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WAYPOINTS! GPS NEWS APRIL 2010

See March WayPoints! to find manuals - and more GPS unit operations.
~ The features of GPS devices usually outweigh their typical use. ~

It's Walleye time of year...

A lot of fishermen mark good holes, doesn't matter what the fish. It must be said, there are quite a few purists who really dislike the idea of sonar capability/ fishfishers in GPS models, and just use handhelds. Marking fishing holes can be done with any handheld with waypoint functions, so that's about all units.

For more than basic mapping though, the handheld models with SD slots or enough internal memory (see: handheld mapping models) can be loaded with extra digital maps for water navigation or topographical data. Even so, sonar in marine GPS chartplotters is a great perk for more than just fish, e.g. underwater hazards.

There was the customer who experimented with his GPS, scuba-diving at 100 feet (it broke); there are watertight containers, like Otterbox and Underwater Kinetics. See this GPS & scuba article.

The IPX specifications for electronic GPS devices are at best 1 meter depth.

IPX0: No special protection.
IPX1: Protected against falling water. 3-5mm rain/min for 10 minutes in normal operating position.
IPX2: Protected against falling water. 3-5mm rain/min for 10 minutes when tilted to 15 degrees in 4 fixed positions.
IPX3: Protected against spraying water. 60 degrees from vertical - pressure 80-100kN/m sq for 5 minutes.
IPX4: Protected against splashing water. All angles - pressure 80-100kN/m sq.
IPX5: Protected against water jets. All angles - pressure of 30kN/m sq - 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
IPX6: Protected against heavy seas. All angles - pressure of 100kN/m sq - 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
IPX7: Protected against water immersion. 30 minutes at a depth of one meter.

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Floating GPS devices...

Some models do float: the Garmin 70 series GPS handsets are great for boating, hiking, birding, whatever your activity. There are newcomers on the horizon in this series. Available for pre-orders now! ** GPSMap 78, GPSMap 78s with compass and barometric altimeter, and GPSMap 78sc with preloaded US coastal maps.** New!... ACR has a new floating Personal Locator Beacon/ ACR AquaLink PLB.

Speaking of walleye, there's a great forum 'Walleye Central' for fishing discussions.

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