GPS For Dummies | 
 enlarge | Author: Joel Mcnamara
Publisher: For Dummies
Category: Book
List Price: $21.99
Buy New: $1.40
You Save: $20.59 (94%)
New (48) Used (31) from $1.40
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 206773
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 408
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0764569333
Dewey Decimal Number: 910.285
UPC: 785555885752
EAN: 9780764569333
ASIN: 0764569333
Publication Date: June 4, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new, never opened, in stock, and ships right now.
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Product Description
GPS For Dummies gives new meaning to finding yourself. In fact, with a GPS (global positioning system) receiver, you can determine precisely where you are anywhere on this planet. If you’re are planning on buying a GPS receiver or if you have one and want to get your money’s worth, this guide tells you what you need to know, including: Basic GPS principles and concepts such as waypoints, routes, tracks, and coordinate systems - Recommended features for GPS receivers to be used in various types of activities, including hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing, geocaching, hunting, ATVing, mapping, and more
- How to do digital mapping on your computer, including software packages you can use to work with aerial photos, topographic maps, and road maps
- The main providers of digital map data for the U.S. and their Web sites
- The scoop on geocaching—a high-tech treasure hunt
Written by Joel McNamara, avid outdoorsman, adventure racer, search and rescue team member, and author of Secrets of Computer Espionage, GPS for Dummies is ideal for both ordinary travelers and exotic explorers. It covers a world of GPS info such as: - Choosing features for a GPS receiver, including the screen, an alarm, built-in maps, an electric compass, an altimeter, antennas, interface modes, and more
- Systems for traveling on the main roads and systems for exploring off the beaten path
- Using GPS with a PDA (personal digital assistant)
- Computer requirements for different mapping choices
- Topographic map software from Maptech, DeLorme, and National Geographic that’s for off-road use
- Using Web-hosted mapping services, including street maps, topographic maps, aerial photos, and U.S. government-produced maps
- Incorporating GPS receivers into outdoor workouts, with tips for specific sports including cycling, golf, rowing, and more
A companion Web site has links to all kinds of free maps and resources. So explore on your computer and then explore for real! With GPS for Dummies, you’ll find yourself having adventures!
Download Description
- Offers down-to-earth guidance for hikers, cross-country skiers, ATVers, and other outdoor enthusiasts who own or are thinking of buying a GPS receiver, as well as people interested in digital map-making
- GPS (global positioning system) receivers draw on satellite signals to precisely determine a person's geographic position; as prices for these devices have gone down-entry-level models now sell for $100-sales have risen dramatically
- Provides coverage of the increasingly popular sport of "geocaching," in which people hunt for a canister hidden at precise geographic coordinates
- Explains how to turn cell phones and PDAs into GPS receivers and what hardware is required for connecting a GPS receiver to a PC
- Shows how to use popular, inexpensive software packages to create topographic, aerial photographs, and three-dimensional maps, and discusses free Web-hosted map services
- The author's diverse background in archeology, outdoor rescue, adventure racing navigation, and dis aster response set him apart from other people writing about this topic
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 All the information you would ever want or need. March 28, 2008
This is a great font of GPS information. You can get the basics of a GPS and begin to enjoy It. Then as you get more proficient with your GPS, you can return again and again to the book for in-depth information about the many different uses for a GPS and of course, a chapter on geocaching.
Great Place to Start August 31, 2007
I have had a GPS unit for almost a year now with no hope of understanding just what it can do or how to use it due to the arcane nature of the owner's manual.I have no clue as to why the manufacturer's write such poor manuals but they do. In response to my frustrations I decided to try Joel's book as a means of understanding what this small device could do and just how to get it to do what the promotional materials say it does. After reading most of Joel's book I was able to go to work using my GPS unit and understand how to negotiate its features with relative ease. Realistically it isn't perfect but it sure is a great place to start if you are like me, clueless as to how to interpret the gibberish in the owner's manual.
 Interesting but... February 3, 2007
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
I bought this book because I had recently purchased a GPS and was frustrated by the techno speak in the manual. I was looking for something to help me through the jargon.
Only about 1/3 of the book is specificallly about your GPS. A small section is about cartography and the rest deals with "digital mapping" (more jargon for computer software dealing with maps). All of the information is at least loosely tied to a GPS. There is no glossary section but the author does embed many clarifications of technical terms that are helpful for dummies like me.
The GPS sections are an improvement over my manual but still only partially sucessful. Priorities in choosing and mastering a GPS are miniscule. The cartography portion has information that is both interesting and helpful and does not bog the reader down with irrelevant information. These two topics are discussed in the first seven chapters.
The book then turned to digital mapping and I almost gave up on the book. I had no interest in mapping and I wasn't totally satisfied with the previous sections. Luckily I continued on. The mapping chapters are almost exclusively about mapping software (and little utility programs that help). The software information includes commercial, shareware and freeware programs. It discusses programs for the beginner on up to some heady stuff. You may want to take up the subject as a hobby even if you never were interested before. If I had the time I would be tempted to just play with this stuff because it is so cool.
If you buy the book, I would first just skim this "software" portion of the book when you go through it the first time. I think there are 14 chapters. It is amazing what is available but also sometimes redundant. I would use it only as a reference and study only the sections you need at that moment. Reading it word by word might be wasteful.
I do wish that the author had separated the utility software into a separate chapter so that those jewels could be returned to easily. I found them very useful.
The book is a mixed bag. The software chapters are the best part. The GPS info is not going to thrill you. The reading is pretty easy for a technical book.
Good for entry into GPS use January 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Copywrite date was 2004. Seems a little outdated in some places. Other than that, it was very helpful and full of useful Websites.
 GPS Book March 15, 2006
5 out of 18 found this review helpful
I belive this book is just a little more them a book for dummies. I still don't think I picked the right book for me. I still feel like I am in the dark.
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