While many sportsmen put away their gear during the winter months and patiently wait for spring to arrive, those
who enjoy winter activities don’t let the change of season greatly affect the time they spend outdoors. Gearing
up this season for outdoor pursuits requires a different approach - trading water skis for snow skis and hiking
boots for snowshoes - but one item that’s showing up year-round on equipment lists is a hand-held GPS receiver.Winter-sports
enthusiasts have been quick to embrace the benefits of these personal navigators that rely on satellite signals
to determine their location and position. Small, lightweight GPS receivers are just as handy for winter sports
as they are for fishing, boating and hiking. Here are a few examples of how GPS can enhance your favorite winter
activity.
The Blazer12 is easy to operate with a user-friendly menu that’s simple to learn. Dedicated GO TO, MARK, MENU
and NAV function keys let you save and name locations quickly and easily and return to them time after time. There
are two navigation screens that display your direction of travel, distance to destination, speed and time to go
on an easy-to-read backlit display. As you head for your destination, a steering arrow continuously points you
in the right direction. If you enjoy a variety of winter sports, don’t worry - the Blazer12 can store up to 100
of your favorite locations.
This winter as you plan your outdoor excursion be sure to add a GPS receiver to your
equipment list. It will add a new dimension to your favorite pastime.
Magellan's GSC 100 enables you to keep in touch with anyone, anywhere, anytime via e-mail messages sent over
the ORBCOMM satellite system.
It doesn’t matter where you are, staying in touch is affordable
If you’re an adventurer whose travels take you to the most remote parts of the world, there is good news and
bad news. The good news is no matter how far from civilization you are, the advent of satellite communication makes
it easy to stay in touch. The bad news is voice communication can be expensive. The new cellular phones alone cost
thousands of dollars, and air time is around $3 or more per minute.
However, if you have a need for anywhere-to-anywhere communication there is an affordable answer - the Magellan
GSC 100. At less than one-third the cost of newer cellular voice phone systems, the GSC 100 provides portable two-way
e-mail communication via ORBCOMM, the world’s first low-cost, low-Earth-orbit satellite system.
Whether you’re out on the open sea, enjoying a vacation anchored off some remote island or trekking through
Nepal, there’s no reason to be out of touch.
Here’s how the system works. The GSC 100 is small enough to fit in your hand, weighs 37 ounces and runs off
a rechargeable NiCad battery pack. It lets you send and receive text messages in an e-mail format to and from anywhere
in the world, including another GSC 100.
To send an e-mail, simply type a text message on the GSC 100, key in the destination e-mail address, and the
GSC 100 does the rest. Your message, called a GlobalGram, is transmitted up to the nearest ORBCOMM satellite and
then to a Gateway Earth Station. From there, the message is routed via landlines to the desired e-mail destination
or is transmitted to another GSC 100.
Messages are received in the reverse manner, with e-mail stored until the GSC 100 handset is activated and the
satellites queried for unread messages. The portable communicator will store up to 100 text messages. Simply push
a key and the Message Status will be displayed on its LCD screen. An e-mail style interface will let you create,
forward and delete messages using the alphanumeric backlit keypad.
Getting a message to someone using a GSC 100 is simple with the ORB2You message-dispatching service. Individuals
can dial a toll-free number and dictate their message to a dispatch center representative, who will then transmit
that message to the GSC 100. Similarly, a GSC 100 user can send a GlobalGram to the dispatch center for delivery
to the recipient via phone or facsimile.
The GSC 100 also features an integrated Magellan GPS receiver, letting you navigate to and communicate from
anywhere on Earth. With the GSC 100 you can go anywhere in the world and know your exact location. Once you’ve
saved that and other locations in memory, you can navigate between any of them and then communicate your position/location
information to any e-mail address in the world.
The GSC 100 sells for about $999 with some additional charges for sending and receiving messages. But for those
who play in the outdoors or whose job takes them to remote areas, the GSC 100 is affordable trip insurance.
And for those who prefer to get away from the crush of modern technology, the GSC 100 has one feature they’re
sure to like - it won’t interrupt your vacation unless you turn it on. So go ahead and head out into the world
knowing that you will always know exactly where you are and where you’re going. Once you’ve arrived, you have the
ability to let others know where you are and when you’re coming home - because with a GSC 100, you’ll never be
out of touch.
