GPS Tracking System Comparison Guide and Reviews

Handheld GPS devices - What Are They and How Can They Help You?

May 28th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

One of the greatest assets a hiker has is a handheld GPS unit. Any experienced hiker realizes that having the ability to know where you’re going, particularly in the wilderness, is important. Most experienced hikers also realize that the most important challenges when it comes to hiking in the deep woods are how to locate the head trail and after that how not to lose your way when you’re hiking. One of the benefits that a handheld GPS device can give you is the freedom to experience and explore hiking in uncharted wilderness areas that have not been attempted before.

A basic handheld GPS unit gets its power from regular batteries and is about two to three inches wide and four to six inches long. GPS handheld units usually have a small screen with an icon which represents both your pre-plotted locations and your current location. Additionally, different models have detailed maps indicating streams and roads, typography, etc..

An exceptional GPS navigation systems manufacturer is the Magellan GPS company. Magellan GPS systems invented a unique GPS handheld unit which is the Magellan SportTrac Map. This particular handheld GPS device is lightweight, compact and sturdy which gives outstanding performance for outdoor enthusiasts. Additionally, the Magellan SportTrac map has a 2 MB European mapping database and is accurate down to 3 meters.

The engineers went into great detail when constructing the Magellan sport Trac map. One notable feature is that it has a memory capacity of 6 MB for storing street-level maps. The SportTrac map has seven very large graphical navigation displays so hikers can clearly and fully view all the particular details stored in it. These exceptional displays suit the needs of even the most avid outdoor adventurers.

Handheld GPS unit benefits

The benefits of using a handheld GPS device are considerable. Depending on your needs for a GPS device you may very well find a GPS handheld devices will be better for you than a portable unit (car gps systems) would be.

There are various reasons why you should purchase a handheld GPS device. Some are:

- Very simple upgradeable path on a PDA
- The ability to use add-ons offering more capabilities after your initial purchase
- Ease of transport of the device
- Excellent for situations such as emergency vehicles breakdowns (when you need to go for help on foot)
- The capability to transfer maps and images to and from PDAs, laptops, and more.

It is up to the individual as to whether or not they want to purchase a portable GPS unit (auto) or a handheld GPS unit. The advantages of either device are clear with the exception being that a handheld GPS device is one level more portable.