Got A GPS now what?

[Schutzen]

Well I got a gps and was looking for some help or info from you all to help shorten the learning curve a bit. So if you have some helpful info you would like to pass along I'm all ears.

[3kills]

i havent played with them that much but i find the best way to learn is to grab it and go for a walk and play with it..

[Steeleco]

Darcy's right, take it with you everywhere, if your going for a drive, walk anything, keep the manual with you as they are all different with respect to options. Have you tried the manufacturers web site?? sometimes they have helpfull tips on their site's.

[CanuckShooter]

And always carry spare batteries....we had to direct more than one hapless soul that lost his way because the batteries had died....

[3kills]

spare batteries is an awesome piece of advice ...if u go out fishin take it with u fishin even and when the fish arent bitin to much just place with it on the lake...

[Cappy]

Play around with it a bit. If you really get to know how to use one they can be a real good tool. I see a lot of people using them simply to mark their truck to make sure they can get back at the end of the day. They are missing out on a lot. I got trained to use them at work after already having one for a couple seasons, man was I misssing out on a lot. With good map skills you can plot grid refrences that will allow you to get from point A to B using waypoints to get you around obstacles before you waste your time by just running into them etc.......if you don't know anyone who can use them well, you'll have to read the instructions eventually...........don't forget to have the plotting system in your GPS (you'll usually find it in the menu) match the maps you are using.

[Schutzen]

Yeah I have already found it likes batteries! If the backlighting stays on for long it really eats up the juice, I got mine set to time out at 30 sec.
I got a Magellan Sportrak Colour, nice unit so far.
But I like what Cappy had to say... save yourself alot of useless wandering.

[3kills]

schutzen cant u set ur backlight to turn off sooner that way u are savin ur battery power even more?

[Walksalot]

DON'T LET IT REPLACE YOUR COMPASS.

I was out with a buddy and he has the same gps. As we got within .5 km of our destination both was roaming up to ten degrees.

Have a bearing on your compass you can bail out of the woods with if the gps goes south.

[LOC]

check out getting a program like Ozi-explorer as well. If you can get some e-maps of the areas you want to go to, or have been to, you can do some neat stuff with send way-points to and from the map to the GPS.

I have a E-trex that I use with Ozi all the time - it's great for mapping new logging roads / trails and plotting where you have been. You just load the map, and dump the track from the GPS and away you go...