Dec 23, 2009 Posted by jtpratt on Dec 23, 2009 in Best Gifts For Him | Comments Off

GPS Usage Tips

If I had a nickel for every time I should have stopped and asked for directions and didn’t, I’d have a lot of nickels! And my wife wouldn’t have had to say “I told you so” as many times as she has :-) Let’s face it guys, when it comes to directions we all think we have some kind of built in compass and we can navigate our way anywhere. Just look up at the North Star and off we go. Some of us might be able to do that. Most of us can’t. Ranking at the very top of our best gifts for him list is the all revered GPS (Global Position System receiver).
With all the technology available to us, there’s no excuse for getting the lost in an unfamiliar place or stuck in hours of traffic. A GPS is a great device for in-car navigation and it can be as useful when on foot or bike. With GPS availability in any rental car, these devices have become even more accessible and useful. Drivers can find their way through city streets; touring bikers and long trek hikers use the technology to navigate new and unfamiliar terrain. Need to plan a trip? A GPS can help you. Whether it’s a cross-country trek or a hopscotch tour, you choose a route that fits your needs and also find points of interest along the way. The best restaurants, landmarks, parks and other recreational activities are at the touch of your finger.
My GPS is like my little woobie. I just can’t seem to get in the car anymore and not want to take it with me. There’s a real sense of security that comes with knowing you will get to your destination pretty much without incident. I’m not saying a GPS is perfect and will get you to your exact location every time, but it will get you very close. Worst case you may have to do a U-turn or two when you get close to your end location. But it’s much better to be a tenth of a mile off than 10 or even 1,000 miles off if you didn’t have the GPS.
Because a GPS is such an important part of many drivers lives now, I’ve put together some handy GPS tips to help you get the most out of your GPS and avoid the travel woes.

GPS TIPS
1. If you’re like me and intend on relying on your GPS unit a lot when traveling, take time before you travel to learn it. Get the manual out, work with setting way-points and determining position. Don’t wait until you’re in the car and try to learn it. Really make sure you understand it before that first excursion. This will save you time on the road and prevent you from loading incorrect information or deleting valuable information by mistake.
2. Keep in mind; A GPS unit is simply a receiver that gives you a longitude and latitude position. In order to make use of those coordinates you need to have a mapping system on the GPS. Just about all of the GPS manufacturers use Navteq or TeleAtlas for their maps. There are others, but these two are the major map suppliers. Both are very accurate. About every 1 – 2 years updated maps are made available. The updates are for new intersections, roads, points of interest and many other features. You do not have to get the updated maps. In fact, my son has a GPS that is 4 years old now with the original maps and it still gets him where he has to go without incident. If you do travel a lot I do recommend you get the updated maps to be on the safe side. Just ensure you’re familiar with the route calculation settings of your device.
3. All GPS units are battery powered. Which means you need a way to charge the batteries. Make sure you have enough batteries for the trip or bring along a power adapter. Battery life of GPS devices vary, so it is important to have a cigarette lighter charger as you do not want to run out of juice when you are on the road. You will get a power adapter when you purchase a GPS unit new. If you happen to get a hand me down GPS without a power adapter, you can always pick one up on eBay or Amazon.
4. Do not leave a GPS device mounted on the windshield of your car. There are two reasons for this. The first being that the intense heat generated through the windshield of a car can cause damage to anything made of plastic. Even though the GPS units are ruggedized for this type of environment, severe heat can cause warping. The second reason to not leave a GPS on the window of your car is that it will be stolen. Even though you can get a GPS for around $100 now, people still want to steal them. They will smash the window of your car to get at it. And if you’re using the suction cup mount, when you are not using the GPS clean the circle that is left on the windshield when you remove the mount. Would be thieves will see that as a tell tale sign you’re hiding a GPS someplace in your car.
5. When navigating to a location, if you don’t know the address you can search by place. For example if you wish to visit the Guggenheim in New York City you can find it listed under museums as a point of interest and be able to navigate there without knowing the exact address. And by the way, the Guggenheim is an amazing place to visit if you get the chance. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the museum is as unique as the artwork contained within it.
6. As far as brands go, you’re better off purchasing a major brand. Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan are three top brands. The no name brands don’t have the quality built in and they won’t last. I’ve seen some no name brands that friends bought off eBay and they both lasted about 6 months and then quit. You won’t pay much more now-a-days for name brand and they will last longer. I’ve found some on eBay for you to check out.

If you’re looking for the number one gift on the best gifts for him list, a GPS is it. No more asking for directions and no more asking him to ask for directions :-) To see more gifts for him check out our best gifts for him page.

Best Gifts For Him

I’ve listed out some eBay auctions with some of the top brands of GPS units. You can’t go wrong with any of these.

Comments are closed.