How GPS receivers work

This model of a car comes with a GPS. Up to date GPS technology for this truck is already installed! Do these sound familiar from auto ads? You will even hear ads for GPS installed in phones! The GPS is a new rage that are very handy to have for various reasons. Understanding how the GPS receivers work makes these gadgets all the more fun!

First, the technical term for a GPS is Global Positioning System. See why it is so much easier to refer to them as a GPS?

There are lots of satellites up in the air. They are floating all around the Earth. The majority of them the US government put up there for defense and military purposes. The beams from these satellites are what the GPS receiver uses.

So what exactly does a GPS do? Well it lets you find landmarks. You can tell a receiver that you want to go to the grocery store. Depending on the type of GPS receiver you have, you can then find the grocery store. So it's like an electronic map.

Everything is mapped by longitude and latitude lines that you learned about in school. You find out where the two lines intersect or come together and put that address in the GPS receiver. The GPS uses the satellites to find out where you are. It then tells you the most direct way of getting to the address.

Another thing that GPS does is lets you know exactly where you are. The technical jargon is it that the GPS and satellites triangulate together to come up with your location. In simple terms it gives you the address of your location at all times. So, if you want to mark a place; you go to the place; the GPS grabs the address and you save it.

If you have a GPS receiver in your phone you can push a special button. The phone should then call 911 and give your exact GPS address. If you are in the woods or lost this is an excellent service. The GPS address will let the 911 people know exactly where you are without you having to say in the middle of the woods.

GPS is the simple name for Global Positioning System. Using a GPS receiver you can tell exactly where you are positioned at all times. The accuracy varies depending on the type of receiver. They are very popular in autos and cell phones. Many people use them for hiking. You can mark a spot. If you hike, you can pull up the saved spot and follow your GPS out of the woods. Emergency people can find you if you are lost or on the highway broken down. The GPS triangulates and finds your position.