The example below shows the "tracklog page" which is like a breadcrumb trail of your movements. The page shown is from the GPSII+. The GPS12 and 12XL have a similar page. The GPSIII screen image would include a basemap if this tracklog occurred on or near a highway, but would appear similar (i.e. no map features) if used in the forest.
In this example, the rider created three waypoints. The first was created as he left the car. Note that a " "car" " icon was chosen from the assortment of 47 special icons in the database. The "TH" waypoint was named (for Trail Head) by doing a little alphanumeric dance on the keypad, same for the waypoint named "PEAK". Looking at the switchbacks on the tracklog, it would have been easy to discern the location of the PEAK even without the named waypoint.
In this example, a bicyclist has been following trails and roads for several hours, and
is coming around to the car from a different direction. The car is 0.51 miles away, 45 degrees to the left. Without a GPS, the car might as well be ten miles away, but the GPS has informed this user that the car is only half a mile thru the forest. Also apparent from the tracklog is the rectillinear layout of the roads, which may not be apparent when encountering roads from so many different directions.
| GPS Display |
Description of features circled in blue |
| Three waypoints created during the ride: The car, "TH" and "PEAK". The car icon is chosen from the icon library (of 47 icons) in the GPS. "TH" was named by the user to designate a significant "Trailhead". Evident by the many switchbacks, "PEAK" was named for obvious reasons.
The "dots" that make up this breadcrumb trail were created and recorded in the memory, automatically by the GPS. Each dot represents a discrete lat/long coordinate pair, along with the exact (to the second) time the GPS was at that location. The actual values can be accessed by computer download, but on the GPS, simply show up as "dots".
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| This is your current position.
The default "automatic" method puts another dot on the screen approximately every 82 feet for about 7 hours (12 hours on the GPSIII). Alternatively, the GPS can be programmed to record tracklog points at any time or distance interval the user desires.
The GPS12, 12XL, and II+ hold 1024 points. The GPSIII holds 1760 points, and in addition, can store ten separate tracklogs.
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| Track is the "compass direction" that you are currently traveling. Your current "TRACK" direction is 179degrees.
0/360 degrees is North. 90 degrees is East, 180 degrees is South, and 270 degrees is West. So you are travelling 179degrees, which is almost due South.
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| The Bearing is the "compass direction" to your destination.
Southeast is 135degrees, so your "BRG", at 136degrees, says that your destination (the car) is southeast of your current position. This is quite obvious by looking at the tracklog, but in other situations, where the "car" may be off the map, this number can be more meaningful.
The Compass page has an easier way to display this direction than by numbers - it uses an ARROW. The user would likely be switching between this "Tracklog page" and the "Compass page".
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| This is the "distance" from your current position to your destination.
"DST O.51" tells you that the car is .51 miles away. Often in unfamiliar woods, you don't know if the car is half a mile away or ten miles away. In this example, without a GPS, you may have been inclined to retrace your steps over the "PEAK" to get back to the car.
The GPS is a powerful tool for explorers!!!
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| This figure shows the road layout in blue. This may not have been apparent to even the best outdoorsman twisting and turning in heavy forest on a cloudy day, on his FIRST excursion into a new area.
Looking at the "distance" figure (above) again, you can see how the recorded breadcrumb trail (tracklog) has suggested the road layout.
The GPS is a powerful tool for explorers!!!
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| This field shows your current speed.
On the GPSIII, these fields can be reconfigured by the user to display other information, such as "average speed", "trip odometer", "time of day", or many other options.
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