Re: Determining conditioning distances

["Judy A. Worley" <aussie@aa.net>]

A quote from Oct. 1996 GPS Comparison Report: "Parallel-channel receivers,
such as the Eagle models, lock on and stay with the satellites required for
accurate triangulation.  With a parallel-channel receiver, the naviagational
information you receive will always be the most reliable, up-to-date and
accurate information possible.  If a unit isn't promoted as a
parallel-channel receiver, chances are it's not.
   The multiplexing receivers  are less explensive, but they also tend to be
less accurate---that's because navigational information has to be pieced
together, or averaged.. They also tend to have more problems finding and
maintaining satellite contact, which can be a really big problem when you're
far off the beaten path. "     Judy
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Long <jlong@mti.net>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: Monday, April 06, 1998 9:37 PM
Subject: Re: Determining conditioning distances


>On Mon, 06 Apr 1998 18:05:08 -0700, "S. Brown" <sbrown@wamedes.com>
>wrote:
>
>>>Invest in a GPS :) nifty tools....
>
>>A what???
>
>A Global Positioning System receiver.  I have a hand-held unit.  It
>tells you where you are at all times, within a hundred feet or so.
>They also tell you your current speed, direction, the path back the
>way you came, and direction and distance to "waypoints" that you can
>program in ahead of time or set as you go.  Most of them have some
>kind of pointer to show you which way to go and some kind of display
>to indicate if you are off the correct path, and in which direction
>and by what distance.
>
>These can be a godsend for researching new trails in the back country,
>but they have their drawbacks.  First, few of the low- to middle-price
>hand-held units tell you how far you've travelled; most only tell you
>how far it is to a specific point, *as the crow flies.*  Also, they
>aren't fully reliable in thick forest or deep canyons -- especially
>the low-price units.  By "low price" I mean below $150.
>
>If you do decide to buy one, I recommend the Eagle Explorer.  This
>unit is available for under $200, can be connected to a laptop
>computer for detailed map displays, and has a sensitive 12-channel
>receiver (good for use in woods & canyons).  It's major drawback is
>that it does not have an odometer (it will not tell you how far you've
>traveled except "as the crow flies").
>
>--
>
>Joe Long
>jlong@mti.net
>Business Page  http://www.mti.net
>Personal Page  http://www.rnbw.com
>