Buying GPS Devices: Getting The Ideal GPS Data Logger

Make sure your global trail is always marked



It's great traveling, taking photos, and wandering in outdoors.



But occasionally it can be tough to re-gather your memories ( and keep track your movements ) when you're at home recollecting exactly what occurred.



Fortunately , nowadays, there are good devices called GPS information loggers which may make compasses and non-electronic navigational equipment cancelled.



So what is a GPS info logger?



A GPS logger is a tool that makes a record of its position at frequent intervals in its built in memory ( which is usually an in-built flash chip or a Mini SD card / TF card ). These are switched on when you are traveling from place to place then connected into your personal computer when you get home.



This enables you to download the track log information of geographical information of the trip in formats including GPX, KML, and NMEA.



But what do these formats mean and what do they look like.



GPX : This stands for GPS eXchange Format and it is an XML schema used for computer programs. It can show various amounts of info including waypoints, routes tracks, elevation amongst other elements.



KML : This stands for Keyhole Markup Language ( KML ) and is another XML-based language schema used to express geographic annotation and visualisation on existing or future Internet-based, two-dimensional and 3D maps.



NMEA : This is actually a shortened sort of the acronym NMEA 0183, which is essentially the 0183 standard set by the national Marine Electronics Association as a form of electronic geographical communication.



It is most likely one of the older languages ( not being set up in tune with the XML language ) and is utilized by echo sounders, sonars, anemometers, gyrocompasses, autopilots, GPS receivers and many other types of instruments.



As you can see lots of the data is internet-based so many of the programs are available online and much of the information can be put into sites like Flickr, YouTube, Google Maps, among other sites.



When taking a look at GPS data loggers it is really important to have a look at a variety of things including battery charge lifespan, chipset, precision, channels and memory.



Battery lifespan does not need to be said as it is something you are going to need to stay on for a considerable time without switching off. This is lessened a little by the proven fact that GPS info loggers traditionally have no, or tiny screens, meaning power usage is sort of low.



The average device with an in-built battery should have a battery charge lifespan that can be measured in days and weeks instead of hours while even devices charged by Lithium-ion and Ni-Cad batteries should last a day or even more before requiring new batteries.



The GPS chipset is basically the brain of the device helping it collect geographical info from several locations.



The SiRF Atlas III is regarded as the industry standard in this case but chipsets like the Skytraq Venus six are far more than sufficient to deal with the job.



The GPS info logger accuracy is measured by a number of factors ; horizontal position, wide area enhancement, time and speed.



The smaller the distance and shorter the time implies that devices are more accurate.



Channels tell you how many satellites a logger can get information from at one time. More than 3 or four is important to get a good location fix but , as there are only 24 GPS capable satellites orbiting the earth and only half those can be 'seen ' by a device at one point any more than twenty-four is OTT.



Memory is a very important thing to consider, as you may be on the road for a considerable time with some trips but again each 'log ' does not take up much memory. In fact 100,000 logs will probably take up a load less than 500MB of space.



So what price should you expect to pay it is dependent on whether or not the device is a standalone one and what other elements and functions it comes with.



If the device has multiple functions and comes with a screen and assorted mounts you could expect to pay between US$70 and US$140 depending on the functions and features.



If the device needs to be used with a laptop or something else then you can expect to pay between 30 and 50 dollars.



If you are always using your time in the great outdoors and uninterested in using a pencil and map to keep a record of where you have been check out GPS info loggers today. You will be happy that you probably did.




Make sure your global trail is always marked with the best GPS data loggers and other great GPS devices online. Visit Chinavasion.com or paste this URL into your browser: http://www.chinavasion.com/index.php/cName/electronic-gadgets-gps-gadgets/