Basic GPS Exercises

These GPS exercises will help you overcome the first hurdles. The first time that you unpack a GPS receiver and its manual, you could easily be overwhelmed. This is a critical moment. Without a bit of external help, it is difficult to really get started correctly and we are always sad to hear from people, who never made it and who only look at the satellite page of their receiver, a couple of times during their holidays, in order to know their actual position. Still sadder is it when people leave their GPS receiver in the box, because they cannot impress themselves or others with the possibilities of GPS navigation.

For everybody who could use a little help with the first steps, we have worked out some basic GPS exercises. We sincerely hope that a lot of people, who are new to GPS, will take advantage from these GPS exercises.

GPS navigation can not be learnt in front of the television or the fireplace. You have to play with your receiver in open air. Playing means having fun, and the more fun that you have had with this wonderful toy, the better you will be prepared, the day that you really need its help.

All you need for these Exercises is a GPS receiver and a map of your region with a coordinate grid, printed on it, as you have to measure some waypoints on the map for Exercise 2

A good understanding of the GPS Terms will make it easier to read the GPS Exercises.

See also a more modern version of the GPS Exercises with a GPS PDA and Blank Maps.

We used map extracts with a UTM grid printed on it, because it is so much easier to measure a point on the map, as distances are more intuitive than angles. But if you have a map with a Lat/Lon grid, you can perfectly use that and enter these values into your GPS receiver. Which-ever grid you use, be sure to set the datum in your GPS receiver to the same datum as the one, used for your map, BEFORE you enter the waypoint coordinates.

You don�t need a pocketPC, nor software programs. And you don�t need cables to your GPS receiver.

To illustrate the GPS Exercises, we show map-extracts, with Tracks, projected on top of it and we talk about carrying a laptop in the field, but unless you plan to make your own series of Exercises, you don�t need all that.

Exercise 1

Exercise 1 is about getting familiarized with your receiver and the final goal is that you can show on the screen of your GPS receiver, which trip you have made, as well as the waypoints that you marked yourself. Please print out the page "Before each trip". HINT: it is probably better to select the text and print the selection, otherwise the text could be slightly truncated. We don�t have grip on that. Sorry.

You will find Exercise 1 here

Exercise 2

Exercise 2 is about planning ahead. It is about creating waypoints and a route at home, before you actually go out. In the field you will walk the route that you projected yourself. We say "walk" and indeed, it is best to walk the route, as this way, you will have much more opportunity to play with your GPS receiver.

Exercise 2 can be found here

Exercise 3

Exercise 3 is a bit trickier, because it is difficult to plan how not to plan. We tried to dramatize a bit this adventure, in the hope to stimulate you to make the most out of this exercise. What you should do is find a walk, preferably more curvier than ours, that you are willing to walk twice. Once in the original and once in the reverse direction.

Please prepare your trip according to "Before each trip". You printed this out, didn�t you? You can mark some waypoints, if you like, but not too many in this case, because they will clutter the Map page after the walk. You walk x km and then decide that you have to return along the same route. Your total walk will be 2 times x km, don�t forget that.

Before returning, you start a TracBack navigation. Now the more interesting and funnier part of your trip begins. Let your buddy guide you and try out the different pages of your GPS receiver. The Map Page, the Pointer Page and the Highway Page all have their own particularities and advantages. Play with them and try to get the good feeling about GPS navigation.

Exercise 3 starts here

If these exercises could help a lot of people to become GPS enthusiasts, then the main goal of this site will be accomplished.

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