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▶ create, invent, or re-imagine nearly every com-
ponent to develop what would become the world’s
first handheld GPS device. At the time, there
weren’t even any long-lasting lithium batteries
to power these devices. Even the large commer-
cial GPS units had to be wired to an AC power
source. And there were no efficient LCD screens,
either. So the device Tuck envisioned would
need powerful processing chips that were also
power-efficient.
The vital parts were too expensive to make the
final product affordable, so Magellan developed
their own, starting with the antenna. They found
a company that could build one for $75, hundreds
less than what was available at the time. Next,
they began working with a high-performance chip
maker using a new technology called monolithic
microwave integrated circuit (MMIC). The chips
could run for hours without overheating and in a
wide-enough radio spectrum to capture satellite
signals. With those parts, Tuck and his team now
had their blueprint for a handheld receiver. By
1989, three years after the company’s founding,
Magellan launched its first device: the NAV 1000.
By the standards of today, it was giant—about
the size of large walkie-talkie. But back then, it
was magical. The 1.5-pound device was accurate to
within 328 feet—enough to be useful. The first units
were marketed to boaters, who usually worked from
simple maps. Incredibly, Tuck and the engineers
had been so successful at reducing power draw that
the whole thing ran off of six A A batteries, which
kept it going up to “a few hours.”
At $3,000, the device cost 10 times as much as
Tuck had hoped. Still, Magellan managed to sell
about 500 units the first year. That relative suc-
cess led to a boom in handheld GPS, creating an
entire industry around the technology. Garmin
launched shortly after. And by 1995, the United
States had a f leet of 24 satellites sending signals
down to countless handheld devices. With each
new satellite, GPS devices became more reliable
and accurate. When Garmin released its eTrex
receiver in 2000, it was accurate to 50 to 65 feet.
Now, just over 30 years since the NAV 1000 went
on sale, devices can pinpoint your position within
inches.
You might call it wish fulfillment for Tuck,
who died in 2017. His vision was for a device that
allowed anyone to find their location on the planet
quickly and easily. The tech his company pioneered
5 HANDHELD GPS DEVICES
THAT DO WHAT YOUR PHONE CAN’T
HIKING AND HUNTING
GARMIN ETREX
TOUCH 35 $300
Good for geocaching,
trekking, or hunting, the
Bluetooth-capable Touch
35 features a 2.6-inch color
touch screen, compass, altim-
eter, and 32GB memory card
for storing maps offline.BOATING AND FISHING
HUMMINBIRD
HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA SI
GPS G3 $700
Land your catch and return
to shore with this device,
which has a 7-inch screen,
over 10,000 lake and coastal
maps, and lets you see 125
feet below or to the sides of
your boat.OFF-ROADING
MAGELLAN TRX7 $500
The TRX7 is shock-resistant
and comes loaded with more
than 160,000 high-resolution
off-roading topo and base
maps. Audible directions,
real-time tracking, and off-
course notifications help you
find your way back to paved
roads at the end of the day.EMERGENCY COMMS
BIVYSTICK $349
In serious situations, grab the
Bivystick. It pairs with your
phone to send emergency
texts and to track your
location for hours—relying
on satellites instead of cell
tower, so you can use it any-
where. You buy credits and
pay for only what you need.CYCLING
WAHOO ELEMNT
ROAM $380
A full-color screen lets you
easily find and view routes.
And high contrast between
roads makes it easy to follow
directions. Plus, you can nav-
igate to a point on the map,
which not all cycling GPS
devices allow.COURTESYGARMIN;COURTESYHUMMINBIRD;^ COURTEYMAGELLAN;^ COURTESY^ BIVYSTICK;^ COURTEYWAHOO