Handheld GPS Information » gps

Lowrance Announces New Endura GPS Handheld Series

markham — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:27:18 +0000

Lowrance Endura Safari
List Price: $500.49
Price: $384.99
2.7 color touchscreen optimized for outdoor use combined with physical buttons advanced basemap with detailed hillshade primary & secondary roads & key pois directly accepts gpx trails & pois from web communities or other sources plug-&-play & downloadable mapping options such as fishing hot spots multimedia mp3/voice notes picture & video players trip computer records trails altitudes trip times speed & distance traveled power standby mode saves battery life while allowing ultra-fast startup fully turn-by-turn navigation capable for car motorcycle cycling etc. (with optional purchase)

Scott Roy, Product Marketing Manager with Navico, is interviewed with Rural Life TV and Radio to introduce the new Lowrance Endura GPS handheld series. This new handheld GPS series of products includes brilliant touch-screens and packed full of the best topographic mapping data.

How to Load a Haiti Basemap onto a Garmin GPS Receiver

markham — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:21:02 +0000

How Accurate Is GPS?

markham — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 07:18:36 +0000

The answer to this question keeps changing along with advancing technology as well as United States law. The first consumer GPS receivers on the market were far less accurate than the receivers available today even though the satellites are the same. Also, before the year 2000, the military intentionally introduced inaccuracies into the civilian GPS signal for “security” reasons. They called this intentional signal error “Selective Availability”. In May of 2000, President Clinton made a decision to turn off SA and allow civilians access to increasingly accurate GPS signals. The military still has the ability to turn off or introduce errors into GPS signals at any time and with no notice but this ability is generally only used for specific reasons of national security.

The best consumer GPS technology available as of 2009 achieves an accuracy level of 15 to 30 feet under normal conditions. Garmin, currently the most popular manufacturer of GPS receivers, claims their GPS units are accurate to within 50 feet 95% of the time. Even within the Garmin GPS receiver line, accuracy specs differ because of the different chips used in the design of different receivers.

GPS Receiver Design Affects GPS Accuracy

If you are looking for the most accurate consumer GPS unit, it’s important to pay attention to the unit’s chip type. The latest technology in GPS receiver chips is the SiRFStar III from SiRF. With this chip in your receiver and WAAS enabled you can expect to reach the best GPS accuracy levels available under current conditions.

Environmental Factors Affect GPS Accuracy

Many different environmental factors can also affect the accuracy of your GPS receiver. Heavy tree cover, tall buildings, deep canyons, and any location in which your view of the sky is limited can affect how accurate your GPS is. Atmospheric conditions can also degrade the accuracy of your GPS unit.

As you can see, there is no easy answer to the question “how accurate is GPS?”. However, you now know the main factors that can affect GPS accuracy.