The Tech we use.

We donate a Global Positioning System device to every troop we can.  It’s our mission.  These devices save lives, and here’s some more information.

Global Positioning System

Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite radio navigation system. It stores detailed maps that get you from one place to another and back again with ease. It tracks where you go and where you have been. It tracks your location to prevent getting lost.

How It Works

The GPS is a constellation of 27 orbiting satellites. It was initially designed as a military navigation system but was quickly opened to the public. The GPS receivers job is to find four of these satellites, configure the distance to each and relay the information back to calculate its own location.

Its Benefits

GPS units are portable, compact, lightweight and contain their own batteries. These units pinpoint your exact location in longitude and latitude. They can be used when its dark, foggy, or in any other situation. It shows what direction you need to go to get back on track.

We Recommend

The Lowrance iFinder H20. It’s water proof and sand proof. The average price for a Lowrance GPS unit is around $170.

GPS Chips

The maps on a GPS unit are stored on a chip. There are different chips available for different areas and without a chip the GPS unit will only give the basic outline of a location.

Middle East Chip

The Middle East chip will contain roads, road names, common landmarks, and everything else a soldier would need to navigate in the Middle East. It is crucial that our soldiers have a Middle East chip so that they can avoid bad areas and know how to escape from those areas.

Free Copies

Lowrance granted permission to the St. Cloud Gander Mountain store to copy the Middle East chip information for deployed troops only. The deployed troops only pay $7, the cost of a blank chip.