Next year the greedy Department of Defense will lighten the country's wallet by $54 billion. What does that pile of money get you? Nada. The Marines won't pony up the keys to their new Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle, Nimitz-class carriers don't do weekend cruises, and the Apache Helicopter is completely off limits. Hey, we want more for our money.
Here's how to get some of that coin back: Tap into the Global Positioning System, developed by the military in the 1970s to improve weapons targeting. You don't need to put a small dictatorship in the crosshairs? No problem. GPS technology will keep you on track to your next business meeting, or get you back to base camp after a harrowing escape on Mt. Everest.
Hold It
The Garmin GPS III Plus is a complete navigation device in a featherweight 9-ounce package. It precisely plots your position on a built-in base map of the Americas, keeps track of your travels, and even shows your speed. Attach it to your dashboard and an arrow displayed on its screen will point you to your destination. If you already own a PDA, you can plug DeLorme's garish yellow Earthmate GPS receiver into your Windows CE or Palm device to check your coordinates anywhere in the world. And DeLorme's Solus Pro software lets you download a variety of maps to your handheld.
Going skiing? Besides a sunburn and a broken ankle, you usually don't have much to show for it—unless you rent the Axiom Sports Tracker, available at ski resorts like Vail and Copper Mountain. The Sports Tracker is a GPS receiver that you rent for the day and wear inside a jacket pocket while skiing. When you return the unit, data from your day on the slopes is downloaded and printed on a souvenir map, showing the routes you've skied—along with your total distance and top speed.
Search and Rescue
Skiing is too sissy? Garmin's beefy NavTalk mobile phone is a man's tool for serious outdoor adventuring—is it any coincidence that it weighs almost exactly as much as a can of Bud? We don't think so. We're talking old-school analog. We're talking serious waterproofing—plunge it in a mountain stream for half an hour and it'll come up asking for more. But more important, we're talking GPS. Garmin has essentially mated a mobile phone with the company's handheld GPS III. Lost on a remote hike? Check your coordinates, then phone home for a rescue operation.
Of course, there are better ways to get lost than staggering about in the mountains while secretly calculating the amount of meat on your hiking partner's bones. We suggest an urban adventure in the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S500. When your new wheels attract the attention of tasteful carjackers, a press of the SOS button will immediately contact a security company and give your coordinates—provided by the onboard GPS navigation system—and the car's description. In the event of a collision that's serious enough to deploy the car's airbags, the crash-secure system will automatically relay your information even if you can't talk.
Where Am I?
On those days you leave the S500 in the garage and head into the wild, the Casio Pathfinder PATGP-1 will put GPS power right on your wrist. The chunky timepiece pinpoints your precise location, stores landmarks, and even maps your coordinates on its screen. Here's one more wearable GPS device: The Pro Tech Portable Tracking Device and Bracelet Transmitter. This nonremovable ankle bracelet is worn by a parolee and tethered electronically to a small box; the box sends the offender's coordinates in real time to Johnny Law. Ah, the benefits of military spending.
How GPS Works
Twenty-four active GPS satellites orbit 11,000 nautical miles above the Earth. Each broadcasts a radio signal that includes its unique code, its orbital position, and the precise time.
A GPS receiver determines its own precise coordinates by comparing the time it takes for signals to arrive from three or more satellites, each of which is at a known position in space.
