The technology behind the car GPS is both impressive and relatively simple to understand. Understanding how your car GPS works might help you to understand a little bit about how you better use your GPS. I know, this sounds like a line, but keep reading and at the very least you'll be able to sound like a smarty pants to your friends and really smart to your kids.
How a GPS finds out where it's at is an interesting process. A car GPS has to triangulate its location through the use of satellites. A GPS will send a signal or packet to several satellites in range. The satellite will return the favor. The round trip time for the packet from the GPS helps it to determine the distance from that particular satellite. Doing the same with several satellites at once helps the GPS determine its location.
Your GPS also has maps stored; a lot of them. All of these maps have exact coordinates on them. Once your GPS had established where it is on its internal map it will update accordingly. Your car GPS does this on the order of a few times a second in most cases. This is a very good thing because this will allow you to see where you are from moment to moment. More accurately this allows you to see where your GPS is at; the satellites don't really care where you are.
While not as common anymore, there have been some accidents related to usage of a car GPS. Nearly all of these have had to do with not updating the maps. Not updating your maps will cause all kinds of issues. Your GPS knows where the construction was as of the last time it was updated. In some cases that could have been months ago.
Updating your GPS maps is really not optional if you want a properly functioning GPS. Often when you plug your GPS into your computer via USB a prompt will come up asking you to update your GPS; do so. Not only will you find the best possible route to your destination, but firmware updates are also included. Without these firmware updates your GPS will most likely not communicate at its optimum capacity with the orbital satellites.
Downloading some novelty voices is also a very cool thing to do. You can find free voices and premium voices with most services. These can be well known celebrity voices ("Turna Right HERA! JA!") or just the latest greatest sexy robot voice. The choices are pretty varied.
Another function offered by most car GPS is the option to program in alerts form schools, bars, restaurants and rest stops. For those of us who have ever travelled with the family, the last one is very important. These options can be turned on and off. Some GPSs even come standard with software that helps you monitor your gas mileage. Handy!
Whatever you do, take care to always have a backup plan if something happens to your GPS or if you get bad information. A road atlas doesn't take up much room so if you do find yourself completely out of whack, you will at least have a general idea as to where you are at. Until next time, happy traveling!
How a GPS finds out where it's at is an interesting process. A car GPS has to triangulate its location through the use of satellites. A GPS will send a signal or packet to several satellites in range. The satellite will return the favor. The round trip time for the packet from the GPS helps it to determine the distance from that particular satellite. Doing the same with several satellites at once helps the GPS determine its location.
Your GPS also has maps stored; a lot of them. All of these maps have exact coordinates on them. Once your GPS had established where it is on its internal map it will update accordingly. Your car GPS does this on the order of a few times a second in most cases. This is a very good thing because this will allow you to see where you are from moment to moment. More accurately this allows you to see where your GPS is at; the satellites don't really care where you are.
While not as common anymore, there have been some accidents related to usage of a car GPS. Nearly all of these have had to do with not updating the maps. Not updating your maps will cause all kinds of issues. Your GPS knows where the construction was as of the last time it was updated. In some cases that could have been months ago.
Updating your GPS maps is really not optional if you want a properly functioning GPS. Often when you plug your GPS into your computer via USB a prompt will come up asking you to update your GPS; do so. Not only will you find the best possible route to your destination, but firmware updates are also included. Without these firmware updates your GPS will most likely not communicate at its optimum capacity with the orbital satellites.
Downloading some novelty voices is also a very cool thing to do. You can find free voices and premium voices with most services. These can be well known celebrity voices ("Turna Right HERA! JA!") or just the latest greatest sexy robot voice. The choices are pretty varied.
Another function offered by most car GPS is the option to program in alerts form schools, bars, restaurants and rest stops. For those of us who have ever travelled with the family, the last one is very important. These options can be turned on and off. Some GPSs even come standard with software that helps you monitor your gas mileage. Handy!
Whatever you do, take care to always have a backup plan if something happens to your GPS or if you get bad information. A road atlas doesn't take up much room so if you do find yourself completely out of whack, you will at least have a general idea as to where you are at. Until next time, happy traveling!
About the Author:
Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Garmin GPS Accessories which showcases reviews of some of the top accessories for your Garmin GPS system.
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