No one told me there would be math involved in hiking. That’s what I want to say when people try to convince me how cool it is to have a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. I just look at them and see all those numbers and glaze over. Jeff Block, electronics technology instructor at the University of Montana — Helena College of Technology, showed me a photo of a GPS readout.

“Tell me where that is,” he said.

I looked at it and all the numbers started floating off the readout screen and circling about. I had the same experience on the math portion of the SAT.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” I said.

“It’s the top of Granite Peak,” Block said.

And then it all became clear. Right there in large numbers 12,833 feet — the elevation of Montana’s highest mountain. Oh, wait, that’s not right. The elevation of Granite Peak is officially 12,799 feet. That’s, let’s see, 34 feet higher than it’s supposed to be. But what’s a few feet when you’re on the rooftop of Montana. Altitude is the least accurate of what a GPS receiver can measure, Block says.

So if you hike, to say, the top of Granite Peak a GPS unit can not only help you find your way, it can measure the distance from where you started, determine your elevation, average the speed it took you to get there, and many other things depending on the complexity of the GPS model you’re using.

Analogy:

A GPS receiver is to hiking as:

a. A compass is to a map

b. An altimeter is to a climber

c. A watch is to a lollygagger

d. All of the above

Block explained that GPS basically works on triangulation and the distance you are from a satellite. There are about 24 satellites circling the earth that the U.S. military started launching in 1978. That’s, let’s see, 28 years ago. Each satellite lasts about 10 years and replacements are continually being launched to replace the old ones. The satellites help determine position, velocity and time.

Starting in the 1980s, GPS became available for public use and since then nonmilitary people have discovered many ways to incorporate GPS technology into their own recreational and navigational needs. From geocaching to hunting, having a GPS comes in handy. Most hand-held GPS receivers are no bigger than a walkie-talkie and fit easily into pockets and backpacks.

Word problem

If a new satellite were being launched from Cape Canaveral at a velocity of 1,746 mph and an old satellite were falling to the face of the earth at 1,699 mph directly over Palm Beach, at what point would the two satellites meet?

a. Somewhere over Space Mountain

b. More information is necessary

c. Never, because Bruce Willis would save the day

d. This is a trick question

Rob Yaw, Block’s fellow HCT electronics technology instructor, says that GPS is a great tool for safety reasons. He likes to tell the story about two snowmobilers in the Elkhorns.

“One guy crashed inside a deep ravine and ended up with a compound fracture to his leg,” Yaw said. “There were two other guys. One had a cell phone; the other had a GPS. They had a rescue crew there in 20 minutes.”

Yaw explained that the guy with the GPS was able to determine the exact location of the accident and the guy with the cell phone was able to communicate that exact location to the emergency responders.

Reading

comprehension

If you’re headed to the backcountry, something you should always bring along with you is:

a. A GPS

b. A cell phone

c. Traveling companions

d. Matches, water, first-aid kit, map and compass

e. All of the above

Darlene Edge, a land conservation specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and a GPS and map and compass instructor with FWP’s Becoming an Outdoor Woman program, used her GPS to relocate an elk she harvested last year.

“I knew it would be hard to get back to, so I GPSed where it was down,” she said. “The next day I went out with some friends to help me. When we were close to where I thought it was, I turned on my GPS it showed that it was 323 feet in that direction. Sure enough that’s where it was.”

Edge says it’s the terminology that can be intimidating for GPS newbies.

“Waypoints, datums, coordinate systems — once you learn that stuff, the rest of it’s easy,” Edge said.

But GPS technology does have its limits — battery life, water, complexity. Edge said that a GPS should be used as a complement to a map and compass.

“Map and compass is about as old as the dirt,” she said. “Map and compass is it. If you don’t have that skill, you shouldn’t be outdoors. They’re a necessity. A GPS is an additional tool that can make life easy if you know ho to use it.”

Vocabulary

The meaning of datum is:

a. noun: a point, line, or surface used as a reference, as in surveying, mapping, or geology.

b. verb: to take someone out to dinner and a movie

c. noun: The way a person with a cold pronounces the name “Tatum”

d. noun: A character on “Star Trek: the Next Generation

Damon Peters leans over a display case at Montana Outdoor Sports, where he has worked for about four years. The case contains a few GPS choices, but Peters says most of the GPS purchases are made through special orders through the store.

“There are so many different ones out there,” Peters said. “We try to cater to what people want to use them for.”

Peters said he’s sold them to hunters, boaters, anglers, surveyors and ranchers who want to locate certain landmarks like mining claims on their property.

“More and more people are buying them for general uses,” he said. “It makes navigating easier for everybody.”

The cheapest GPS receiver available at Montana Outdoor Sports runs about $80. And the pricier they get the more bells and whistles they have.

“Some of them you can type in an address and find a McDonald’s in downtown Dallas,” Peters said.

Problem solving

If Peggy puts away $10 a week into her piggy bank, how long will it take for her to save enough for a GPS receiver?

a. Eight weeks

b. Longer if she wants a GPS that can tell her where to find a McDonald’s in Texas

c. It depends whether or not she’d rather have a new pair of hiking boots instead

d. Maybe she should take a class before deciding

HCT to offer GPS training class

The University of Montana — Helena College of Technology will offer a one-day workshop in GPS navigation on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Donaldson Building, Room 213. The class will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an hour break for lunch. Cost for the class is $75.

The class will cover the following:

- Basic map reading skills

- How the GPS system works

- How to read degree, minute, and seconds (DMS) coordinates

- How to read universal transverse mercator (UTM) coordinates

- How to locate your present location (anywhere in the world)

- How to locate a destination from data in a map

- How to find a location in the real world with data from a map

- Any specific or special needs will be addressed as needed

This course is designed to give basic skills in all of these areas. This is a hands-on course with some of the training taking place outside (please dress appropriately). A few GPS receivers are available for student use — or you can bring your own (best option). Some driving and walking can be expected.

The class size is limited to 16 students. For information and registration contact Jeff Block at 439-0428 or Pamela Olsen 439-1659.