Re: [Paddlewise] GPS - FYI

I agree that you can get adequate tracking by reducing the recording rater or
using an averaging function for lower speeds, but normally you will not want to
operate in the tracking mode.  About the only time I use the tracking mode is
to find that put in beach after dark that looks just like the last five miles
of beach that you just paddled.  Also once or twice in fog I have cheated with
the GPS to zero in on a landing.  Normally on a long crossing I only get a
waypoint every hour or so and do a GO TO command to check both my pace and to
correct course.  The rest of the time I am on compass.  I use a 12XL which can
get a fix fairly quickly, and I usually can get by with a minute or two of
operation every hour which keeps my batterys alive for days at a time.  Running
the GPS all the time only burns up the batterys for when you will really need
it.  Staring at an instrument on your deck will not only help you get seasick,
but it is foolish to trust a gadget for your navigation.  If you are staring at
the GPS you are not paying enough attention to you chart, compass, and the
landscape which are all needed for good piloting or dead reckoning.

R. Walker wrote:

> Since this is about a Garmin reciever, let me reveal a secret to
> getting good use out of the tracking feature for hiking and kayaking.
> Go into the setups screen, and change the tracking function to
> record one point ever 30 seconds, or 1 minute.  This will track a
> whole days path, and dampens the effect that SA has on the
> recorded track, since the actual distance between the most recent
> few track points will be greater than with the default tracking mode.
> Using this mode, I have found that my recorded tracks almost
> always match up very nicely to my mapping software when
> downloaded.  Tracks on rivers follow the river on the map.
>
> For all slow travel, a compass will give you a better idea of where
> you are pointed, but where you are pointed is not usually where
> you will end up going; you still have to compensate for wind and
> current.   Using the GOTO function to get the desired course, and
> watch for the desired course to change as you paddle.  If it stays
> near constant, then you are paddling in the right direction.  If it is
> changing, then you need to compensate.
>
> So, use the GPS to tell you where you are and where something
> else is in relation to you.   Use your compass to tell you which
> direction you are pointed in.
>
> Richard Walker
> Houston, TX
> http://www.neosoft.com/~rww/kayak_log.html
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