This Northwest Louisiana lake frequently lives up to its name.
I recently tested a cross section of handheld GPS units, and was amazed to discover how much their performance has improved. If my old eyes were a bit more compatible with small LCD screens, I wouldn’t hesitate to use a new handheld as my only navigation unit. These self-contained portable navigators have always appealed to me. They make a great backup for your boat’s bracket-mounted unit, and now some can back up your vehicle’s navigation system with turn-by-turn guidance.
Scouting hunters use them to mark game sign and trails, and some can record an outline of your hunting lease. While hunting they can mark the positions of blinds, fallen game and your parked vehicle.
Handhelds are just the right size for bicycles, motorcycles and four-wheelers, or for just riding in your pocket while hiking. Bird watchers use them to record the coordinates of sightings, and hikers can mark new trails with them as they are explored. Garmin even makes a unit with a special Jumpmaster mode that calculates jump points and opening altitudes for skydivers.
Some top models solve two longstanding GPS performance problems. Two-dimensional accuracy has been very good, almost to the point of pinpointing latitude and longitude. GPS accuracy at fixing altitude has been less precise. Some new units have built-in barometric pressure sensors that help calculate altitude accurately and help predict weather changes as a side benefit.
The other problem is that GPS units must use consecutive position fixes to determine which direction you are traveling. When you stand still, a GPS unit can’t tell you which direction you are facing. Some top-end handhelds now contain electronic compasses that always know which direction the unit is facing.
Manufacturers of handheld models are also addressing problems we didn’t know we had. Some Lowrance units can act as MP3 music players. Adding sound handling to the feature mix also lets these units record voice notes out in the field. It’s much faster and easier to verbally describe a waypoint you just saved than it is to hunt and peck out a description using text, especially if you’re on the trail and don’t have both hands free. You can type in its name later.
I recommend naming all waypoints instead of just numbering them. When I want to return to a spot, the name “Rocky Point” will mean more to me than “WPT 005” when I’m looking through the saved waypoint list.
Enhanced receiver and antenna technology now keeps units locked onto the satellites under conditions that would have made a lock impossible just a few years ago.
Other technical improvements include monochrome screens with more resolution and color LCD screens with both more resolution and better visibility under bright-light conditions. Monochrome screens have had excellent visibility in direct sunlight for years, and color screens are steadily catching up. Backlights are also getting more sophisticated, providing better screen visibility under low-light conditions. Amazingly, engineers are somehow providing us with brighter, more visible screens and increasing battery life at the same time. This was an either/or situation just a couple of product generations ago.
The number of handheld units that can use chart cards or computer downloaded cartography enhancements is also growing. A handheld unit that uses the same chart cards as the bracket-mounted marine unit on your boat makes a much better backup for it.
To take your own look at the state-of-the-art for handheld GPS receivers, check out these manufacturers: Garmin (913-397-8200, garmin.com); Lowrance (800-324-1356, lowrance.com); Magellan (800-707-9971, magellangps.com); Raymarine (603-881-5200, raymarine.com).
