Brighton Computer Club

Meeting Presentation
Dated: 13th January 2009

Topic: A GPS Navigator for Your Car

Presented by: Charlie LeBer

Who should have a GPS?

A navigationally challenged person
Men: They never ask for directions

What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense.
GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use.
GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS.

24 satellites and four spares orbit the earth in 6 orbital planes. They provide signals to GPS receivers and to Ground Stations. The Ground Stations send corrective signals to GPS receivers and your location is determined. It takes at least four satellite signals to get a fix on your location.

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Satellite in orbit

My GPS is from Tiger Direct. A Garmin Nuvi 350 costing $159.95, a refurbished unit. There are no replacement parts for most GPS units, not even the battery so refurbished GPS units usually are returns from the first owner because they did not like the unit.

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GPS Receiver with suction cup mount

Some Good Features to have…

Preloaded maps of U.S., Canada or where you will use it
Travel Kit: Language Guide, MP3 player, world clock, converters, and calculator
Text-to-Speech - unit prompts you to "Turn right on Main St" instead of "Turn right in 500 feet"
Audible and visual navigation instructions & warnings
Three dimensional mapping, or 2-D overhead view
12-volt power adapter cable for car, AC power cable, suction cup mount, USB for PC connectivity to download new maps and features.

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Some videos from U tube were shown.
If you have high-speed internet you can see two of them using these connectors:

YouTube Video 1

YouTube Video 2

A demo driving from Charlie's home to Vito's was given.

To find a place to dine, you can do choose Where to?

Then choose the type of food.

Then choose the restaurant.

You get this after choosing Vito's You follow the route and voice prompts given.

Some Questions from Members...

Could GPS units be banned in the future as they are a distraction while driving? Possibly. There is a safety setting where you can't change a GPS while you are driving.
Can a walker use a GPS unit? Yes, it can be set for a car, a bicycle or for walking. Some GPS units have a car finder feature. You set your GPS when you leave your car and can be directed back to it later.
Can it be any AC adapter or a dedicated one? It charges with 5 volts so it only needs a 5 volt charger. Better to buy one that charges different models within the same make.
The GPS comes with a suction cup windshield attachment that falls off occasionally. The LCD screen on the GPS cannot handle strong sunlight, if you have it on the windshield. A member suggested that you can buy a little "bean bag" and have the unit sit on it and it would keep it from moving. These bean bags maybe difficult to find and another member suggested that a bag used in microwaves for $2 can be used. Velcro was suggested but apparently that doesn't hold after awhile.
Do you need to purchase an "extended warranty" to get updates? Charlie went to the company website and was able to get updates. However, members found that maps are about a year out of date.
What happens if you get to a detour? If you do not make the required turn or if you run into construction it will recalibrate your route.
There are choices to select before going from one location to another. You can select highways, no gravel roads, fastest or shortest routes etc. You also can ask for overall directions rather than have turn by turn instructions. One member with an older Garmin unit thinks he is being given 'truck' routes. It was suggested he check the settings.
Have you heard about GPS systems being built into laptops? Yes, you can get a USB receiver for your laptop and mapping software.

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