Handheld GPS Receivers for the Outdoorsman

Pres. Ronald Reagan believed that the technology previously thought to be too sensitive and classified would be of great help to the general public in the United States, when he sanctioned the use of global positioning systems back in the 70s. Previously used only by the military, Reagan believed quite rightly that the public would benefit from its use. In turn, this action helped to transform our way of life and it is difficult to imagine where we would be in our personal and business activities otherwise.

Handheld GPS receivers offer great flexibility for those who love the outdoors. Imagine the list of recreational activities that could benefit from the use of just such a receiver. Whether you like boating, biking, fishing, hunting, hiking, or the sport of geocaching, you will have much more fun and be more productive with one of these handheld units.

Garmin is probably the most well known and widely respected manufacturer of handheld GPS receivers in the world. A number of different manufacturers offer models for specific needs.

To enable handheld GPS receivers to work, they need to be able to communicate with a number of satellites orbiting in low earth configuration. This means that the satellites are relatively low in relation to your horizon at any time and generally speaking the receivers can communicate with them unless you happen to be in a steep walled canyon or in a very heavily forested area, for example.

The process of triangulation helps to determine your actual location to a very high degree of accuracy. Triangulation occurs when your handheld GPS receivers communicate with three different satellites and your position in relation to the three satellites can be determined.

For the avid hunters amongst us, handheld GPS receivers give you the ability to locate and track the best game and game trails available. If you know your location and the likely location of your prey, don’t you think you will have a pretty productive day? If inland salt water or fresh water fishing is your bent, some units come preloaded with the data that you need.

Have you ever tried the sport of geocaching? It is becoming very popular and there are handheld GPS receivers specifically designed for this. GPX files can be downloaded directly from your computer or in some cases by inserting a tiny SD card.

Your trip into the unknown will likely take you far from any cell phone communication towers, but handheld GPS receivers do not require this technology and so long as you have a relatively open sky above you, you will always be able to relate your location. In this way it is very difficult to get lost and you’ll have a good idea about the direction to take you back to civilization.