GPS watches are capable of measuring your precise location on Earth. By picking up signals from the GPS satellite network a GPS watch can pinpoint your position and changes in your position to measure speed, pace, distance traveled and in some cases elevation above sea level.
When purchasing a GPS system, you must ensure it has the features you want. Many GPS systems only use GPS tracking for measuring speed, pace and distance NOT elevation as some consumers expect.
A GPS system that only measures speed, pace and distance is essentially 2 dimensional. It cannot measure elevation above sea level and usually these watches cannot record your route for viewing in a mapping application.
An example of 2 dimensional GPS is Timex's Ironman T5E691 (mens) T5E701 (ladies) Speed + Distance Watch. It can track current speed and distance traveled to a high degree of accuracy and it contains Timex's famous sports watch features, but these watches cannot measure elevation above sea level or make any other vertical calculations.
Many of Polar's and Suunto's running watches also use GPS only for speed and distance measurements, so if you are looking for a watch that utilizes GPS to it's full capacity, ensure you always read the fine-print and thoroughly research the product before making your purchase. You can also find a lot more information on GPS and other sports watches on our website.
If you only want basic speed and distance measurements, consider a watch with food pod capabilities. A foot pod is usually slightly cheaper than a GPS and calculates speed and distance quite accurately based on your leg turnover rate or cadence. It also does not suffer around tall buildings or in dense forrest. A GPS tends to produce less accurate readings when it does not have a clear, unobstructed view of the sky.
If you want elevation data, consider spending a little bit extra to purchase a watch that is capable of recording elevation and producing a route map. The older Garmin Forerunner watches like the 205 or 305 are becoming more affordable all the time and feature the superior SirFstarIII chipset, making it the equivalent of more modern watches. The Forerunner 305 and it's successor the 405 are the "bees knees" in terms of GPS capabilities and offer a wide range of sports watch features that should keep any athlete satisfied.
If, on the other hand you only want speed and distance, then consider a foot pod, or a cheaper GPS watch like the aforementioned Timex Ironman speed and distance watches T5E691 and T5E701, or a foot pod compatible watch like the new Polar RS300X sd.
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