Gary Warner wrote:
We bought the handheld Garmin 72 for our little 22 footer. We won't be
doing much if any long distance navigation, but just knowing our position
and just "playing" with the thing should be fun. Goofing around with it
inside (while it's cold and snowy outside) a few questions come to mind.
-- Lets say you are out in open ocean and heading for a waypoint that
it programmed into the unit. If everything was calm, no wind and no
current, all you have to do it point the arrow at the waypoint. But what
if there is a current and/or wind? Just pointing the boat toward the
waypoint might not take you on a straight course to the destination. You
would need to steer a different course to get the desired outcome. So:
Can this GPS (or others) help figure what course you need to steer?
Certainly. The GPS unit receives frequent updates from the satellites
and knows about where you are, within a small degree of error. The
highway screen tells you whether to steer to starboard or port to reach
your destination.
However, you shouldn't overcorrect. If you are following the "highway"
function, and wind, waves and current are a factor, you will almost
always be a little off course. If you try to keep yourself centered on
the highway, you'll be doing nothing else while on your boat. Just
generally follow the highway, and make a correction every few minutes,
if need be.
-- I see there is a "Highway" screen that shows a "road" that one
might follow. Seems that may be the correct screen to do what I'm
thinking, but I can't quite figure out it's use.
Read page 19 of your manual. Garmin writes and publishes pretty decent
manuals. Those Jebbies are nothing if not well-educated.
Well, probably all this will become clearer when we can actually use
it ON the boat.
Oh, any good books out there telling how to use a GPS (not a manual
for a particual unit, but a general 'how-to' book of ideas and uses?
Thanks,
Gary
Garmin's GPS manuals contain a wealth of information about using GPS in
your life.
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