How to choose a good tourist navigator

Immediately warned that the text you will not find the names of manufacturers and device-specific names. Every year on the market there are dozens of new gadgets, while seeking to be removed from production, so this article will quickly lose relevance. We also offer a focus on common issues and find out what to do to look for when choosing a GPS-navigator for walking or cycling.

Why do we need a navigator in the march

Yes, in the past well do without them. And still sometimes found tourists of the old school, who use only a paper map and a compass. But progress does not stand still, and such people are becoming less and less, because even the most inveterate conservative, sooner or later comes the GPS in the campaign needs.

Use the navigator to easily solve the following important tasks:

1. In preparation for the march routes and designated essential points (springs, park, place of interest).
2. During GPS-navigator campaign allows you to define the current location and precisely pursue.
3. After the hike, you can view the saved track to analyze your mistakes, recall the details or share the route with friends.
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Navigator or smartphone?

Now in all the smartphones have GPS support system. In addition, there are a huge number of navigation software that allows mobile phones to solutions listed in the preceding paragraph. Therefore, many young tourists are tempted to save money on buying a navigator.

This can be done only in case, if you are going on a picnic or in a short easy hike around his garden. But in challenging long journeys through sparsely populated areas still can not do without a special tourist navigator. And that's why:

1. GPS-navigator has an enviable stock of vitality, while conventional smartphones are not very suitable for harsh environments. Rain, frost, sand, sun, falling rocks easily withdraw your mobile phone is out of order, and you will be without navigation.
2. Most tourist navigators use replaceable batteries, so you can easily calculate and take a sufficient number of batteries to fly the route or to purchase them if necessary along the way.
3. Navigator is designed for only one - to determine the location. In this regard, it is much more convenient to use than a smartphone - a device that combines a lot of different opportunities.

I do not want to deny that, and smart phones have a number of attractive qualities. Due to the abundance of software, you will not be limited to only those cards which support is provided by the manufacturer of GPS-navigator. Sometimes you may need to contact someone, especially in extreme situations. Many tourists even in the campaigns do not want to deny yourself the pleasure to read a book or listen to your favorite music.

And because you can draw the following conclusions:

1. In the rather complex travels through sparsely populated areas GPS-navigator is needed primarily because of its reliability and autonomy.
2. Smartphone in this case, can only play a supporting role, that is used for hedging and for additional functions.

What to look for when choosing a tourist navigator

GPS-navigator, as any high-tech device has a mass different characteristics, but they are not all equally important. Sometimes the manufacturer draws attention of the buyer on a bright, but not the desired function (for example, the presence of the thermometer) to distract from other, much more important qualities.

Mark

I recommend to choose products only those producers who have long been working and earned credibility in this area. Maybe - you never know? - from the browser will depend on your life and health, so put aside experimentation and savings.

Strength and immunity to external influences

Be sure to pay attention to this issue. In the campaign sometimes quite extreme conditions, so to gadgets need specific requirements.

autonomy

This will affect a lot. Some manufacturers tend to hit the users a large touch screen, a loud sound signals and powerful processors, but modestly silent, that all this greatly increases the appetite device. So look for a reasonable compromise between the technical twists and battery life, preferring the latter.

Card, cards,

Travel Navigators can be sold both with built-in maps, and without them. In the latter case it is important to find out whether the download and use of custom maps available, including raster. If the manufacturer has locked this feature, you have to separately buy "branded" cards, which over time, the cost may exceed the cost of the device itself.

Compatible with PC

Prepare the route you will be on your computer. And there you will be downloading a song after a hike. So make sure your navigator have interfaces that are compatible with your PC. hobbies times proprietary connectors is almost gone, but still need to pay attention to this issue.

Design, usability, management

These parameters are quite difficult to assess the pictures on the internet, but they also have a value. Try to find a gadget that looks like you and which is convenient to handle with one hand.

Specifications

Navigator must have a powerful processor to quickly scale maps, and sufficient memory capacity to store them. However, most modern devices to easily cope with such tasks, so you can not focus on this aspect.

And that is not worth paying attention

The modern GPS-navigators manufacturers often inserted a number of additional functions. Some models are thus transformed into a multifunctional harvesters equipped with barometer, altimeter, thermometer, camera, wireless interfaces, function Autoroute, area measurement, and other achievements of engineering thoughts.

Do we need all these bells and whistles in the tourist campaign? Most likely no. There is about the same situation as when buying Multivarki, who knows how to cook three hundred dishes: looks tempting, but in practice very few people need. Therefore, we should not overestimate the presence of additional functions. Much more important to focus on how GPS-navigator performs its main purpose.