Jeff Sanders
Garmin GPS Navigation Systems
http://www.GpsFrontier.com
04/05/09

GPS Navigation Systems have come a long way

Gps systems have come a long way since they were first designed for the US millitary. The first signal from NAVSTAR 1 was received on Feb. 22, 1978. NAVSTAR 1 was launched from [...]]]>

Jeff Sanders
Garmin GPS Navigation Systems
http://www.GpsFrontier.com
04/05/09

GPS Navigation Systems have come a long way

Gps systems have come a long way since they were first designed for the US millitary. The first signal from NAVSTAR 1 was received on Feb. 22, 1978. NAVSTAR 1 was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and was the first of 24 satellites that make up the Global Positioning System (GPS). The first generation of satellites that make up the Global Positioning Systems 24 satellites were launched between Feb. 22, 1978 and Oct. 9, 1985. Since it First became operational the Global Positioning Systems has revolutionized the way America goes to war and provides a GPS system in which the world relies on for precise navigation.

The Global Positioning System’s constellation of orbiting satellites is managed by the United States Air Force 50th Space Wing. The unit is the host wing at Schriever Air Force Base, located in east Colorado Springs, Colorado. They are responsible for tracking and maintaining the command and control, warning, navigational, and communications satellites for Air Force Space Command as well as the Global Positioning System satellites. Full Operational Capability was declared by NAVSTAR in April 1995 (NAVSTAR is an acronym for NAVigation Satellite Timing and Ranging, and is the official U.S. Government name given to the GPS satellite system).

The US government granted the Global Positioning System available for civilian use in the late 1980s and with no subscription fees or setup charges to use the GPS system the civilian GPS market exploded, especially in the last decade. A new generation of sophisticated GPS satellites are replacing the older satellites and there are now 34 GPS satellites in orbit that provide combat capability for military applications and aircraft navigation aids. Civilian applications include ATM’s, bank and stock market transactions as well as power grid management. Currently 31 of the 34 GPS satellites in orbit transmit navigation and timing signals to civilian and military users around the world.

Gps for civilian use

The civilian GPS system wasn’t always as it is today and the US military is still keeping the most accurate Global Positioning Systems available classified for national security. But GPS upgrades for two new civilian signals to enhanced user accuracy and reliability, particularly with respect to aviation safety were planned in 1998. Then on May 2, 2000 “Selective Availability” was discontinued as a result of the 1996 executive order, allowing users to receive a non-degraded GPS signal globally, and in 2004 QUALCOMM announced the successful tests of assisted GPS for mobile phones that led the way for the GPS aided cell phones that are widely used today.

In 2005, the first third generation GPS satellite was launched and began transmitting a second civilian signal for enhanced user performance. Then in September of 2007 the Air Force completed a four-phase transition of the Global Positioning Systems ground segment to it’s new Architecture Evolution Plan. The ground segment’s provide command and control of the satellites and generates the navigation message for satellites to broadcast to the users GPS device to calculate their earth’s position. The new Gps satellites include new high-powered, anti-jam military-code, along with other accuracy, reliability, and data integrity improvements for both civil and military users. This modernized version of the world’s greatest free utility was designed to ensure the US has the most precise and secure positioning, navigation and timing capability through 2030.

Europe and Russia develop their own GPS

In 2004 the United States signed an agreement with the European Community establishing cooperation with Europe’s planned Galileo system. Galileo is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that is currently being built by the European Union and is separate from but complimentary to the United States Global Positioning System. The European Union’s Galileo system should be operational by 2013. The European Community’s political aim is to provide an independent GPS system that the European nations can rely on in times of war or political disagreement, because both Russia or the USA could disable use of their national systems by others (through encryption).

The Russian GPS system GLONASS is a radio-based satellite navigation system that was developed by the former Soviet Union and now operated for the Russian government by the Russian Space Forces. Like the European GPS system the Russian GPS system also functions separate from but is complimentary to the United States Global Positioning System. Russia began launching satellites for their GPS system into space on October 12, 1982 and was completed in 1995. The system rapidly fell into disrepair fallowing the collapse of the Russian economy but in 2001 the Russian government began restoring the system with hopes of restoring global coverage by the end of 2009.

GPS Systems today

Depending on the GPS unit a GPS receiver only needs a signal from 3-4 satellites to calculate the units position and will work in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or set up fees like with a cell phone to operate GPS receivers and although some GPS receivers have extra features like real time traffic updates that will have a monthly charge, some GPS receivers like Garmins Nuvi “T” series come with free live traffic for the life of the unit. Today’s GPS is extremely accurate thanks to their parallel multi-channel design. Garmin’s 12 parallel channel receivers are very quick to lock onto satellites when first turned on and they maintain a strong lock even in dense foliage or city’s with tall buildings because they continuously track signals from up to 12 satellites at any given time. Even if a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver loses signals from 8 satellites at once it will still function properly.

WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) was developed by the Federal Aviation Administration to augment the Global Positioning System to improve its accuracy, integrity, and availability. WAAS was originally intended to enable aircraft to rely on GPS for all phases of flight, including the precision approach to airport’s within its coverage area. All though originally intended for aviation most GPS receivers today are WAAS-enabled including automotive, boating chartplotters and hand-held units. WAAS uses a network of ground based reference stations, in North America and Hawaii, to measure small variations in the GPS satellites’ signals. Measurements from these reference stations are routed to master stations and then they send correction messages to geostationary WAAS satellites. Those satellites then broadcast the correction messages back to Earth, where WAAS-enabled GPS receivers use the correction data while computing their positions to improve accuracy. WAAS enabled GPS receivers are accurate to within 3 meters and that make them the most accurate GPS receivers for civilian use on the market today. In fact a WAAS-enabled GPS receiver can even give you directions right down to the lane your car is traveling in (as long as the mapping program supports “lane assist” directions) and With no additional equipment or fees required to take advantage of WAAS-enabled GPS receivers they are becoming as common as cell phone’s.

Blue Tooth GPS devices are becoming more common these days as many people realize that they are a great technological combination with many practical applications. It is common today to find that almost every mobile phone comes with GPS. Before getting to know how such systems can benefit our lives, we should know more [...]]]>

Blue Tooth GPS devices are becoming more common these days as many people realize that they are a great technological combination with many practical applications. It is common today to find that almost every mobile phone comes with GPS. Before getting to know how such systems can benefit our lives, we should know more about the device and its benefits.

Blue Tooth was first invented by Ericsson, before it was generally accepted by other companies. It provides a way to connect and exchange information between personal devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs and PDAs over a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency. Even the new Nintendo Wii system also uses the technology.

Generally, it is a standard and communications protocol primarily designed for devices that require low power consumption and short range communication. These features enable Blue Tooth devices to be power efficient. Since it is a wireless technology, it allows devices to exchange information with each other without the need for messy and unwieldy wires.

It works in a way such that it allows other devices to transfer information with each other when they are in a specific range. The receiving power must be high enough in order for the exchange of information to take place. A Blue Tooth device can connect with another device only when it is within a range of 10 meters.

Basically, as long as devices have Blue Tooth technology installed in them, they do not have to be separately made compatible. For example, a Toshiba gadget with Blue Tooth can exchange information with a Sony gadget that has the technology built-in.

Now, GPS can also be integrated with Blue Tooth to create Blue Tooth GPS devices. Blue Tooth GPS allows users to communicate and share the correct information regarding their location of other location-specific information. Users can make use of the tracker systems to find their way should they get lost anywhere. This device is particularly useful for search parties, trekkers, mountaineers or other people who like outdoor activities.

With the combination of Blue Tooth and GPS, this technology is very useful for people who need to find their way, and also can help others if they meet with any unforeseen circumstances.

Blue Tooth GPS Receivers Have Many Applications

Blue Tooth GPS receivers are a by-product of the great combination of two interesting technologies. Devices with such receivers have recently become more popular and newer models are being introduced at a greater pace than before as users become more familiar with them. There are more people who can vouch for the usefulness of such receivers for various types of tasks. For the uninitiated, it might be a little challenging to select a suitable Blue Tooth GPS receiver. Fortunately, a lot of information is available on the Internet. You can do your research and due diligence before you purchase a receiver for yourself. You can either get information regarding specific models or comparisons between various models with information regarding functions, features and prices.

There are many different models of Blue Tooth GPS receivers. Listed below are some of the more popular models.

1) HAiCOM Bluetooth Slipper

This receiver is setup easily with a couple of buttons. This receiver allows you to receive satellite signals and send information to your portable PC devices without any wires. However if you are out hiking, you just have to attach it to your belt loop and if you are in the car, just set the receiver onto the back of the car and you can be assured that you can get good quality signals.

What is good about this receiver is that if there is problem with the power, the solar panel can be activated to provide additional power. The normal running time for this model is about 8 to 14 hours but with the solar panel, you are able to get an extra 12 hours only if you have adequate sunlight shining on it. What’s more, you can get the model for just under $50.

2) AVL Blue Tooth GPS Receiver

This model is very suitable for the urban jungle. It is able to scan 16 GPS channels simultaneously for up to 20 hours of normal use. It also contains a rechargeable battery system.

3) Globalsat BE-328 Blue Tooth GPS Receiver

This receiver is very popular as it has the best value for its price. It is universally compatible with any Bluetooth compliant serial interface and has a long battery life of 16 hours of continuous use. This device works as long it is within the range of 10 meters with another Bluetooth device. However, if it does not detect another Bluetooth device within 10 minutes, it will power down automatically thus saving your battery life. The conserved energy can be used to connect when there is a suitable Blue Tooth device nearby. In addition, you can have all the above functions in a Blue Tooth GPS receiver at an average price of about $100. Now that is great value for mone

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is now a very familiar tool in helping motorists to navigate but GPS has more uses than merely triangulating a position for direction finding, it can also be utilized to provide time and frequency information worldwide.

Developed by the United States military, GPS incorporates at least 24 communication satellites [...]]]>

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is now a very familiar tool in helping motorists to navigate but GPS has more uses than merely triangulating a position for direction finding, it can also be utilized to provide time and frequency information worldwide.

Developed by the United States military, GPS incorporates at least 24 communication satellites in high orbit, all of which contain precise timing equipment to enable the satellite to triangulate positions accurately.

However, each satellite’s highly accurate atomic clock timing reference can also be used by NTP (Network Time Protocol) servers to synchronise computer networks using the highly accurate GPS time as an external reference.

GPS is an ideal time and frequency source because it can provide highly accurate time anywhere in the world using relatively cheap components. Each GPS satellite transmits in two frequencies L2 for the military use and L1 for use by civilians transmitted at 1575 MHz, Low-cost GPS antennas and receivers are now widely available.

The radio signal transmitted by the satellite can pass through windows but can be blocked by buildings so the ideal location for a GPS antenna is on a rooftop with a good view of the sky. The more satellites it can receive from the better the signal. However, roof-mounted antennas can be prone to lighting strikes or other voltage surges so a suppressor is highly recommend to be installed inline on the GPS cable.

The cable between the GPS antenna and receiver is also critical. The maximum distance that a cable can run is normally only 20-30 metres but a high quality coax cable combined with a GPS amplifier placed in-line to boost the gain of the antenna can allow in excess of 100 metre cable runs.

A GPS receiver then decodes the GPS signal sent from the antenna to a computer readable protocol which can be utilised by most time servers and operating systems including, Windows, LINUX and UNIX.

The GPS receiver also outputs a precise pulse every second that GPS Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers and computer time servers may utilise to provide ultra-precise timing. The pulse-per-second timing on most receivers is accurate to within 0.001 of a second of UTC (Coordinated Universal Time or Temps Universel Coordonné)

GPS is ideal in providing NTP time servers or stand-alone computers with a highly accurate external reference for synchronisation. Even with relatively low cost equipment, accuracy of hundred nanoseconds (a nanosecond = a billionth of a second) can be reasonably achieved using GPS as an external reference.