oh... I can feel the steam rising from certain luddites on the forum about this one! I don't see any harm at all in having a sealed GPS in your bum-bag for use in emergencies. If the clag comes in sometimes even the most experienced navigators can become disorientated and having the fall back of being about to switch on a GPS unit a see exactly where you are quickly could be the difference between someone getting off the hill quickly or wandering around trying to find a compass bearing, getting hypothermia and MR getting a shout that could have been prevented. We have the technology why not use it?
In what way? The distance to target bit or the ease of selecting the next bearing? I recced the route, selected the bearings, put them in, and followed because it was misty. I have done the same thing with a compas before by dialling in pre determined bearings and that worked just as well as a GPS compas - is that cheating or just good planning?
What is worrying is that people with no navigational skills will upload the route and depend on that to find their way around the course and when it breaks or the battery runs down they will be screwed.
I read some race details somewhere recently that said you could carry a GPS for emergency use, but it had to be sealed by the organiser at registration. If you broke the seal you got disqualified. Seemed fair enough. You could seal it in the same bag as your PLB.
There's an awful lot of people running round with Garmin 305's on in races these days..... (Me included, although I haven't figured out how to use it to navigate with! )
I have sussed the compas bit out and find it great, but following an uploaded route seems more bother than it's worth (on the 305 anyway) but I haven't wasted much time figuring it out as I don't intend using it. I just enjoy looking at the spikey graphs when I get back
The electronic compas emulation is just that, a big thick arrow pointing the way and a distance countdown. No other map info displayed. I guess all devices vary but that's how I set mine up for the checkpoints.
I can forsee an end to the use of traditional map and compas though in years to come, it's bound to happen and will be another art form lost.
I don't think so - in order to get a master's license for shipping you have to have proficiency in the following:
Celestial Navigation Ability to use celestial bodies to determine the ship's position
Terrestrial and Coastal Navigation
Ability to determine the ship's position by use of:
.1 landmarks
.2 aids to navigation, including lighthouses, beacons and buoys
.3 dead reckoning, taking into account winds, tides, currents and estimated speed
Thorough knowledge of and ability to use navigational charts and publications, such as sailing directions, tide tables, notices to mariners, radio navigational warnings and ships' routeing information
Basically a ship's captain or master has to be able to navigate without any electronic aids. I don't see that requirement being dropped any time soon.
On land, well it's a different matter, but batteries have a habit of packing up when least expected or wanted. Also there are always going to be some form of maps for administrative purposes.
No its not cheating. Its quicker, IMO, to use a map, but its a navigational aid. I've never carried a GPS on a fell race, and now rarely bother at any time, but they have their uses. I'm sure a race organiser would prefer you to get around a course safely with one, that spend hours lost without one.
I still think over half of runners could not relocate themselves if they found themselves, lost on compex or featureless terrain. Most would run around blindly, form groups, and eventually meet someone who knows the way.