GPS Tracking Solution - Basic GPS Receiver Features
A number of GPS receivers are on the market. Usually a GPS receiver with more features costs more. GPS manufacturers have done a pretty good job making user interfaces easy to use. After you know the basic concepts of GPS receivers and are familiar with a manufacturer’s user interface, a electronic tracker is usually as easy to use as a cellphone and easier to use than a personal computer.
Display and output
GPS receivers have three choices for information display or data output:
Monochrome LCD screen: Most GPS receivers have a monochrome liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.
Color screen: These are especially useful for displaying maps. Color screens usually have shorter battery lives than monochrome ones.
No screen: Some GPS receivers only transmit data through an expansion slot or a cable; a receiver with a cable is often called a mouse GPS receiver because it resembles a computer mouse. Such receivers are designed to interface with a laptop computer or PDA running special software. Figure 3-3 shows a DeLorme Earthmate GPS unit attached to a laptop. All GPS data is sent to the laptop and processed there with mapping software. A GPS receiver is shown on top of the laptop for comparison. Most GPS receivers that have screens can output data to a PC or PDA.
A GPS receiver’s screen size depends on the receiver’s size. Smaller, lighter models have small screens; larger units sport bigger screens. Generally, a bigger screen is easier to read. Different models of GPS receiver also have different pixel resolutions; the higher the screen resolution, the more crisp the display will be. For night use, all screens can be backlit.
Alarms
A GPS receiver alarm can transmit a tone or display a message when you approach a location that you specify. This feature can be especially useful when you’re trying to find a place and visibility is limited by darkness or inclement weather — or you’re busy doing something else and aren’t looking at the GPS receiver screen.
Built-in maps
Every GPS receiver has an information page that shows waypoints and tracks. The page is a simple map that plots travel and locations. It doesn’t show roads, geographic features, or man-made structures. Figure 3-4 shows two GPS receiver screens: simple location plotting on the left, and a more sophisticated, uploaded map on the right. Some GPS receivers have maps that show roads, rivers, cities, and other features on their screens. You can zoom in and out to show different levels of detail. The two types of map receivers are:
Basemap: These electronic tracking devices have a basemap loaded into read-only memory that contains roads, highways, water bodies, cities, airports, railroads, and interstate exits. Basemap GPS receivers aren’t expandable, and you can’t load more detailed maps to the unit to supplement the existing basemap.
Uploadable map: More detailed maps can be added to this type of unit (in either internal memory or an external memory card). You can install road maps, topographic maps, and nautical charts. Many of these maps also have built-in databases, so your GPS receiver can display restaurants, gas stations, or attractions near a certain location.
Refer to Figure 3-4 to see screens from a GPS receiver with a simple plot map and another GPS tracking device with an uploadable map. GPS receivers that display maps use proprietary map data from the manufacturer. That means you can’t load another manufacturer’s or software company’s maps into a GPS receiver. However, clever hackers reverse-engineered Garmin’s map format. Programs on the Internet can create and upload your own maps to Garmin GPS receivers; GPSmapper is popular. A handheld GPS receiver’s screen is only several inches across. The limitations of such a small display certainly don’t make the devices replacements for traditional paper maps.
Electronic compass
All GPS receivers can tell you which direction you’re heading — that is, as long as you’re moving. The minute you stop, the receiver stops acting as a compass. To address this limitation, some GPS receivers incorporate an electronic compass that doesn’t rely on the GPS satellites.
Operation
Like with an old-fashioned compass, you can stand still and see which direction your GPS receiver is pointing toward. The only difference is that you see a digital display onscreen instead of a floating needle. On some GPS receivers, you need to hold the unit flat and level for the compass to work correctly. Other models have a three-axis compass that allows the receiver to be tilted.
Paying attention to these factors can improve the performance and convenience of an electronic compass:
Magnetic fields: Metal objects, cars, and other GPS Tracking Device reduce the accuracy of any electronic or magnetic compass.
Battery life: Using an electronic compass can impact battery life. Some GPS receivers have settings that turn off the compass or only use it when the receiver can’t determine a direction from satellite data.
Display and output
GPS receivers have three choices for information display or data output:
Monochrome LCD screen: Most GPS receivers have a monochrome liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.
Color screen: These are especially useful for displaying maps. Color screens usually have shorter battery lives than monochrome ones.
No screen: Some GPS receivers only transmit data through an expansion slot or a cable; a receiver with a cable is often called a mouse GPS receiver because it resembles a computer mouse. Such receivers are designed to interface with a laptop computer or PDA running special software. Figure 3-3 shows a DeLorme Earthmate GPS unit attached to a laptop. All GPS data is sent to the laptop and processed there with mapping software. A GPS receiver is shown on top of the laptop for comparison. Most GPS receivers that have screens can output data to a PC or PDA.
A GPS receiver’s screen size depends on the receiver’s size. Smaller, lighter models have small screens; larger units sport bigger screens. Generally, a bigger screen is easier to read. Different models of GPS receiver also have different pixel resolutions; the higher the screen resolution, the more crisp the display will be. For night use, all screens can be backlit.
Alarms
A GPS receiver alarm can transmit a tone or display a message when you approach a location that you specify. This feature can be especially useful when you’re trying to find a place and visibility is limited by darkness or inclement weather — or you’re busy doing something else and aren’t looking at the GPS receiver screen.
Built-in maps
Every GPS receiver has an information page that shows waypoints and tracks. The page is a simple map that plots travel and locations. It doesn’t show roads, geographic features, or man-made structures. Figure 3-4 shows two GPS receiver screens: simple location plotting on the left, and a more sophisticated, uploaded map on the right. Some GPS receivers have maps that show roads, rivers, cities, and other features on their screens. You can zoom in and out to show different levels of detail. The two types of map receivers are:
Basemap: These electronic tracking devices have a basemap loaded into read-only memory that contains roads, highways, water bodies, cities, airports, railroads, and interstate exits. Basemap GPS receivers aren’t expandable, and you can’t load more detailed maps to the unit to supplement the existing basemap.
Uploadable map: More detailed maps can be added to this type of unit (in either internal memory or an external memory card). You can install road maps, topographic maps, and nautical charts. Many of these maps also have built-in databases, so your GPS receiver can display restaurants, gas stations, or attractions near a certain location.
Refer to Figure 3-4 to see screens from a GPS receiver with a simple plot map and another GPS tracking device with an uploadable map. GPS receivers that display maps use proprietary map data from the manufacturer. That means you can’t load another manufacturer’s or software company’s maps into a GPS receiver. However, clever hackers reverse-engineered Garmin’s map format. Programs on the Internet can create and upload your own maps to Garmin GPS receivers; GPSmapper is popular. A handheld GPS receiver’s screen is only several inches across. The limitations of such a small display certainly don’t make the devices replacements for traditional paper maps.
Electronic compass
All GPS receivers can tell you which direction you’re heading — that is, as long as you’re moving. The minute you stop, the receiver stops acting as a compass. To address this limitation, some GPS receivers incorporate an electronic compass that doesn’t rely on the GPS satellites.
Operation
Like with an old-fashioned compass, you can stand still and see which direction your GPS receiver is pointing toward. The only difference is that you see a digital display onscreen instead of a floating needle. On some GPS receivers, you need to hold the unit flat and level for the compass to work correctly. Other models have a three-axis compass that allows the receiver to be tilted.
Paying attention to these factors can improve the performance and convenience of an electronic compass:
Magnetic fields: Metal objects, cars, and other GPS Tracking Device reduce the accuracy of any electronic or magnetic compass.
Battery life: Using an electronic compass can impact battery life. Some GPS receivers have settings that turn off the compass or only use it when the receiver can’t determine a direction from satellite data.
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