The primary GPS terms(2)

ROUTE LEG is the straight line between two adjacent waypoints in a route.

GOTO is also among the best known GPS terms and probably the most used navigation method with a GPS receiver, because it is easily understood and executed. If you tell your companion that you will GOTO waypoint X, it will calculate the direction and distance from your actual location to the set of co-ordinates, represented by the indicated waypoint. Your GPS receiver is unable to know what obstacles, hazards or whatever, if any, there are between you and waypoint X, so it will guide you in a straight line to the indicated point. This is great on open water or in the air, but on land it is often not the best method.

BEARING: Once you told to which point you want to travel, your GPS will continuously calculate in which direction that point is situated, seen from your actual position. That direction is the bearing. If you navigate along a route, the bearing will be the direction to the NEXT waypoint in the route. If you do or can not travel in a straight line to the waypoint, the bearing will fluctuate all the time.

TURN: This GPS term indicates the difference between the direction you should travel in (BEARING) and the direction in which you are actually traveling (TRACK). An indication of ‘28L’ means that you should modify your actual direction of travel with 28° to the Left, if you wish to ever reach your point. In principle, when you have the reading of TURN on your navigation page, you don’t need the readings of those other two GPS terms BEARING and TRACK, but most people prefer reading these two.