How do GPS Receivers Work?
Today you can get a pocket-sized gadget for less than $100 that will tell you exactly where you are on Earth at any moment. As long as you have a GPS receiver and a clear view of the sky, you’ll never be lost again. In this article, we’ll find out how these handy guides pull off this amazing trick. As we’ll see, the Global Positioning System is vast, expensive and involves a lot of technical ingenuity, but the fundamental concepts at work are quite simple and intuitive.
Global Positioning System (GPS) Receivers use an interesting technique to keep people from getting lost. Not all GPS Receivers are equal, however. Some of the less expensive, “pocket” size GPS Receivers may have more difficulty telling you where you are when used in densely wooded areas for instance. However, most GPS Receivers can quite accurately keep one from getting lost, or help one find a way out if one is lost. GPS Receivers are patched into a system of 27 satellites orbiting Earth. They each have an electronic almanac which tells them where each satellite should be at any given time. They receive data from the satellites about where the receiver is located. The way this works is through a technique called three-dimensional trilateration. When a person attempts to find his or her location, the GPS receiver picks up signals from three or more of the closest satellites. Each satellite measures GPS Receivers as a distance from the satellite. With more measurements comes greater acc
Global Positioning System (GPS) Receivers use an interesting technique to keep people from getting lost. Not all GPS Receivers are equal, however. Some of the less expensive, “pocket?size GPS Receivers may have more difficulty telling you where you are when used in densely wooded areas for instance. However, most GPS Receivers can quite accurately keep one from getting lost, or help one find a way out if one is lost. GPS Receivers are patched into a system of 27 satellites orbiting Earth. They each have an electronic almanac which tells them where each satellite should be at any given time. They receive data from the satellites about where the receiver is located. The way this works is through a technique called three-dimensional trilateration. When a person attempts to find his or her location, the GPS receiver picks up signals from three or more of the closest satellites. Each satellite measures GPS Receivers as a distance from the satellite. With more measurements comes greater accu
GPS satellites are basically radio transmitters. Each satellite transmits its own unique radio signal back to earth, where it can be picked up by any GPS receiver. By measuring how long it takes for these signals to reach it, a GPS receiver can figure out how far away it is from the satellite sending the signal. By performing this task with 3 or more satellites simultaneously, a GPS receiver can determine its exact location through a process called triangulation. Why are GPS receivers useful? GPS receivers can tell you exactly where you are anywhere in the world, no matter what the conditions. They work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, almost anywhere. They work in whiteouts, dense fog, even on the ocean when you have no reference points. Perfomance is hampered only by overhead obstacles like dense tree cover, mountains or buildings that can block satellite signals (and newer models can handle many of these situations as well!). GPS receivers can help you figure out where your next cam
