• How does GPS-Sport work?
• What differences between GPS-Sport and traditional orientiering?
• Why loading maps into gps-receiver or attaching gps-receiver to computer during competitions prohibited by GPS-Sport rules?
• Is GPS-Sport simple?
• What do I need to take part in the GPS-Sport competition?
• What gps-receiver I have to buy?
• I want to participate. When? Where?

    GPS-receives are capable of showing direction and distance to the point with given geographical coordinates. In GPS-Sport coordinates of each CP is stored in the spotsman's gps-receiver. Sportsman has to decide in what order he will run through CP's using information provided by gps-receiver. By the way sportsmen corrects the order and his path examining direction and distance to CP's.

    For locating CP's in GPS-Sport is used new technology that is prohibeted by the rules of traditional orientiering. Any sportsman has a map and gps-recever that he is using to locate CP's
    In GPS-Sport control points are not marked on map.
    The order of running through control points more often is free and is chosen by sportsman himself

    With preloaded map in the gps-receiver sportsman can see all control points and his location on the map. As a result, instead of harmonious combination of sharpness, skill of using paper map and sports qualities, competitions turn to struggle only on force and endurance that contradicts with main GPS-Sport principles.

    First, start and finish can be located in different places, that itself makes it problematic for sportsman to decide what order of control points is correct. Who ran "fox hunting", knows it.
    Second, control points count is above 7-10. Easily found correct order of running through control points will be possible only with marking all CP's on the paper map and keeping in mind relief. In fact it's important not only to solve search geometry, but also to choose a route most easily run through. Those who does not work with map can in example crross river near the bridge or run on a windbreak parallel to road.
    Third, GPS-receiver by its principles can show true direction only if you are moving (because of needing to compute direction by using coordinates of two points). It's easy to lost true direction to control points while standing and looking for something.
    Fourth, sportsmen have to consiber all aspects of propagation of gps-signal. The dense forest, hills or even a sportsman's body often represent an insuperable barrier to a signal going from the satellite. That's why it is important to keep tracking the GPS-signal while chosing a route. Advanced GPS user can consider the geometry of satellites in every point.

     Whether you run a distance, or pass it on a bicycle is recommended to have with yourself:

• A usual compass (on a rare case of GPS-receiver failure - the compass will help you to get out of the forest;
• A tablet for the map (so it is more convenient, map is not jammed and it is not necessary to hold it constantly in the hand - the tablet, usually, fastens to a wrist or a rudder of a bicycle);
• A marker for operative marks on the map;
• Clock for controlling the time of passage of a distance;
• Good strong sports footwear which at the same time is not a pity for wetting
• The big desire to win, and it, perhaps, the main thing!

     All depends on your financial opportunities and features you would like to see in your gps-receiver. Almost any GPS-navigator has the functions necessary for participation in GPS-Sport competitions!!!

    All info about GPS-sport competitions is here