Which to let Dad get? Depends on where you kayak. I paddle mainly on large lakes in the triangle area of North Carolina. a VHF radio would be of very little use. A GPS is far more useful. If I was spending time on the coast, I would want BOTH, a good multichannel GPS and a good waterproof VHF. From reading r.b.p and this list I'm doubtful you can get a good GPS AND VHF. Depends on the definition of good. A GPS is very useful as a training aide. The Garmin 12XL can tell you your current speed, taken with a grain of salt, how far you have traveled, when the sun rises/set, your direction of travel, the time, how far you are from where you put in, and yes, your position. I think these functions are pretty standard on most GPS units. The distance traveled is what I use the most. If you time yourself over a period of time 15/30/60 minutes you can figure out the average speed. This can really tell you how well your paddling technique is working. You might be surprised. More work DOES NOT mean faster! There is a satellite navigation newsgroup which is very informative and there is a web site, joe.mehaffey.com, that has quite a bit of GPS related information. I paddle with my GPS power on. Expensive in the batteries but worth it so I can log my distance traveled. Also find out the latest software version on the GPS you wish to buy and make sure that the unit you are purchasing is at that level. Just turn the unit on to tell. The batteries in my GPS last about 12 hours. The latest software for the 12XL, which Garmin will upgrade for a price, lasts 24 hours. A big difference if you leave the unit on all the time you are paddling. I bought the GPS just to play with but it has turn into a valuable tool. I use it not only for kayaking but when I'm looking to buy land in the country. Really helps to locate the property on a contour map! If I paddled on the coast more I would have a VHF and a GPS... Hope this helps.... Dan McCarty *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Dec 09 1998 - 07:38:35 PST
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