Using GPS Units

GPS units are more popular than ever and there are more fun things to with GPS capabilities than ever before. There are GPS systems for cars and boats; for activities like fishing, hunting and camping; and even activities that are built around GPS technology. So many choices in function and fun make a GPS a valuable tool to add to your inventory of gadgets and devices indeed.

GPS technology is loosely based on radio technology, since the scientists who developed this concept were inspired by German radio technology, which was used to accurately guide planes for landing in poor weather conditions and at night. The process guided the planes by programming two radio towers to sound different signals for the pilot landing the plane. When the two sounds blended to make one, the pilot would know he was properly aligned with the runway and could land safely.

It is this same principal of using multiple signals to focus on one point that is the essential basis of GPS technology. GPS units use multiple satellites to chart the exact whereabouts of a GPS receiver. This function makes these units handy for outdoor sporting, boating, and simply traveling the city most effectively.

Geocaching

Geocaching is a new treasure adventure game that was invented at the turn of the century. In this game, a player will use his GPS unit to find a specific location where a box of some sort can be found. The game begins on the Internet, and a person interested in playing can go to any geocaching website to select a location to hunt for. Once the player has chosen a location, he would enter the coordinates into his GPS unit. Most GPS units can guide a player to within 100 feet of the target (some times closer). From this point the player can use the compass feature of his GPS unit to zero in on the geocaching box.

Nearly every geocaching box has a log and a prize of some sort; the log is to record who has found the box and what was found in it so multiple users can play the same box. Some people even put a disposable camera into the box so the treasure hunters can take their photo, and the person who created the box can post the pictures on his website. The prizes the geocaching players can find, with the help of their GPS units, can be a wide variety of things. Some boxes request that the player switch the item he found for another the player brought with him. Others have a set amount of prizes in the box and request that the host company be contacted when a finder takes the last prize.

Geocaching is a fun and free game to play with a GPS unit, and can be enjoyed by individuals, groups or even families. This game combines technology and adventure in the great outdoors in a new and fun way.

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