How to Mark Waypoints on a GPS

In terms of hand-held GPS units, a waypoint is a reference point used for navigation. Waypoints can be uploaded to a receiver from your computer or collected in the field. A typical recreational-grade GPS receiver can pinpoint your current location to within a few meters and store that location as a set of coordinates, including elevation. The procedure for marking a waypoint in the field is very similar for most GPS receivers -- Garmin and Magellan are the two most popular GPS brands.

Garmin GPSMap receivers

• 1

  Press and hold the Mark key until the Mark Waypoint screen appears.

• 2

  To change any of the default information for the waypoint, highlight the appropriate field, and press the Enter key to bring up the onscreen keyboard.

• 3

  Use the arrow and Enter keys to type the needed changes. Highlight OK, and press Enter.

Magellan eXplorist receivers

• 1

  Press Mark, then Enter to quick-mark your position using default information.

• 2

  Press Mark, then use the arrow keys to highlight fields you want to change in order to personalize waypoint information. Again, use the onscreen keyboard to change data fields. Unlike with GPSMap models, the eXplorist allows you to type a message to store with your waypoint, if desired.

• 3

  Use the arrow keys to highlight Save, then press Enter.