| HIKING AND BIKING WITH YOUR PDA This article explores some of the
ways that you can use your PDA to improve your outdoor
hobbies and sports. In particular, we’ll cover
biking, stargazing and photography, and look at GPS,
first aid, and PDA protection.
Hiking and mountain
biking: being prepared
People often know what
trail they want to try, and often it is a new one that
they haven’t actually been on before. This is where
a PDA comes in handy. Use it to bring along trail
descriptions.
Sight Seeing
Enjoying the scenery
is an important part of being outdoors and it is nice to
be able to identify plants common to the area you hike or
bike in as well as the local wildlife. A PDA can hold
this information for handy reference. A good source I
have found is MS Encarta.
Star Gazing
You can’t fully
appreciate they beauty of the stars are until you get
away from the nighttime glare of big cities. It's more
fun of course to know what you're looking at when there
are literally billions of stars in the sky.
Photography
PDAs aid in outdoor
photography. Use it to make notes on the location and
settings to record the background story behind each
picture.
First Aid the doctor
is in your PDA
In most cases, medical
assistance can be obtained with a cell phone call to 911
or through using a two-way radio like the Motorola TalkAbout. But what happens when you're outside cell
phone coverage or if you don’t have time to wait for
additional help to arrive? Of course you should probably
learn CPR and always hike with a first aid kit but you
might also want to consider carrying medical reference
software in your PDA.
Other benefits
If you absolutely have
to stay in touch with your employer or business then
wireless communications options are available. There are
games you can play when it gets dark. You can store MP3s
and listen to music during your hike. But remember that
the more you do with your PDA, the more energy you use so
bring backup batteries along.
USING GPS WITH YOUR PDA
The Global Positioning
System can be used it to determine exact latitude,
longitude, height above sea level, and even the direction
and speed you're moving. GPS antennas are available for PDAs at sites
like www.mightygps.com
GPS is useful when...
- Hiking in new
territory or on an unmarked path. Using a GPS is
an excellent way to make sure you always know
where you are.
- Tracking where you've
been, how far you’ve gone, tallying altitude
gained/lost, etc.
- Exploring, rock
hunting, or looking for secret hot springs and
other spots. With GPS you can record the position
of your new discovery so that you can find again
later with ease.
- Mountain biking - use
it during a rest stop to confirm location and
spot check speed and distance covered.
- Preplanning a hike.
Mark off waypoints of good rest areas and other
important spots along your route. There are
websites with log files from many of the hikes
others have completed and they often contain
coordinates you can refer to.
Even on trails you are not
likely to get lost on a GPS can help you gauge your
progress and assist you in responding to the cries of
"are we there yet" that you may get.
We’ve already covered
some points about safety and your PDA but GPS
capabilities would be another important item to have
along as well. If you get in trouble, you can use a GPS
unit to communicate your exact position to within a few
meters to rescue teams.
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For more GPS and
mapping related resources please visit http://www.mightygps.com
MightyGPS.com delivers GPS
navigation solutions, maps, and gear at prices below the
manufacturer's suggested retail pricing.
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