What Can You Do With Your Gpsr?

[+bear&fox]

We all know, of course, that your trusty GPSr can be used for many things aside from hunting down geocaches.

 

So let's take a common GPSr - a non-mapping unit like the eTrex - and list activities or functions you can perform. Some folks created tracks on their PCs and then mow a picture on a large field. Or you can measure distances walked/driven. I use mine as a speedo and odo when I drive long distances, and will often overlay my track on maps in mapping software. Just out of interest sake.

 

What uses do you have for your GPSr?

 

[+jacques0]

You must turn a few heads at the beach when you use your GPS as a speedo!

[+Airmapper]

I have ATV trails around my house, I used my AirMap to make a map of them. Kinda like you, just cause I wanted to know what they looked like on the map.

I use my Garmin 72 to navigate in my kayak, it's a lot easier to hold a straight course with the GPS. I also use it as a speedometer on my Three- Wheeler.

I've attempted to survey with my GPS but haven't finished marking all the property corners.

[Brew's Clues]

I use mine as a speedometer and odometer in my hovercraft. I also just started using mine with my kenwood ht ham radio for aprs. I am glad you asked this question because I have often wondered what else I could do with my units too.

[Neo_Geo]

When traveling by plane, I use it to mark my car's location in the airport parking lot. I also have an external antenna with a window suction mount, so I can watch the flight's progress on the GPSr. It's cool to see speeds in excess of 500 MPH and an altitude of 41,000 feet.

[+sarhound]

We're starting to use them in K9 training. We send a unit out with the tracklayer (the dog bait), and then have the handler carry a unit while running the dog. By overlaying the 2 tracks, we can see just how closely the dog runs on the tracklayer's trail. This info gets more important the older the trail is-- the dog may run several feet to a couple of hundred yards off the actual trail, yet still find the tracklayer.

 

Gotta love technology....

[+RumJungle]

My young daughter uses the GPS on our family road trips now. She does not ask "are we there yet", she states "98 miles to go…", a minute later "97 miles to go…" a minute later "96 miles to go…" and so on....

[+geognerd]

You can become a National Map Corps volunteer. The organization will be around for another year, but beyond that is up in the air due to consolidation of USGS mapping centers. Take a peek at The National Map Corps forum listed on this site.

[StripeMark]

I used mine to track the location of underground drainage tile as it was laid in a field my dad was tiling. He now knows exactly where the tile is at for future use.

[+briansnat]

I've used mine for building and relocating hiking trails. I walk to where I want the trail to end, mark a waypoint, then head to the beginninging and follow the arrow, flagging the route as I go.

 

Since trail building is an art of sorts I often have to detour up and around different terrain features, but the GPS tells me where I need to go.

 

Then we come through with a crew of loppers, weed wackers, chainsawyers to clear the route I flagged and a guy usually follows with some paint to put blazes on trees.

 

Next thing you know there is a brand new hiking trail where there was nothing but forest and/.or field.

[+PFF]

I have an inexpensive unit which floats. When taking a boat onto a lake, I mark the entry point. It makes it easy to get back to the correct "arm" of the lake.

 

Ditto for walking along the beach. All those $#&% cottages look the same. Which one did I rent?

 

-Paul-

[+Quintheeskimo66]

When I go golfing, I clip one on my belt (Etrex yellow). When I get home I upload the track to my computer and I get to see how far I walked, and how all over the course I was. It's usually good for a laugh or two.

 

I've also taken it on a couple of river kayaking trips. Again when I get home I upload (or is it download whatever) the track to my computer and we get a good idea of our trip. I also mark waypoints wherever we find something interesing. We recently took a bunch of coworkers and I emailed them a screenshot of the trip. They were all impressed with how far they had gone (they were all first-timers).

 

Of course I like to take it in the car when Tammy is driving and comment on her speed. and then duck because there will be a hand flying at me sortly after that.

 

I don't really use it for navigating on trips, I find the screen too small...But I do hook it up to may laptop for navigational purposes so I guess that counts.

 

I also got to help a crew that was working on some sort of communication tower. They saw me and some others out caching and asked if they could get the coordinates of the tower so they could compare them with what they had on record.

 

That's all i can think of for now.

[+bear&fox]

I recently sold my Sportrak, and the person who bought it is a commercial bee-keeper. He is now using this unit to keep track of all his bee hives.

 

I've only used mine once for kayaking, and it's great to have a 'speedo' on deck. I keep the GPSr inside a plastic pouch, and found the receiver to be drenched when I got back to the beach - consequently found two stress cracks in the clasp... Very keen to take it sailing, as I would like to see in numbers what my boat can do.

 

Navigating a busy shipping channel in dense fog is great fun when you are ensconsed in a leather seat (below deck) facing a multitude of electronica. The key feature being a large flat screen display with GPS and Radar. Leave the helmsman out in the damp outside...

 

I also use mine to log running and walking routes, to have an accurate idea of distance covered.

 

Would love to strap it to the dog once...

[+benjamin921]

Keep track of my mountain bike rides by downloading them to DeLorme.

Edited September 30, 2005 by benjamin921

[+Postman Pat]

I also use mine in a trailer sailer (24 foot) and use it to navigate out of the boat ramp useing a safe water track to get around shallow headlands as it is a irrigation lake and the water level changes constantly, I also use the anchor drag alarm when I anchor at night.Also when on holidays to get back to the accomadation and to find it in the first place with autorouting and waypointed front gate postion

Edited September 30, 2005 by Postman Pat

[+FlyfishermanMike]

I use mine when I go fishing. I'm working on fishing/mapping a few miles of a local river. I mark hot spots and see how far I walk. I'm a scoutmaster and we have a set of Rinos. We use them when we go backpacking. I carry one and the boy most likely to wander off carries the other one.

 

^^ike

[+bear&fox]

I also use mine in a trailer sailer (24 foot) and use it to navigate out of the boat ramp useing a safe water track to get around shallow headlands as it is a irrigation lake and the water level changes constantly.

 

Excellent idea!

[Garmin8888]

Use your GPS for Family History, see where they used to live..... also good for marking out the Gravestones too (watch out for hidden Wasps/Bee's Nests TOO )

[+Airmapper]

It isn't nowhere near complete, but I try to get the coords every time I visit a friends house. Beats the heck out of an address book.

[stutzismydog]

My wife and I use a our Meri/Plat that is secured on a Ram mount bracket that is placed on our Suzuki 500s when we camp out in the Arizona desert around Quartzsite. The ATV riding is outstanding in this location so much stuff to see and mines to tour and the chance of getting lost is a reality, with the GPS and MapSend ToPo keeping track of the desolate roads and trails for us, there is no problem making it back to camp. I would not venture to the extreme outbacks like we do without a good GPS.