Fishing Frenzy

GPS handhelds also benefits those who are fond of water activities like boating and kayaking. They can experience the basic features of waterproof GPS handhelds like calculating how far one location from another is, and displaying the latitude and longitude coordinates in a map.

This is all possible because GPS is already made waterproof for practical navigation and sports. Though they were originally intended for land use in military and government applications, technology enabled GPS to be functional in water despite its electronic components.

Though they used to be expensive, waterproof units are now available at an affordable price. For sea kayakers, it provides accurate data about their path in the middle of the sea. Bikers can also benefit from waterproof units because they encounter varying weather conditions aside from moist and humidity. It is also portable and easy to use, making it an indispensable navigational tool for sportsmen.

Maps: GPS maps show topographical information like elevation and terrain of the surroundings in 2D or 3D. It can also improve visual representation by shading elevated contours in different zoom levels through DEM or Digital Elevation Model. DEM offers its users with enhanced mapping visuals for better analysis.

Waypoints: It is also called POI or Points of Interest. Waypoints are useful in storing landmarks and important locations along the trip. Sportsmen can store data about the location of their last campsite, or the coordinates where they changed directions. Some units can store 1000 waypoints, but for common usage, 500 will be enough. Waypoints are analogous to tree markings implemented by past sportsmen when in a forest. In addition, GPS units can do calculations on two waypoint data, or delete past waypoints to free some memory for another. Sophisticated units have the feature to exchange waypoint data among GPS handhelds, allowing sportsmen to share their experience and past routes.

WAAS or Wide Area Augmentation System: It is a corrector for the signal received by the handheld. GPS have the tendency to have higher deviation as distance increases. Enabling WAAS increases the accuracy of GPS up to five times for distances beyond 10 feet as opposed to disabling the WAAS.

Maps: It contains topographical information about the terrain. GPS maps can either be 2D or 3D, and can have DEM, or Digital Elevation Model, technology to shade elevated contours when zoomed out. GPS handhelds can store additional maps by reading data cards or compact discs.

Touch screen and switching between urban driving, hiking, and water sports are some advanced features of waterproof GPS handhelds. It can also have memory slots and digital compass. Since its main feature is usability in water, new models also show sea depth, docks, and other related information. Its package was designed to float to get it easier when dropped in water. Some units have built-in radios to provide communication within 5 miles, as long as there will be corresponding FCC license.