What Is A GPS Receiver?

A GPS system is comprised of several elements and one of them is the GPS receiver. This element is the one that we can mount on our vehicles and it is responsible for getting the signals emitted by satellites.

Then, it shows us where we are and how we can get to our destination. The GPS receiver consists of a little box that can be installed on the dashboard or applied to the windshield using a suction cup. We can read the signals transmitted by satellites on its screen, or we can listen to the instructions given by voice, if the GPS receiver has this option included.

There are twenty seven satellites orbiting the Earth all day and night. They are responsible, among other things, for Global Positioning System. Not all the twenty seven satellites are involved in sending and receiving messages to and from the GPS receiver. Actually, 24 of them work that way and the other three serve as back up in case of failures. The GPS receiver that is installed in a vehicle communicates with four of these satellites, whose job is to calculate the position of the car, based on the information that reaches them. This calculation is called trilateration and it is based on mathematical principles.

A short explanation tells us that trilateration consists of identifying three points around your car with the GPS receiver installed on it, and then communicating the position that is right in the middle of this triangle. If you ask how the three points are found, you must known that this is what the GPS receiver does. This is the device that identifies the points and then send them to the satellites. From there, it is their job to start the calculations and then return the information about the position of the car.

When you want to buy a GPS receiver, the first thing you need to know is that there are three types of GPS receivers. The most common one is the model that can be installed easily on any vehicle, due to its suction cup that can be removed and placed somewhere else with great ease. If you are more of a hiking enthusiasts then you will fall for a portable unit. This type of device can be carried on in hand and it can save you a lot of trouble when hiking in the woods. The last type is the tracking system, which is usually placed in a car without the driver knowing it. This GPS receiver is mostly used by law enforcement, but also by other people interested in knowing where their cars are.

We did not intend to get into scientific explanation about how a GPS receiver is supposed to work. But we sure wish that what you have just read convinced you of the new possibilities made available by this new technology. With a GPS receiver, your traveling becomes nothing but a breeze. You just have to enter the necessary input about your destination and then, just enjoy your driving!