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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

What Makes the Discount Garmin Nuvi 760 so Useful?

By Selyna D.

One of the most exciting technologies on the market today is Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, and one of the standout receiver units is the discount Garmin nuvi 760 GPS. The main use for GPS units is to help users identify their precise location on the globe. GPS units can also help locate other points of interest and plot directions between two locations.

The GPS consists of satellites and receivers. The 24 satellites send signals to the receivers on the ground, which calculate their own locations (with an average accuracy of within 15 meters). To plot a two-dimensional location (latitude and longitude), the receiver needs to be able to read signals from three satellites. With the information from four or more satellites, a three-dimensional location can be determined.

The 24 satellites that make up the GPS were originally placed into orbit by the United States government to provide information supporting military operations around the globe. The government opened the system to civilian use (without cost) in the 1980s. Today companies sell a wide variety of GPS receivers that provide navigation. Many models, such as the discount Garmin nuvi 760 GPS, perform many other functions as well.

The satellites that make up the GPS make a complete orbit around the earth twice each day. Each travels a path that has been carefully plotted to enable the system to provide complete global coverage. While they travel, they send signals to the ground. The signals travel via a line of sight. This means that they can pass through things like glass and clouds, but not through solid objects like mountains or buildings.

The GPS receiver constantly picks up the signals sent by the satellites. It then compares the time it receives the signal to the time the signal was transmitted by a particular satellite. This tells the GPS receiver how far it is from the satellite. Knowing how fast the satellites are traveling (about 7,000 miles per hour), the receiver then calculates its position between itself and the three or more satellites.

Once the group of satellites and the receiver have calculated the receiver's precise location, they can also determine other things helpful to the user. These include the user's distance from their destination, time to destination, speed, and bearing. The discount Garmin nuvi 760 GPS is one receiver that can perform not only these functions, but others as well.

For 24 hours each day, the GPS satellites transmit their signals to the earth, regardless of the weather conditions. They are powered by solar panels and have battery packs for backup power when needed. As they travel in their orbit of approximately 12,000 miles above the earth, small rocket boosters attached to the satellites keep them on course.

Although the satellites function virtually all of the time, there are situations in which it is more difficult to read the signal or calculate position. In some of these situations?such as when a signal bounces off of buildings or rock formations the signal's travel time is affected. Another difficult situation is when the GPS receiver's clock does not show the same time as the satellite's atomic clocks. Both of these situations affect the accuracy of the location calculations.

The discount Garmin nuvi 760 GPS unit includes twelve channels that can read multiple satellite signals at the same time. This makes the unit highly accurate in pinpointing the user's location. The twelve channels also make it more likely that the receiver can retain signals in difficult environments like forests or cities with tall buildings.

GPS technology is certain to retain its popularity, and perhaps even to gain more popularity in the coming years. As the technology continues to evolve, GPS units will become more advanced as well, and new uses for it will be found. Stay tuned to see what happens next. - 21396

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