GPS for Dummies.pdf - Engineering Surveyor

348Part V: The Part of TensThe main disadvantage to carrying your GPS receiver on or below your waistis that it’s not the best place for satellite reception. There’s a good chancethat you’ll lose the signal in areas with reduced satellite coverage.If you use a hydration pack or a lightweight backpack, you can get your GPShigher for better satellite reception by mounting the case either on one of thefront shoulder straps or putting the GPS receiver in the upper, top pocket ofyour backpack. (It isn’t as accessible in the backpack pocket but should getgood satellite reception.)Water bottle hand strapsMany trail and ultramarathon runners run with water bottles in their hands,using special hand strap products that fit on a water bottle so you aren’talways clutching the bottle and can relax your hands. (FastDraw by UltimateDirection is one; see www.ultimatedirection.com.) I’ve seen trail runnerswith small GPS receiver cases mounted to these hand straps. Just add someVelcro to the GPS receiver case and the hand strap, and you’re ready to go.GPS Products for AthletesSeveral GPS products on the market are specifically designed for athletes.These products offer athletes specialized features that normally aren’t foundin general purpose GPS hardware and software.Endless PursuitEndless Pursuit is an Internet-based service that allows athletes to track theirtraining on the Web. The service is based on using a Garmin or Magellan GPSreceiver to collect data about your workout and then uploading the GPS datato a Web site through your browser. After the site collects waypoint and trackdata of a workout, it produces 40 statistics and 14 charts. (Sample results areshown in Figure 23-2.) You can review workout information such as Total time elapsed (at motion and at rest) Distance (uphill, downhill, and flat) Altitude Maximum and average speed (including uphill, downhill, and flat) Average pace Calories expended Power generated in watts