Look to the sky: GPS units can read your location in the wilderness with ultra-precision

Perfect for navigation in your outdoor adventures, GPS units are small hand-held devices that receive signals from a network of 24 satellites in Earth orbit. These satellites can "see" every square meter of the planet's surface and constantly broadcast information to GPS units on the ground. The initials GPS stand for global positioning system. These items are actually sensitive electronic receivers.

GPS units were once reserved for military use only, but in the 1980s the United States government declassified them and the way was opened for civilian use. Since then, the GPS industry has burgeoned -- GPS receivers are now commonplace in private automobiles and pleasure boats.

Once a global positioning system receiver is locked on to three satellites, latitude and longitude appear on the screen. GPS units can also lock onto four or more satellites at the same time. In that case, they can receive altitude, bearing, speed, track, trip distance, distance to destination, sunrise and sunset time as well as latitude and longitude. Your can also program your device with "waypoints," locations you want to remember. So you'll always know where you are, how far you've come and the distance to your destination -- day or night, good or bad weather, in the mountains or desert -- anywhere in the world.

A global positioning system can be a valuable piece of outdoor equipment. Easy enough for a novice to use and full-featured enough for an expert, these receivers are affordable, compact and rugged. While map and compass often suffice, in some extreme situations (like mountain climbing or extreme winter conditions) lives may depend on the exact information transmitted by GPS units. Consider adding one to your outdoor gear.

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About The Author:

Rita Liotta is a successful author and publisher at www.1st-at-gps-tracking.com. Recommending gps equipment and associated products
23-06-04