GPS for Dummies.pdf - Engineering Surveyor

A number of personal GPS products are developed specifically for golfers: Suunto G9: Suunto makes an oversize watch that’s a GPS receiver thatmeasures your strokes and stores game statistics (www.suunto.com). SkyGolf: SkyGolf sells a standalone GPS golf computer, the SG2 PersonalDigital Caddie (www.skygolfgps.com). PDA software: A number of popular golf software packages come bundledwith a GPS receiver for Pocket PC and Palm PDAs, including• StarCaddy: www.starcaddy.com• GolfPS: www.golfps.comGPS golf devices can slow down the game while players fiddle with their electronicgadgets. If you use a GPS golf device, remember to be courteous toother players and not get too engrossed with your nonregulation helper.354 Part V: The Part of Tens Windsurfing and GPSGPS for paddlers and rowersFor athletes who row or paddle for fitness or in competitions, a GPS receiverprovides a quick and easy way to gauge distance and speed without installinga speedometer in your boat; they’re also cheaper than venturi speedometers.I’ve seen GPS receiver cases mounted to canoes, kayaks, and rowing shellsusing Velcro, duct tape, webbing, and custom-made fiberglass holders, alloptimally placed to let the athlete read the screen and click buttons.Obviously, make sure that your GPS receiver stays dry. Your GPS receivershould have an IPX 7 rating (submersible for 30 minutes in one meter of water).Regardless of the rating, I use a waterproof bag. Voyageur bags (one is shownin Figure 23-6), priced under $25, are durable, watertight, and buoyant; it’s easyto see the screen and use the receiver while it’s in the bag. You can get informationon the Voyageur product line by visiting http://voyageur-gear.com.GPS receivers are popular in windsurfing.Windsurfers use GPS receivers in waterproofbags to measure maximum speed and recordtracks. Dennis Cornhill wrote a nice Excelspreadsheet for analyzing windsurfing track logs:www.geocities.com/denniscornhill/SailTrack.html.