Handheld GPS
At Handheld GPS Reviews we’re here to help you pick the perfect GPS unit. You see, not all handheld GPS units are made equal. Some GPS units are very specific in their functions. A unit intended to be used primarily in a car may not hold up well on the trail. There are also very specific ratings that if misinterpreted could leave you in the dark, literally. Some units will stand up to moisture but not being submerged. In other words, rain is ok but don’t take it for a swim.
We’ll help you navigate these technical details and narrow the field down to the handheld GPS unit that is just right for you. We’ve spent hours scouring through technical data, user reviews, and forum posts to put together accurate and useful handheld GPS reviews.
How Handheld GPS Units Work
Before we get into the fun stuff it is important to have a basic understanding of how GPS units work. GPS (Global Positioning System) is a navigation system that operates through a network of 24 satellites that orbit the earth. The satellites were put into orbit by the Department of Defense for military applications. More recently the government made them available for civilian use.
These days GPS works in any weather conditions and they are available 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world. There are no fees to use GPS just the cost of your receiver. I’m not going to get overly technical but the basic premise is that the satellites transmit a signal that will be received by your handheld GPS device. It calculates the time it takes to receive the signal and in doing so from several satellites is able to calculate the user’s location.
The signals cannot travel through walls or thick objects. At times there could be errors when surrounded by tall buildings or dense foliage. In general GPS is accurate to between 50 and 100 feet. However, if you get a unit that is compatible with WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) the accuracy improves to as little as 10 feet. WAAS uses a network of ground reference stations that receive signals from the satellites; they do calculations and send corrected information back. These corrections greatly improve the accuracy. Currently WAAS is only available in North America.