TexasKayakFisherman.com

It appears that if our units are 2010 or newer, or have been updated since that date, that we will be OK.

I haven't seen any other discussions about this Date or event, though.

https://www.komando.com/happening-now/5 ... uFmbef3pI4

Interesting. I thought this was going to be about the magnetic north pole moving rapidly and messing with gps navigation.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinander ... 3fcb37c052

richg99 wrote:It appears that if our units are 2010 or newer, or have been updated since that date, that we will be OK.

I haven't seen any other discussions about this Date or event, though.

https://www.komando.com/happening-now/5 ... uFmbef3pI4

Interesting. My handheld GPS is from 2005ish and I'm not sure if I've ever really updated it. Edit - Last software update release was Feb 2007. Hmm, may have to start looking for a new handheld GPS soon.

karstopo wrote:Interesting. I thought this was going to be about the magnetic north pole moving rapidly and messing with gps navigation.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinander ... 3fcb37c052

The shifting magnetic north does not impact GPS position or precision as GPS is, essentially, based on very accurate measurements of time. The shifting magnetic north will impact navigation by compass as the declination will need to be adjusted based on your location.

not totally off topic, the GPS in my buddy's GMC tells him the speed limit, which is very useful driving in far S. Texas.
(where traffic citations to foreigners are a county mainstay)

Neumie wrote:
The shifting magnetic north does not impact GPS position or precision as GPS is, essentially, based on very accurate measurements of time. The shifting magnetic north will impact navigation by compass as the declination will need to be adjusted based on your location.

I agree with this.. GPS will be unaffected.

Nothing in the article said the GPS re-configuration had anything to do with the magnetic field moving. They are two separate things.

Most of us will have nothing to worry about unless our units are older, but the re-config. will happen, as it does every 20 years.

hmmm

I still have a handheld Garmin receiver I bought in the mid 90s. It's not my primary but I use it on occasion. It survived the 1999 rollover without any patch, will be interesting to see if it survives this one. All my other receivers have been bought post-2010.

GPS is great, until it doesn’t work. The last time I really was in need of a navigational aid, the GPS failed. Evidently, they can’t find a signal in a heavy thunderstorm. Try being out in the gulf 15 miles in a massive thunderstorm with no reference point. However, we did have a compass and the compass does work rain or shine. The compass saved our bacon, you just have to remember to note what heading to take.

Definitely, whether you have a gps on board or not, have a compass and chart, and know how to use them.

And while it probably won’t be of a lot of practical use to a kayaker, if you have a larger boat and ever think you might do some offshore cruising, I encourage you to learn celestial navigation. Even a lot of blue water sailors these days rely on electronics and some basic dead reckoning skills, having a sextant aboard and knowing how to use it is a nice insurance policy, and there are inexpensive plastic sextants out there.

I personally don't like the distraction of electronics (except waterproof camera), and have used my compasses and charts since power boating with my dad in the 80s.
I pinpoint my location on a chart with the help of my Steiner Navigator binoculars - I also use them to plot a course, which I follow on my deck compass.
(also use them to find my friends, and see what they or other boats are up to)

The one place I can see an advantage to GPS is not getting lost in complex, twisty sloughs - setting waypoints for yourself to find your way out. Even at that, have done LHL many times with chart, compass and the binoculars to read far-off trail markers.
Another place GPS looks invaluable is BTB - finding reefs, and plotting your paddle home.