Bobbi, If you haven't picked a brand, you can't go wrong with anything made by Garmin, and their tech support is excellent, via an 800 number. The problem with almost all electronics these days, is that the instruction manuals are not written by people whose first language is English. I am fortunate in that Garmin offers an instructional DVD for the GPSMAP-296 that I use both in my airplane and my M-17. Regarding 'GPS coordinates on the charts', it's the other way around. The GPS will give you the coordinates of your location,and then you go to the chart to see where you are. Or, you can store the coordinates you picked off a chart, then enter them into the GPS as a waypoint. One thing for sure is that you should play with it and be quite familar with how to use it before you have to depend on it. Clarence Andrews ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bobbie Mayer" <barbaram@csufresno.edu> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2005 10:23 AM Subject: M_Boats: GPS
I feel as though I've been asleep like Rip Van Winkle for many years. While I wasn't sailing much, GPS became a relatively inexpensive tool, not to mention cell phones. I see a handheld GPS for sale this morning at Target for $89. Figuring speed sounds nice, but other than getting lost in the fog, what can I do with GPS when I'm sailing on Puget Sound in an area I know with good navigational markers? Dad had one on his fishing boat but he kept a log of where he found the fish or where he dropped the crabpots. Would I use one for more than measuring speed over land? And how would I use it? (Do charts have GPS coordinates?)
Bobbie
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