The Age of the Global Positioning System (GPS)

For those of you that are over the age of 60 years old you probably remember the launch of the first satellite. The name of the satellite was Sputnik.The launch of Sputnik changed history. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik on October 4, 1957. Sputnik was about the size of a beach ball. Who would have ever dreamed the progress that has been made in satellite technology since that day in 1957.

A Global Positioning System (GPS) is a receiver that works by receiving radio signals from multiple satellites and calculating your position from the information received. The most important point is that a GPS is a receiving unit; it only receives information and does not transmit information to satellites. It is used by the military and general public alike. The days of having to rely on a map for directions are gone. For the general public it is giant step forward from the one dimensional and non interactive maps that so many people find difficult to read and follow. It is amazing how many different models and brands of GPS's are available to the public.

I just purchased my first GPS which amazed me with its functionality, especially providing verbal directions from point A to point B. I read the directions and was up and running in about 20 minutes. I purchased a mount which I positioned on the dashboard that holds the mounted GPS. I expectedly typed in my first location on the touch sensitive keyboard of the GPS and began my trek to my destination. The spoken directions and the picture of the road and actual direction the car should be traveling was absolutely wonderful. There is a colored line on the screen which depicts the correct direction of travel. When you veer off course you move off the colored line. If you drive in the wrong direction the GPS will recalculate the route and keep you on track.

Before acquiring a system, you'll want to look into how easy a system is to use. If you find a system too complicated to use, you'll never be able to operate it within your vehicle, especially when driving. Nothing is more dangerous than trying to program your GPS system wtih one hand on the steering wheel. Try to find one you can use easily and that can be programmed with just a few touches of the buttons. A GPS system with a big display is important, too. If you find that the display is too small or the directions too complicated, this won't be a user-friendly GPS system and you'll want to look for another one.

A GPS auto navigation system can provide you with all the information that you need in order to get to your destinations quickly and easily, with a minimum of fuss, and managing to avoid any traffic problems. Installed or handheld GPS's are great assets for your sanity!  http://www.placeforgps.com/