Magellan SporTrak Pro Magellan makes a spectacular array of handheld GPS
units. Two product lines interest kayakers: the Meridian and SporTrak. The Meridian appeals to the hard-core map- ping hobbyist, with a large display screen and a slot for interchangeable memory cards hidden in the battery com- partment. The SporTrak series doesn’t accept memory cards, but I like the simple, compact design, which is waterproof and actually floats (I checked). I recommend the Pro—the top end of the SporTrak series—because it has the largest built-in memory: a 9-MB preloaded North American base map and 23 MB free for additional map downloads. We also tested Magellan’s MapSend CD-ROM of Canadian street maps. I uploaded a chunk of Southern Ontario to my SporTrak and went exploring in the Big Smoke. The street map included major navigational mark- ers, accurate enough to negotiate the channels between
the Toronto Islands. $299.00 US
www.magellangps.com
Pros • Lightweight (170 g/6.1 oz) and compact.
• Twelve-channel receiver with WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) technology is accurate to within three metres.
• Rugged, rubber-protected case is waterproof and floats. • Self-contained with 32 MB built-in memory.
• Available in two other versions: The SporTrak Pro Marine ($300 US) has the same features as our model but includes a larger preloaded database of coastline data and nav aids. The SporTrak Pro Colour ($500 US) has a 16-colour display and barometer.
• Northfinder technology shows direction even when standing still.
• Detailed Canadian street maps are available on CD-ROM ($149.00).
• Includes display light with programmable automatic shutdown to save batteries.
• Includes PC cable.
Cons • Magellan does not currently produce topo maps for Canada, and Magellan’s marine charts cover only a small fraction of Canadian waters, with only small-scale charts of the Great Lakes.
• Does not include external antenna attachment.
• Capacity of 500 waypoints and 2,000 track nodes, although ample, is less than some other models.
—TS
ered by all GPS makers. So far, however, no company has topos for Canada. Marine charts are available for Canada but coverage is spotty. Before you buy a unit, check which GPS companies produce charts for your area. To date, Garmin has the best Canadian marine coverage and is rumoured to be first in line to come out with Canadian topos.
GPS + PC = Keeping Track of Yourself
Downloadable maps are just the begin- ning. Connect your mapping GPS to a home computer and you can do much more. First, you can upload all your GPS way-
points, routes and tracks to your computer. A waypoint is a specific location that you mark and save in the GPS memory. Aroute is a path comprising two or more connected way- points. Atrack is the path you travel, auto- matically recorded by the GPS as a series of “nodes.”
GPS units can store hundreds of way- points plus route and track information, but the memory can fill up. Too much stored information clutters the map screen. Uploading the information allows you to clear your GPS memory without losing all your data. Free software programs like Easy GPS or GPS Utility (see links below) allow you to
have automatically plotted my track down the coast to within 100-metre accuracy. I could now have that route information saved, complete with the coordinates and notes for every campsite, freshwater source and point of interest during those 80 days. If I had another 12 weeks to spare, I could even replay my trip, watching my real-time
I could take my stored info from the West Coast and use it to build a personalized series of coastal charts.
store and catalogue the data. You can enter detailed information about each waypoint, which is a lot easier on a computer keyboard than it is on a GPS.
If I’d carried a GPS unit on my kayaking trip and kept it running every day, it would
progress on the map, noting my average speed over different sections. More usefully, I could download any por- tion of that data back into a GPS. This would allow me to repeat a segment of my trip or pass the information along to a friend. This is
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