How GPS Works
If you don’t know how GPS works, but need to purchase a GPS system, the Garmin Street Pilot C550 is one of the more accessible models on the market. This is especially true if you are purchasing a GPS unit that is mainly going to be used to navigate a car. A GPS unit like the C550 comes ready to go, so that you can literally take it out of the box, put it in your car and start navigating the roads. Although it doesn’t look like it, there is quite a bit a science and technology that supports a gadget like the Garmin Street Pilot C550. In order to understand what you are buying, it is important to learn how GPS works.
A GPS navigation system uses an integrated antenna to receive information from the Global Positioning System satellites that have been set up and are still maintained by the US government. These orbiting satellites send a signal to your GPS device that determines you car’s location. If you drive your car around tall buildings, mountains or other obstacles like rugged terrain or forests, this will interfere with the signal transmitted from the satellites and you may need to get an optional external antenna for your car.
To get a fix on your location and to track the movement of your car, the Garmin Street Pilot C550 will rely on receiving signals from at least three of the orbiting satellites. It may take a few minutes to lock onto the satellites, depending on how fast the antenna is able to pick up their signals. Once the Street Pilot C550 system has determined your longitude and latitude, it indicates your location on a map that is displayed on the unit’s screen.
The map on the screen comes from map-making companies who specialize in cartography. These companies create map databases by combining their own information with map data from government sources, municipal agencies, and satellites. Put together, this information creates a visual map on the screen of the Street Pilot C550 that shows your car’s position and direction of travel with a large arrow-shaped icon which is located on the map. Once you have your location and your destination entered into the computer, you are ready to drive.
Using a navigation system designed for a vehicle is easy when you have a pre-programmed system from a company like Garmin. This kind of touch-screen system automatically displays an onscreen keyboard that lets you enter your destination with the touch of a fingertip. It even has address searching capabilities. As you enter letters for an address, the system narrows down the possibilities so that you can find the place you are looking for quickly.
A built-in speaker calls out audible directions as you drive. Because the Street Pilot C550 has turn-by-turn voice directions, it lets you hear the name of each street on your route as you approach it. If you are preoccupied with driving and miss a turn, it will repeat an instruction and redirect your route. As well, if the voice directions become irritating, you can use the screen to look at the programmed route – just as long as you don’t do it while you are driving.
The Garmin Street Pilot C550 can also provide a close-up diagram of an upcoming intersection, with a large route arrow that shows your recommended path through it so that you don’t take the wrong exit at a highway junction.
If you don’t understand a GPS system right away, don’t get discouraged. There are websites and support services to help anyone learn how GPS works and how it can make driving possible without asking for directions.
Posted in General GPS Information
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