Understanding How GPS Works

Customer Review: map updates, sound, battery and repeat
hello, i wantto talk about 4 different points. 1. be ready to pay more on updating maps which are already at least 1 year old. 2. you might experience hardware problem like loosing sound. i can get the sound by doing configuration/diagnostic/audio test. if i try to change the sound level, i loose it all. 3. i wish it has internal battery so i can carry it around. 4. repeat the last comment is somethign you should have in any kind of gps. it is great if you miss something or if you did not understant what was told.
Customer Review: Piece of Junk
I bought my Magellan about a 1 ½ years ago, initially it worked great. Eventually it could no do a locate so I called the help center in (India) they were no help what so ever all they wanted is to have me send it back and pay the standard $175.00 fee to fix it. Eventually it started working again hummm weird, now the sound goes out I keep doing the diagnostic check and it will work and with in 5 minuets it will be out and you have to do it over and over again and now they want another $175.00 just to look at it sounds pretty fishy too me. My sister has one as well hers went out right at the one year mark and they again want to charge $175.00. Sounds like they have a lack of customer satisfaction skills. When it works it works great but once the problems start they don't stop you will certainly spend more fixing it than you pay for it.



GPS is very common place today, yet many of us don't even understand how it works. In fact, a lot of people don't even know what GPS stands for, all they know is how to use it. The term GPS refers to a technology that is also known as Global Positioning System. GPS has become more and more refined over the years, providing consumers with the ability to get from point A to point B much more easily than they had in the past. In fact, paper maps are quickly becoming obsolete.

The Way GPS Works

All GPS units work using the same technology. GPS units get all of their data from orbiting satellites and information about time and position is transmitted from these satellites to the GPS unit. These satellites can communicate with units on the land, in the air, and on the sea. These units are able to calculate where they are located at any one time based on the information that they receive from the satellites. Theoretically, GPS systems can work all around the world.

Of course, for the GPS unit to work as accurately as possible the unit must be able to have a direct line of sight to at least three satellites in the sky. Many people have found that if they are camping, hiking, or driving in an area where they are in deep canyons or surrounded by rock that it becomes very difficult to get a signal, and so the GPS unit may not work at all or it may not work as well as one would think. On the flip side, if you are in the line of sight of more than three satellites the GPS unit will be very accurate, often able to place you within 15 to 20 feet of your actual location!

Many people believe that to make the most of the GPS technology they have to buy the most expensive unit on the market, but this is not necessarily true. All of the units use the same technology, the more expensive units usually just have more bells and whistles such as more user friendly interfaces and touch screen displays. You can buy a very basic GPS unit that will get you around town and on your short trips without a hitch, but if you need a GPS unit that will help you with complicated routes you may want to go with something more costly.