Use a Marine GPS
Marine GPS is a necessity on the water since there are no roads, signals, or light at night to guide the boater from one location to the other. Without GPS navigation, it would be quite difficult for the recreational boater to get from point A to point B without any issues.
Steps
- Install your GPS unit on your boat properly. There are two types of marine GPS units ones with internal antennas and units with external antennas. The GPS devices with internal antennas are used on smaller boats with no top or cover since the receiver is built into the unit and it needs direct line of site to the satellites providing the signal to the device. The second ones are the external antenna units. In those cases, make sure the antenna is installed on top of the hard cover of the vessel and it has direct line of site to the satellites. In addition, the external antenna needs to be wired back to your GPS console as well and connected to your GPS receiver as well.
- Familiarize yourself with your GPS device. Read the owner's manual of your device and get familiar with the particular model of GPS you own. Since the basic principals of operating a GPS are similar, there are differences between models how they function. Also reading the manual will educate you on the various terminologies that you may not understand otherwise.
- Ensure the proper map is installed on your device. The map is an essential component of the GPS device so we can visualize and see where our vessel is located. There are multiple types of charts or maps out there, however the important part is to select or install the map of the particular region you navigate in. Regional maps provide better details than world maps for example. So you need the detailed map to be able to see in detail where you exactly at.
- Know the basic functions of the GPS or Chartplotter device. Once everything is connected and the proper map is loaded on the unit now we are ready to navigate.
- The screen will show a boat or a triangle on the map that is your vessel in relation to the map. The device should show your GPS coordinates and a scale of distance as well for your information.
- Zoom in our out on the map by pushing the zoom in or out button on your device. The more you zoom in, the more specific details you get. However, your visibility of your surroundings is reduced so find a happy medium where you have enough details and you can see a few miles ahead as well.
- Move the cursor (boat or triangle) to the desired destination you want to navigate to and mark your destination. Most of today's GPS units will automatically calculate the distance and time based on your speed of your boat to the destination set. In addition, you will see a line to your destination and the GPS will advise you if you are on course or if you need to compensate your heading to get to the desired destination.
