognize that this service is not a free additional bonus on your present service; employing your cell phone for maps and directions calls for an added service plan that amounts to about $10 per month. If you are averse to still added monthly subscription to be paid-up, there are software programs that, for a one-time-only-fee of purchasing the software, can add similar features to your GPS cell phone.

As technology move ahead, several of these GPS cell phones can still be used as handheld GPS devices merely to be utilized during walking or biking. The prior and less costly variations need an antenna on your car in addition to a console in your car, only the wave of the future is upon us, if users are ready to pay the price for it. It appears that even now numerous consumers are buying into the navigation generation of cell phones.

Listen to Korbin Newlyn as he shares his insights as an expert author and an avid writer in the field of electronics. If you would like to learn more go to GPS Cell Phone advice and at Cobra GPS tips.

Today there are a lot of handheld GPS Receivers which are out in the market, that it is becoming very difficult to find the best one. Most receivers are of similar specification and some just vary in price depending upon the manufacturer.

When choosing a handheld unit, think about the variety of situations in which you could make use of it. Do not try to disregard the fact that the same GPS receiver used off-road can also be used when walking in strange towns, hiking, bicycling, boating, or marking landmarks like gas stations or restaurants on long road trips.

The biggest shortcoming of handhelds is their less-than-impressive mapping capabilities. Here are some in demand handheld GPS that you can check out.

Magellan Meridian Platinum

This is one of Magellan�s newer ranges of handheld GPS Receivers. These are very rugged, built to last and are for the serious navigators in mind. It has buttons which are better laid out than other GPS receivers and are easier to press.

Like various other handheld GPS receivers, the Meridian Platinum can track up to 12 satellites at any one time out of the current constellation, and fully supports WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) in the US and EGNOS in Europe.

With current GPS accuracy, the Meridian can be exact within 3 meters or better depending on the line of sight to the satellites and the amount of strong satellite signals the receiver has.

Garmin eTrex Vista

This is the most feature-packed version of all the eTrex line. It comes with a base map that has been designed to work with a number of additional downloadable maps. This can be considered as the best in its class which offers the most convenient features than any other GPS receiver in this price range.

Lowrance GlobalMap 100

It is made totally waterproof, reliably rugged, and with second-to-none 12-parallel channel position accuracy even under the toughest conditions you or Mother Nature can dish out.

StreetPilot 2650 GPS Handheld

It offers you an automatic route capability, voice prompts and a large color display � in addition to dead reckoning, which means that once the unit is installed by an authorized Garmin installer, you'll continue to get navigation guidance even if you lose GPS reception. With the StreetPilot 2650's touch screen and remote control, entering and retrieving information has never been that easier.

Garmin eTrex (Standard model)

While it lacks some of the functionalities of other units, it still provides everything you need to get you from point A to point B. It's a great entry-level GPS that's perfect for beginners. A small, compact size that makes it ideal for hikers as well as drivers.

You will need a pair of AA sized batteries to run this GPS receiver which are not included in the package when you buy them. It is possible to use rechargeable batteries, but normal alkaline batteries are recommended.

Garmin GPS III Plus

This is a top-of-the line GPS receiver that has an excellent mapping capabilities, although it lacks memory for storing additional downloaded maps. While portable, it's better suited to drivers than hikers.

Cobra GPS 1000DLX Handheld Navigator

just load the StreetFinder software into your computer and after that load the destination states for each trip into Navigator using the PC interface cable. Then, punch in the place you want to reach and follow the map directions on the Navigator's screen.

Rino 120 GPS Radio

This is a state-of-the-art GPS navigation system and two-way communications system combined, with enough memory to download detailed mapping for driving, hiking, hunting, fishing or just about anything else you can dream up. It's waterproof and can "beam" your exact location to another Rino user on FRS or GMRS channels.

GPS 12 Personal Navigator

This one continuously tracks up to twelve military satellites all at once with its PhaseTrac 12 Technology. Not a gadget, but serious electronic navigation equipment from the leader in aircraft and marine GPS systems. This gathers your present longitude, latitude, and altitude on a constant basis. It can calculate your speed, and can graphically describe where you are in relation to where you have been.

Learn how to eliminate speeding tickets. Feel free to reproduce this article as long as there is an active hyperlink accompanied with it.