About Handheld GPS Systems

Many electronic devices make heavy use of GPS (Global Positioning System) technology, everything from cell phones to cars and trucks.  The Handheld GPS Systems though, are all about navigation.  Mostly they're used by people that are going to be out in the woods or doing some kind of Survivor man style activity.  Mountain bikers, campers, rock climbers, hikers, etc.  Before you purchase any of the available handheld GPS systems, it can be very helpful to develop an understanding of how the technology works.  This will help you in determining which features are most useful for your personal situation.

GPS technology is comprised of three separate components working seemlessly together. The three components of handheld GPS systems (and indeed, GPS in general) are the satellite constellation, the ground control network and the receiver. By satellite constellation, we mean the satellites in low earth orbit which provide navigational data and signals to the user’s receiver. The ground control network continually monitors the status of the low orbiting satellites and the validity of the signals received. The receiver is designed to receive signals from the satellite constellation.

The Global Navigation Satellite System is what allows all GPS devices (handheld or otherwise) to pinpoint a user's location via satellite.  This is done via the geometric concept of triangulation, which is an interesting topic in and of itself but beyond the scope of this article.  Handheld GPS systems (or "receivers") are to give their owners precise coordinates for their current location, and also to guide them through trails, roads etc via user input coordinates.

Durability and portability are the keystones of handheld GPS systems.  Those found in vehicles are generally going to be more powerful than their handheld equivalents, but that power and resulting size are what make them an impractical choice for the aforementioned outdoor activities.  On the other hand, cell phone GPS's, while certainly portable enough, generally are not rugged enough for vigorous outdoor activity. 

Some important factors to consider when purchasing handheld GPS systems include the speed (and quality) route calculations, the map storage capacity, map coverage/detail/precision, and ease of use. All units listed on our Models page meet or exceed our minimum criteria for each of these factors.

Handheld GPS systems actually include some types of models that you typically don't hold in your hand.  Wrist mounted units like the Garming forerunner series are very popular, especially among climbers, joggers, and anyone else who wants the functionality of a GPS but wants to maintain freedom of movement for their hands.  These look like an extremely bulky wristwatch with keys laid out on the side typically. 

Another popular and more specialized unit are hunting models.  The primary distinguishing characteristic of these handheld GPS systems is that they are painted in camouflage.  Generally they are also very lightweight, waterproof, and feature a keyboard layout that enables functions to be performed one-handed.

Another pretty cool thing handheld GPS systems are being used for is verifying addresses for government census data.