MarineGPSInfo.com Launches A Marine GPS Survival Guide

Marine GPS is a recent development that enables a device to track down the position of GPS capable devices in the water. This is an off-shoot of the GPS satellite technology, where calculations are made on the devices’ latitude, longitude and sometimes altitude, to track down the GPS devices position anywhere on earth.

The Garmin 421s marine GPS devices may also be equipped with add-on features like estimation of underwater reef and rock formations, and may even pinpoint exact locations of underwater marine life. It is a device that is compared to sonars used by military submarines where detailed information about underwater currents are given. This would include water depth, contours of the terrain, tidal fluctuations and dangerous rock formations, among others. A more recent innovation is the tracking down of navigational routes that can be save through removable media cards for downloading to computers.

The basic concept of a GPS system is its capability to calculate positions of the GPS device, and its inherent ability to transmit information to a receiver. These information would include time of transmission and accurate orbit information of all GPS satellites. The receivers uses around four satellites for greater accuracy in tracking down positions but may only use three, if there is one known variable either the latitude or longitude positions.

At present, around 31 satellites orbit the earth. They circle the earth in rings and have 6 planes each. They are sometimes called constellations. Each plane in this constellation is tilted differently in relation to the equator, so as to cover all of the earth’s surface. With each plane having four satellites each, computations can be quite accurate from a distance of a few feet.

There are many devices available in the market with regard to marine GPS. Among the features of more recent models include the devices capacity to determine water depth and locate schools of fish in sonar like fashion. The device also ensures safety in the waters by having features like chart mapping to indicate actual position with reference to land positions and nautical hazards.

The things that must be considered to determine a boats’ sea worthiness are as follows:

1. The boat must have a chart plotting equipment with a computer that is capable of running the chart plotting software. The screen should be able to show underwater terrain and contours, marine life pictures and radar-enabled functions.

2. The plotting device should indicate boat speed and pro-active probability charts indicating boat position in the next couple of minutes with assumptions that present conditions prevail.

3. Cruising guides like way points should be printed in the charts and nautical guides. This would allow the seafarer to see different shifts and turn that may be encountered before reaching ones’ destination, merely by looking at the string of way points in the chart.

The marine GPS can be a life saving tool while in a boat. But this would depend most on the skills of the chart plotter. Among his functions would include:

1. The pinpointing of the direction the boat is heading, or the way point destination. The computer screen will tell you basically your situation at present, like your cruising time speed, the estimated time to reach that destination, or the possibility that you may be off course due to the wind directions and other matters.

2. It is also important that the chart plotter leaves tracks to show if there were unusual incidents on the route that were encountered like fogs, or unnatural rock formations.

3.The skill of the chart plotter that would encompass his ability to organize his way points through use of marine GPS navigators.

Boat riding can be real fun if done safely and with the right devise to help in cruising. The use of marine GPS would make such cruise a worthwhile experience.

Contact Information

Bob Jones

Marketing Manager

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