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Need an excellent intro to GPS ? Recommend Basic Essentials Using GPS by Bruce Grubbs (2nd edition). Though its a Falcon Guide, this book is straight forward and a highly informative book on GPS. It also includes a section on obtaining coordinates (UTM's and Lats and Longs.) from hard copy maps. Picked up a copy at Sportsman Warehouse for $12.

"Though it's a Falcon Guide"?? Do you not like Falcon Guides? If not, why not, just out of curiosity? I have a bunch of them, and this GPS one sounds good too. The one for the Grand Canyon is far better than other guidebooks for the areas it covers, although it doesn't cover all areas. I have an idea for one--am thinking of writing about 1/4 of one, submitting it to see if they would be interested. (I suppose if they are not interested I could then submit to other publishers.)

I realize a lot of people just do not like guidebooks at all. For one thing some of the writers have exposed routes to Anasazi ruins and other sites that should be protected. I myself collect them--mostly Arizona ones--and enjoy reading them. I once read Betty Leavengood's "Hiker's Guide to the Santa Rita Mountains" while I was sick with flu and very high fever. It was strange, delirious as I was, to be hiking in the Santa Ritas via a book! I really felt as though I was there! I later met her, told her the story, got her to sign that book for me!

More on topic, does the book tell how to play GPS tag? It's a fun game we play with our youth group, Apache Rescue Team. You do need two-way radios, also. Several small teams of two or three people, each with a GPS, notebook and radio. The "it" team hikes out into the brush, after 10 minutes calls in its UTM position, waits two minutes, then moves. Calls in its position every 5 minutes or so, then moves again each time. The other teams enter positions into GPS, try to find the "it" team. You need an area that's easy to hike around in, but with lots of bushes, such as pinon-juniper woods. It's really fun!

I'd be interested in a book specifically about UTM. I know how to use a GPS and a map and compass with the traditional lat and long coordinate system. I'm also pretty good with township and range, but I would really like to learn more about UTM and most books seem to only touch on the subject, even most of the military navigation books don't o into much detail about it.

Any ideas anyone?

Look to search and rescue organizations on the use of UTM as they use it all the time when doing grid searches. Very accurate and easy to use. But you will need Lat/Long to tell the helicopter where you are or where you want them to be. Don't expect the helicopter crew to be experienced in translating UTM to Lat/Long or Lat/Long to UTM. Know your GPS well if your going to depend upon it in a life or death situation.

azbackpackr wrote:"Though it's a Falcon Guide"?? Do you not like Falcon Guides? If not, why not, just out of curiosity? I have a bunch of them, and this GPS one sounds good too. The one for the Grand Canyon is far better than other guidebooks for the areas it covers, although it doesn't cover all areas. I have an idea for one--am thinking of writing about 1/4 of one, submitting it to see if they would be interested. (I suppose if they are not interested I could then submit to other publishers.)

I think the problem w/ Falcon guidebooks is that their standards are low. Some books are excellent (Hiking Ruins Seldom Seen is a good example), but many of their guidebooks are filled w/ vague, unhelpful descriptions. In some cases, the books are so undescriptive they are downright dangerous. For example, Hiking Arizona has a description for Woods Creek canyon, with no mention made of frigid pools you must swim, and a season of spring to fall.

Also, another difference is that falcon guidebooks seem utilitarian. Like they are just attempts to cash in. There are some non-Falcon guidebooks where you can tell it was a labor of love by someone consumed by hiking in a certain area. You could almost sit down and read these guidebooks like a novel, as you did with the Santa Rita guidebook. Falcon guidebooks seem very dry and sterile in comparision to these guidebooks. A really good example of this is Falcon's Hiking Arizona's Superstition and Mazatzal Country as compared to Hiker's Guide to the Superstition Wilderness.