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GPS in a NutshellIf You Haven't Incorporated GPS Into Your Trail Riding Yet, It's a Great Time To StartGPS technology is not new and handheld GPS units have been available for many years, but if you haven't incorporated GPS into your trail riding yet, it's a great time to start. Mounting a GPS unit on your bike or ATV is a piece of cake, and with it you can go deeper into the woods and farther out into the desert without worrying much about finding your way back, even in the dark. Just strap a GPS to your bike and you have an instant speedometer and odometer, lap timer, and clock, and more importantly, you can track where you are heading, where you have been, and find a specific point or trail, or save the location of your favorite points or trails. The possibilities are endless, and the units are inexpensive, so it is strange that many trail riders don't yet use them. One reason might be that until you use one on a trail ride, you don't realize how useful they can be. Or perhaps many people aren't getting way out there and pushing the boundaries of the riding areas they frequent. Another reason could be that until RiderPlanet USA came along, nobody had really marked and collected many GPS points of any interest to off-road riders. Off-the-shelf applications tend to be geared tour standard city driving and tourism. So here's your opportunity to do more, see more, and get more out of your next trip. 
GPS BasicsThere are 24 satellites that orbit the earth in a very precise path, which are managed by the Department of Defense. A GPS receives the low power radio signals that are transmitted from these satellites and uses a format called triangulation to calculate its location, hence you always know exactly where you are. A GPS needs three satellite signals to calculate latitude, longitude and altitude and with fourth signal most GPS units can calculate additional information such as speed and heading.Useful FeaturesOnce you've got a GPS, and you've mounted it to your dirt bike or ATV, you may wonder what features are useful to you as a trail rider. The most useful feature found on most units is the “Go To” mode. This normally invokes a screen with an arrow to point in the direction of the target, along with the distance to the specified point. This feature is quite useful if you use it to mark your staging area before your ride. During your entire ride you'll know exactly how far it is back to camp and what direction to proceed. Just having the arrow constantly pointing gives you a great frame of reference and makes it harder to get disoriented in the first place. But if you do, whether your are a half mile out or 60 miles out, you can just follow the arrow all the way back to camp. Most units have a backlit display and that feature makes night riding a blast. We all have ended a long ride, cruising along in the dark, unsure of where the heck we are. A backlit GPS makes that part of the ride a blast.Some GPS units have a group feature that allows you to keep track of others in your party. This is a great way keep from getting separated, especially if you are riding with the whole family. Even if you're not too technical and just want something for safety, a GPS unit can be a life saver - literally. Additional Information: A Brief Overview of GPS Technology Technical Discussion of GPS Tecnology |
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