GPS Made Easy: Using Global Positioning Systems in the Outdoors

I'm an alpine climber and have had a Garmin GPS for a few years now, however, the user guide materials leave a lot to be desired. I wanted more of a practical use guide for navigating in the field and also for plotting courses on my PC and then using them in the field. I really was not interested in GPS use in a car, or airplane, or a kayak, etc. I use my GPS for wilderness navigation and mountaineering., so I wanted a book that would show me specifically how to use my GPS features in those settings. I ended up researching and purchasing several promising looking books that claimed to fit the bill. This one is far and away the best one. The instructions--many of them based on practical scenarios--are excellent, as are the images and screencaptures (the screencaptures of GPS user screens are mostly from Garmin GPSs, so its all the more user friendly for Garmin users.

The GPS industry is pretty pathetic when it comes to documentation. I own a Garmin etrex and learning about it is basically an exercise in trial and error. The Garmin documentation is next to nothing and worthless. Their website is pretty pathetic. There's a little bit of decent stuff on the internet by users. I was hoping this would be a comprehensive review of GPS unit features, but sadly it devolves into a dissertation on using a map and compass (useful, but not here) and uses some exercises that I suspect few will relate to. The authors seem more interested in impressing with their general navigation prowess than in explaining how to use a GPS device. I guess I learned something, but came away with that empty feeling. I'd take a pass on this and try something else- anything else.

I've had my Garmin GPS about a year and learned to do a few things with it from the user's manual along the way. The manual is, however, disappointing in its inability to get the user to some competent level of GPS operation. "GPS Made Easy" is just the opposite. It is logical in its organization and precise in telling the reader how to operate the unit for whatever outdoor activity they fancy. I wish I had bought the book first, read it, and then bought the GPS unit.

This book gives a great overview of the GPS system, how it was developed and the terminology associated with it. For someone who doesn't have a great deal of experience with a GPS I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It explains the various features common to most GPS units and explains the uses for them. It goes over the various models and features available and towards the end gets a little more in depth than I needed.Overall a good beginners book that will get you on track.

Book in excellent condition. Fast service.

Not as thorough as I would have liked. Still, I have not been able to find one better.

This is an excellent resource to learn how GPS works and also how to navigate using TOPO maps and a compass. The author provides great advice on how to prepare for navigating and how not to just rely on electronics to get where you are going.

This book contains excellent information, written where anyone can understand, on using a handheld GPS in the field with or without a Topographic map. Also explains all map grids. Map grids needs to be understood for reading maps as well as setting a GPS to be used with a map.

Nachdem dieses Buch als Geheimtipp in einer Yahoo Group empfohlen wurde habe ich es kurzentschlossen gekauft. Die ersten 140 Seiten beschreiben erst einmal die Grundlagen von GPS. Dann sing gerade mal 18 Seiten dem Thema Computer und Topographische Karten gewidmet und schlappe 7 Seiten sind für die Strassennavigation geopfert. Als GPS Grundlagenbuch in englischer Sprache mag das noch OK sein, aber das Thema Navigation im Gelände ist meiner Meinung nach leicht verfehlt