Auto Gps System

While the concept and technology of Global Positioning Satellite systems was originally developed by the United States Department of Defense for military applications, it has recently been made available to the general public and now you can get an auto GPS system easily and quickly to keep you on track while traveling. An auto GPS system is becoming more and more common among consumers and can be found in many new vehicles as standard accessories.

An auto GPS system is essentially a GPS receiver that is mounted on the dashboard of the vehicle. You program in the destination you are headed for and the system will give you step by step directions – often audio directions. The days of awkward paper maps and arguing over whether or not men can ask for directions are over. Now, all you need is an auto GPS system and you are all set to travel wherever you like.

The auto GPS system gets its signal from four out of 24 possible satellites that are constantly orbiting the Earth. The receiver overlays this location data onto map files stored on the unit, to give a current position on the map as well previous track. The receiver constantly recalculates position, giving real time position. A typical auto GPS system contains:

* A 12-channel receiver - the quality of the receiver determines how long it takes the device to acquire a 3D fix. * Antenna to capture satellite signals - positioned to get a clear view of the sky. * CPU to process the data and overlay on maps * DVD Hard-drive - where maps on DVD's or available online are uploaded and stored. Some cheaper units do not upload the maps, but reference them off the DVD or CD. * Display Screen - mostly color with handheld units using black and white * Voice Interface - more advanced units

The first time you start your auto GPS system, its data store is blank so needs a to collect satellite information to determine your position. This is known as a cold start. Some units only take 30 to 45 seconds to acquire a 3D fix during a cold start, while others can take several minutes. Subsequent position uPDAtes only take 3 to 4 seconds. If you go out of range from losing line of sight, such as passing behind a large building or through a tunnel, a good receiver will instantly recover, whereas weaker units will require more time to reacquire a 3D fix.

Today, auto GPS systems are not as expensive as you think they might be. Some of the auto GPS systems can be found for under $200 and the more flashier devices will run you as much as $1,000. But there is no doubt that having an auto GPS system can certainly make life easier for everyone.

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