GPS for Dummies.pdf - Engineering Surveyor

Chapter 3: GPS Fundamentals59plots a course of travel is a route, which can also be stored. GPS receiversalso store tracks (which are like an electronic collection of breadcrumbtrails that show where you’re been).In Chapter 4, I show how to create and use waypoints, routes, and tracks. Cumulative data: A GPS receiver can also keep track of information suchas the total distance traveled, average speed, maximum speed, minimumspeed, elapsed time, and time to arrival at a specified location.All this information is displayed on different pages of the GPS receiver’s displayscreen. One page shows satellite status, another page displays a map,another displays trip data, and so on. With buttons on the receiver, you canscroll to an information page to view the data that you’re interested in seeing.GPS Receiver FeaturesA number of GPS receivers are on the market. Usually a GPS receiver withmore features costs more.GPS manufacturers have done a pretty good job making user interfaces easyto use. After you know the basic concepts of GPS receivers and are familiarwith a manufacturer’s user interface, a GPS unit is usually as easy to use as acellphone and easier to use than a personal computer.Display and outputGPS receivers have three choices for information display or data output: Monochrome LCD screen: Most GPS receivers have a monochromeliquid crystal display (LCD) screen. Color screen: These are especially useful for displaying maps.Color screens usually have shorter battery lives than monochrome ones. No screen: Some GPS receivers only transmit data through an expansionslot or a cable; a receiver with a cable is often called a mouse GPS receiverbecause it resembles a computer mouse. Such receivers are designedto interface with a laptop computer or PDA running special software.Figure 3-3 shows a DeLorme Earthmate GPS unit attached to a laptop. AllGPS data is sent to the laptop and processed there with mapping software.A Magellan SporTrak GPS receiver is shown on top of the laptopfor comparison.Most GPS receivers that have screens can output data to a PC or PDA.