Finding Your Way. Navigation Features Found In A GPS Watch

While GPS watches are predominantly targeted at runners and athletes, many people are seeking a GPS watch with the purpose of finding their way through the uncharted territory of an outdoor adventure in an area they've never vited before or for the simple security of back-tracking to their original locations in the unlikely event of getting lost.

The beauty of GPS is that it tracks your geographic position on earth and so is ideally suited in the role of navigation. Here's a brief glimpse at the range of features offered in GPS navigation watch systems:

Map View: Unlike larger hand-held consumer GPS devices, it is extremely awkward to supply a mapping view mode in a wrist watch, however Garmin and GlobalSat have tried and succeeded.

The Garmin Forerunner 305 and their more recently released 310XT are two GPS watches that offer quite adequate GPS navigation system and due to their larger screen sizes can accomodate a top-down 2D map view of your current position.

The GlobalSat GH 625 watches also pack the screen real estate to offer a map. Ironically the outdoors Suunto X10, which is designed primarily with GPS navigation in mind, doesn't have a map view as it's screen area is too small.

Other basic GPS navigation features include the ability to store your current location in memory (known as a waypoint) and then navigate to it later. Almost all navigation GPS's allow you to return to a configurable starting point in your journey. Most also feature a compass, although the ability to travel to waypoints makes the compass feature redundant.

A more advanced feature of GPS navigation watches is the ability to store routes. A route is essentially a path of waypoints that can be followed by a traveller. Watches like the Sunnto X10 GPS watch present you with your distance, direction and eta to the next waypoint along your route and allows you to create your routes in a computer package which can then be uploaded into the watch. The option of manually creating routes is provided too, allowing you to create a route of your course, rather than follow it.

Both Garmin GPS watches with navigation, the Suunto X10 and GlobalSat GH-625 let you export your data into computer software packages for viewing and analysis.

GPS Watches with navigation are useful for outdoor activities like hiking, bushwalking and mountain climbing. They can also be useful for sports like orienteering (as a training tool, obviously not for competitive use). They can be useful to runners who wish to know how far to the next location on their course, and of course for finding their way home again when they get lost!

The following watches feature some form of GPS navigation ability:

• Forerunner 205/305
• Forerunner 310XT
• Suunto X10
  
• Timex Bodylink "Trailrunner"

GPS Running Watches. The Best Running GPS Watches

The majority of GPS watches are targeted at runners. They can be used in other types of sport like cycling, skiing and rowing just as easily, but by far the biggest group of users of GPS watch systems are runners of all levels, which begs the question - especially if you are a runner yourself - just which is the best GPS running watch out there?

It's a good question and the answer will depenend on just what you are looking for specifically in a complete sports running watch.

These days, almost all running watch manufactures produce watches that support GPS. But the way they do this is what sets them apart. Probably the best advice I could give is to choose a watch system that you like and would use if you did not require GPS at all and then buy a GPS from that manufacturer.

But a lot depends on why you want GPS in the first place. If you just want a speed and distance system, then this advice is probably spot on, however if you want advanced features like the ability to record your courses and view them in software, then you might be better of with a watch like the Garmin Forerunner, which is specifically designed as a GPS watch, rather than a sports watch with GPS tacked on.

Anyhow here is a brief comparison of the leading running watch brands and how their GPs systems rate.

Garmin Forerunner

Garmin Forerunner offer the larget range of features in a GPS running watch by far. They are also, currently the most popular. The Garmin watches are one-piece GPS systems and feature nearly every feature a runner could require. On the negative side, they are not the most intuitive sports watch available, they offer a one-piece GPS system and due to this the watchpieces are quite bulky due to the requirement that the GPS aerial must be mounted within the wristwatch. They are over-kill if you are not prepared to take the time to learn all the features.

The most recently released Foreruners include:

• Forerunner 405CX
• Forerunner 310XT

Also look out for the older Forerunner 305 if you require routes, as the 310XT has dropped this feature.

Timex Bodylink (and new Global Trainer)

Timex GPS watches have up until now required you attach an external GPS device to your body. The device, which requires a AA batteries, links up to the GPS satellites and wirelessly transmit global positioning data to the Timex wristwatch.

Timex still offer a line of GPS watches known as speed and distance, although this line is being quickly phased out. The speed+distance watches offer 2D GPS tracking, so simply measure speed, pace distance and nothing else. Timex's more sophisticated (and more expensive) Bodylink watches deliver 3D GPS, so can present you with elevation data as well as flat line speed and distance. There is little ability to view courses in a3D may, however using the Timex data recorder (purchased seperately) with third party software can achieve this result.

To sum up, Timex GPS watches are generally easier and more intuitive to use than other sports watch GPS systems, but require you to attach an external device to your body and replace the batteries on a regular basis. Timex GPS watches offer you some neat benefits, but lack the full range of features delivered in the Garmin Forunner watches. If you already use and enjoy Timex watches then a Timex Bodylink watch can be a great buy.

Suunto Training Series

The Suunto Training Series is a collection of sophisticated running and fitness watches that feature four models, the t1c, t3c, t4c and t6c. The t1c does not support GPS, but the rest offer you the choice of using a 2D GPS add-on pod or a foot pod. Like the Timex GPS watches it is external and must be attached to the body. The Suunto Training Series watches should not be purchased for their GPS abilities alone, although the t6c does offer elevation features, but uses a built-in barometric altimeter for this rather than GPS. This is not a disadvantage as a barometeric altimeter is a more accurate way of measuring height than GPS, but unlike the Forerunner the t6c cannot record route maps that are viewable in software. The Suunto training series watches are a great choice for the fitness features based on their own merits.

Discover more about the Suunto Training Series watches here. Suunto Trainig Series.

Polar GPS Watches

Like the Suunto and Timex GPS watches, GPS in polar watches is a component that is added to their existing sports running watch and is worn externally from the wristwatch. Polar watches also support an accelerometer foot pod, which measures speed, pace and distance information accurately, and does not suffer signal obstruction like a GPS watch, but lacks route mapping.

Polar GPS watches come in two general varieties, the G1 GPS Sensor and G3 GPS sensor. The G1 GPS sensor simply measures speed and distance, but not route mapping or elevation data. The G3 GPS sensor does facilitate these extra features.

Both variations offer target zones. The Polar running watches that support GPS include:

• RS300X (G1)
• RS800CX (G3)

Many of Polar's general fitness watches support the G1 GPS sensor too.

The best general GPS running watch - or watches is currently the Garmin Forerunner, that is designed specifically as a GPS watch and pitched with runners in mind. The new Timex Global Trainer GPS watch might change that when it is released (it is due in early 2010). The best running GPS watch for your needs will probably depend on the other features you need and your price range. Best advice I can offer is to find a watch manufacturer you like that suits you and buy one of its GPS-enabled watches.

For more information you might also want to check out this article:

• Best Running Watch
  

Will the New Timex Global Trainer Be A Serious Rival of The Garmin Forerunner?

The New Timex Global Trainer watch looks a beauty, but can it rival the Garmin Forerunner as a serious contender for the best running GPS watch? Lets see...

First let me say that the new GPS watch from Timex has got me a bit excited. For it looks to be Timex's first ever one-piece GPS watch. Timex's current GPS watches, most notably the Bodylink series all use an external GPS device that attaches seperately to the body. While it is probably no big deal to clip the aerial device onto your shorts before heading off for a long run, it seems to me the routine could quickly grow old. Far better to just slap on a wrist watch and then be out the door to your favorite trail before you know it. But maybe this is just me being lazy!

Anyway that the new watch from Timex is self-contained bodes well for Timex as I would guess that it makes it a far more appealing option for buyers of the product. Now speaking of the product, as I write this post, it has not yet hit the market and in fact is scheduled to be sold exclusively on Amazon.com from February 2009 (according to the description on the Timex website) do they mean 2010? I have never seen this watch before, so I assume they do. So look out for this watch in February (or maybe it's already out and I just missed it).

The watch itself features a SiRFstarIII GPS receiver, meaning it will be as accurate as a Garmin as it is the same chipset. It offers the usual speed/pace/distance displayed in real time. Unlike the navigation features found in any existing Timex GPS watch, it can store 100 location waypoints in memory and 50 custom routes, meaning it looks like Timex have attempted to merge running watch features with basic GPS navigation. The Timex "Trailrunner" Bodylink watch did something similar, but far more limited.

Interestlingly the new Global Trainer has a four field customizable display that looks very similar to a Garmin Forerunner 305. So is it Timex's intention to compete directly with Garmin's 305 Forerunner? Maybe so. Performance training wise, this watch can store up to 20 workouts and up to 1000 lap times (the modern Forerunners have a 1000 lap capacity also). This watch features Interval and Countdown timers which are useful for timed interval sessions and can record calories, elapsed time and other performance dater on a per lap basis. The watch features a "performance pacer" which I assume is based on the "Finish Mode" feature in other Timex's. Like the bodylink, the new watch has hands-free operation including auto-start/stop/lap. There is a multisport even mode too (again like the Forerunner).

It seems the new Timex watches are starting to become more compatible with home PCs as well as the internet. This watch is compatible with both PC and Mac computers, presumably data is transfered via wireless ANT+ . The watch is also conveniently compatible with Timex heart rate monitors that use ANT+ as well as ANT+ based third party devices. The watch also seems to allow users to upload their data into Timex's relatively new online web portal.

The Global Trainer watch is cast in a 50 meter water resistant case and features menu driven navigation. Issues such as how much battery life the new watch has and exactly which timex sports watch features are included are unclear, but from what I have seen so far, it looks like Timex are on the verge of seriously stepping up it's next generation sports watches and we may even see the first serious rival to the Garmin Forerunner watches.

Related Links

Timex GPS Watches

Timex Global Trainer GPS Watch Page

GPS Watches. What's The Deal?

People who are not familiar with GPS watches might have heard about them and be curious. If you are a runner you will no doubt have heard people talk about their "Garmin Watches", but what is so special about the Garmin and this wonderful GPS watch gadget people keep talking about?

If you are talking about GPS running watches, then a GPS watch or the sacred "Garmin" can be explained simply as a running watch with a GPS receiver tacked on. The receiver allows an ordinary sports watch to link up with the GPS satellite system ("Global Positioning System" for those unfamiliar with the acronym) and thereby track their location on earth with a very high degree of precision. The advantage of a GPS watch if you are a runner is that a GPS-enabled watch can measure your speed, pace, calculate distance travelled, how high you have climbed and many more features that can be derived from knowing your position at any given time.

The Garmin is currently the best GPS running watch available and one of the only models that is designed specifically as a GPS watch. Other GPS watch systems tend to have a GPS aerial tacked onto an existing watch system. Commonly an external GPS device attaches to the user's body and transmits it's readings wirelessly to the wristwatch where all the number crunching is performed allowing you to view your speed, pace and distance.

Advanced GPS running watch systems tend to come bundled with a large number of features. Learning how to use a running GPS watch of this description can be a burden in itself. Some of the more useful GPS watch running features include.

• Speed/pace, distance display
• Auto pause/Auto resume/Auto Lap
  
• Distance and Pace Alerts
• Finishing Time Predictor (handy for races)
• Virtual Partner Feature
• And many more

Not all GPS sports watches are designed for runners however, many cater to adventurers and bushwalkers. The Suunto X10 is an example of an outdoor GPS watch. It features barometer, termomoeter, compass and all those cool features that are useful for the outdoors. While it can measure speed and distance too, it utilizes the GPS network more to track waypoints, allowing hikers to know exactly how to reach their destinations without fear of getting lost when in unknown terrain.

GPS watch systems may certainly seem weird and wonderful, but once you become familiar with one, you'll probably find yourself using it more and more. Especially if you are sport oriented. Eventually you will consider it part of your normal every day routine.

What is a GPS Watch?

GPS or "Global Positioning System" is an amazing technology that can determine a user's exact location on the planet. Only in recent time has GPS become as prevailant as it has featuring in mainstream consumer electronic devices. Less commonly seen is the use of GPS in wristwatches as watches tend to be slightly smaller than the average GPS aerial, making accomodating one in such a small space problematic.

Yet where there's a will there's a way and consumers have now improved their techniques to allow fully self-contained GPS watches that do not require any external arial devices.

The most popular use of GPS watches is for running and other sports where the wearer is moving. GPS offers athletes the advantage of very precise tracking of their position. By measuring suble postional changes, the wearer's horizontal speed can be accurately presented as can their distance. These advantages and the many features that are derived from them offer runners considerable benefits over traditional sports watches.

Yet speed and distance are just the beginning of what a GPS watches can offer its wearer. Many GPS watch units also offer navigational features, featuring the ability to store locations in memory (known as waypoints). GPS watches with navigation can ensure that you are never lost, making them the ideal foil for outdoor adventures and treks. Watches like the Garmin Forerunner 305 have merged both GPS sports features like speed and distance with navigation features. It is in fact one of the few GPS watches that can present your position on a top-down map.

While the advantages of a one-piece GPS system are numerous, the disadvantage is that these watches, by design must be a little heavier and bulkier than the average sized watch. This might be uncomfortable for women with smaller wrists who might find moving with a bulky gadget attached to their hand, uncomfortable and restrictive. Some makers of GPS watches offer the alternative setup of an external GPS aerial that attaches to your body and so operates independently of the wrist watch itself. Such units broadcast signals between device and watch wirelessly. With modern digital FM technology this can be done quite easily and without interfering with other devices.

Some may find this less comfortable and consider the extra weight of a one-piece GPS system far more tollerable. Others will not be perterbed by attaching a light-weight device to their upper arm. Either way delivers similar functionality and allows the wearer to appreciate the power that the Global Positioning System has to offer.