Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 3: Getting from Point A to Point B: Marine Navigation
Handheld GPS units are
compact, lightweight, and
accurate, and they can be
carried from boat to boat.
Charting models like this one
can even be used on shore to
navigate your car!
(Photo credit: Lowrance
Electronics)
Both GPS and LORAN look a bit intimidating because of all the buttons, on-screen
menus, and numbers, particularly if you’re not into computers. But, in fact, anyone can
learn to operate either unit within about 30 minutes. (Most companies offer videos for
those who need a bit of extra help.)
Boat Bytes
On a “cold start” of a new
GPS or one that has been
moved to a new location
many miles from its home
port, it can take 10 to 15
minutes for the machine to lock
on to the satellites passing overhead
and locate itself again. The
display will blink to warn you not
to try navigating until the system
locks in.
Basically you just turn them on, let them lock on to the
nearest satellites, and then punch in latitude/longitude
numbers to tell the machine where you want to go.
If you already have waypoints saved in the machine, you
can simply hit the “Go To” button and punch the number
of the waypoint you want to seek.
The unit then guides you there, suggesting you steer
right or left if you wander off course due to inattention
or the effect of the wind or currents. When you
approach your destination, it sounds an alarm so you
don’t overshoot. And throughout the run, it gives constant
updates on your exact speed, course made good,
distance to go, time to go, and course to the destination.