GPS Sale - Online sales Digital Navigation Systems GPS: February 2007

GPS units let families find a way

Audubon Center offers kid-friendly adventures in sport of geocaching

Luke Jarrett began his treasure hunt with great enthusiasm. A GPS unit in hand, he punched in the first set of coordinates and initiated his journey.

His 4-year-old sister, Gabby, tagged along, sniffing a flower she found along the trail of Waimea Valley Audubon Center. She was more intrigued by the foliage than in searching for clues with her 8-year-old brother.

The Jarrett family was among a half-dozen who embarked on a journey last month -- "Lost: Family Edition" -- a treasure hunt using GPS units to find a series of hidden caches, each one offering clues to the next destination.

The sport of geocaching is growing in popularity and has been added to the list of the Audubon Center's programs.

A GPS unit, or Global Positioning System receiver, depends upon satellites to identify sites all over the planet. Most hand-held units have a 10- to 20-meter accuracy rate in directing users to a particular site, as long as skies are clear, explained Katie O'Neil, the center's education and outreach coordinator.

Families created a handle for each member and a name for the team, and used a logbook to record their finds. After they received a first set of coordinates, O'Neil helped them use their GPS units to figure out where to go -- and they were on their way.

When coordinates were tricky, extra clues were available. For example: "Look for the hale, or house, along the road that is covered in pili grass; once you find this look for a gazebo on the other side." An extra hint: "Head up into the gazebo and look around on the ground."

The extra clues allowed families to choose their own level of difficulty.

Participants enjoyed the outdoor experience for varying reasons. Eight-year-old Peter Takahashi was pleased that he learned how to use the GPS unit before his mom.

"Kids are used to computer games. They have an affinity for learning to use these kinds of devices," said his mother, Andrea Takahashi. "What made it most interesting was how easy it was to use and how applicable it was for everyday life."

Mark Jarrett -- Luke and Gabby's father -- enjoyed the quest. "We enjoyed how it was set up as a scavenger hunt. This was the first chance we had to use a GPS."

Their mother, Vilma, enjoyed the family time in peaceful surroundings. "It's so beautiful here, so lush and different."

Becky Mize has brought sons Harry, 2, Christopher, 4, and William, 6, to other Audubon activities. "The programs are well organized. Sometimes the little ones just dig in the dirt, but they learn a lot that way."

Many families were interested in obtaining their own GPS units for further exploration. O'Neil recommends hand-held mapping devices by Garmin that cost $100 or $150.

"In the park we actively use them all the time -- to mark a rare plant or spot in the botanical garden," she said.

Five-year-old Kevin Kamasaki -- whose handle was Zipper -- was on "Team Vikings" with his dad, Jeff. His response to the experience: "It was way funner than I thought it would be."

3D GPS Interface: It’s Like You’re Actually There

When running around with a typical GPS device, you may have noticed that you have to look up once in a while to avoid running into buildings and other physical objects. 3DLabs has solved this annoying issue with an interface that uses 3D buildings and skinned textures to help you navigate, as opposed to the featureless isometric view that most GPS devices provide.

New flavors of GPS units come out every week, but this sort of interface has a lot of potential. The one downside might be 3D data availability, but both Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth are offering skinned 3D models for an ever expanding catalog of cities. Since 3DLabs doesn’t make GPS units themselves (just the software and the chipset it runs on), it’s going to be up to others to decide what, if any, public data integration will be offered.

[ 3DLabs Press Release ] VIA [ NaviGadget ]

Buying a Satellite Navigation (Satnav) system for your car

Buying a Satellite Navigation (Satnav) system for your car.

What is SatNav?
SatNav is a system that comprises of 2 elements, a GPS data receiver and a CPU/display unit.The receiver gets information from orbiting GPS navigational satellites and communicates it to the CPU/display unit. This unit is then able to find its exact location on the planet by comparing signals from various satellites. The unit incorporates road maps of the area and places an indicator on the map showing where the car is on the maps

Features
The units allow you to plan a journey ahead of time and then the unit will guide you to you destination by displaying a map showing you where you are and the direction you should be heading. Most now have voice instructions so the unit will tell you, when you are approaching a junction, which turning you should take. The units are also capable of making real time adjustments to the route, this means that if you go the wrong way the until will recalculate the route to your destination taking into account the wrong turning you have just made.

Maps
The maps for the unit can be loaded for the different regions you visit, so they may have a map of the UK and another for country-region France and so on. Most modern unit have the maps stored on a removable memory cards like SD cards or similar memory card but some units read directly from a CD or DVD. The display can be set to show the conventional flat map view or the new 3D view that shows a view as if it was above you and looking forward. This view is very good and clear.

Traffic
Some units offer systems that will warn you of road works/traffic jams etc as they happen, and offer suggestion as to how to avoid them.

POI
Most units have POI's (Points of Interest) incorporated into them that will show things like garages, restaurants, historic sites, airport and ferries etc. You can also add your own POI's of your favourite places. One POI that is very popular is the location of all the speed camera and accident black spot locations.

Weather
Another feature that is becoming increasingly available is the weather for a location. The system will tell you the weather at a certain location on the map i.e. at that beach location you are planning to visit. When you want to plan a journey you will need to enter the start and end destination, this can be done in a number of ways, the city, street and house number. The street intersections, the post codes and a location chosen on the on screen map. The start can be done in the same way with the addition of the present location as the starting point (remember the unit knows where you are). There are then itinerary or way points, these allow you to program destinations along the way. Finally you are usually presented with choices of routes with choices like, Fastest Route, Shortest Route, Scenic Route, Avoid Motorways etc some have the choice to avoid toll charges.

Fitting
The units can be fitted into the car in a number of ways but the 2 most popular ways are with a mounting bracket that has a strong suction cup that sticks to the windscreen. The second way is a bracket that fixed to the cars air vents, this method can be very good but required a fixing for each type of car. The unit is then fitted to the brackets and adjusted to the best viewing angle.

There are dozens of systems available now with a variety of choices of the options available. You need to choose which of the above options are important to you and then choose the until that best suits you or suits you price range.

You can see a large variety of different units at different costs at my favourite comparison site www.wangled.co.uk just type in Mobile GPS

The preceding article may be freely reprinted provided:
1. The article is not edited or modified in any way
2. The source is credited: reprinted by permission of Wangled.co.uk

About the Author:
Paul Davies is a professional engineer and product reviewer, he submits articles on product guides and reviews. All his articles can be seen on the premium shopping comparison site www.wangled.co.uk

Submitted at: Content-Articles.com - WebSite Content and Article Directory

iTrackGPS Fleet Management Solutions

iTrackGPS is a GPS tracking system that helps you reduce costs and increase productivity with your fleet.For more info see us at www.itrackgps.com

GPS Vehicle Surveillance Equipment is Here to Help You!

Surveillance is not only a game of PI (private investigators) or the police. You can also have a surveillance gear (maybe not as sophisticated as wearable spy equipment or mini audio recorder measuring the size of your fingernail…) to keep tracking almost anyone you want. What I’m talking about here is GPS tracking system.

GPS tracking devices allow you to track your car or any other moving object, like boat, bike or even a plane. GPS trackers are even installed in some high-tech cell phones, which allow you to track a teenager or anyone who uses such a cell phone. However, the main use of a GPS tracking equipment is for vehicle surveillance.

How many times you’ve seen, heard, or maybe even experienced yourself how burglars steal a car right in the middle of the day. Such things happen every single day. And the worst part is that rarely do the police find the hijacked vehicle. So how can you protect yourself from such unpleasant “surprise”? That’s right, by using a GPS tracking system.

But first, let’s see where else GPS can be of good use.

GPS Can be Installed Anywhere

Such GPS tracking devices are very small; they can even fit into the palm of your hand. So you can easily attach them to the bicycle or a motorbike for instance.

These devices can be easily attached to the car as long as they’re magnetic. You could place one under the hood, in the back of your car or absolutely anywhere else you can think of. Moreover, these GPS trackers have waterproof casings, so you wouldn’t have to worry about the damage of such devices.

GPS systems are used in yachts or boats by the owners or renting companies. As long as these gadgets are weather and water-proof, they do a great job for tracking the boat. They’re very useful if you don’t want to get lost.

Handheld GPS trackers are very good if you like trips. If you go to a picnic and suddenly get lost, you can be rest-assured that you’ll find your way out, because these handheld GPS devices have easy to understand user interface and great mapping features.

GPS Data for Vehicle Surveillance

As mentioned earlier, the main area where a GPS system is mostly used- is for tracking vehicles. Such GPS devices are preferred by regular company owners or truck company owners.

Managers want to know who and when are abusing their cars. Because employees love to drive cars faster than they should. They love to drive the vehicle on weekends or holidays for other purposes than the work. So naturally, business owners want to track their employees and find out what’s going on with their cars. And they have great options at doing this.

Just listen:

Monitor the Speed of the Vehicle - If an employee is driving too fast, he’ll waste gasoline and ware tires off sooner that normally would. So a GPS tracker can help you in this situation easily. A GPS tracking system monitors the speed of the vehicle. Whenever the speed limit is exceeded, you get an alert and a report, so you’ll have a proof and know who exceeded the speed.
Know Where Your Car is at the Moment - Let’s say you’re just turned on your computer and you want to login to the central station to find out where your car (or cars) is at the moment. GPS lets you do that without any trouble. You login to the system and see exactly where your car is now.
Signal Update Interval - You can set the desired update frequency of the signal of your GPS device. For instance, if you don’t need to track your vehicles very often, you can set a frequency to 30 minutes. Otherwise, you can set it to 2 minutes and know where your car is precisely every 2 minutes.

GPS tracking system is very useful. Now only can it tell you where your car is located at the moment, it also tells you about the behavior of the person driving the car. Does he stop often near some burger restaurant? Does he take a break and spend some time in the bar? You’ll know everything.

About the Author:

Dan Crane, who specializes in security and surveillance industry, offers free tips and resources to car owners about GPS tracking systems. Additionally, you may find information about hidden cameras for home protection.

Submitted at: Content-Articles.com - WebSite Content and Article Directory

Track Your Position With Gps

When you are lost and you cannot find your way it is a good idea to have a GPS tracking system in your car, you will receive directions on how to get to the place you need to get to. Above the earth there are many satellites orbiting the earth that are continually communicating and providing information about where the vehicle is located on the earth. GPS or Global Positioning System tracks your location by interpreting the data received from 3 or more satellites. Since the invention of the cell phone, cell phone companies are able to help the authorities for many years by triangulated the position of someones cell phone by using there signal and the cell towers. Many cars and trucks are able to record the location and speed of the vehicle and is able to transmit this information back to the office.

There are many different types of GPS tracking systems, and many companies are manufacturing them. There are so many different kinds of handheld GPS systems, one kind has a built in radio which allows you to communicate with each other but also allows you see the position of all the other people on your screen, this is good for hikers to keep in contact with each other. The governmental agency (FCC) has instructed GPS system providers to help with 911 calls for those people who are lost and need to be traced and tracked. The GPS systems are so advanced now it allows the proper authorities to track locations for 911 emergency calls; this is only allowed when there is an emergency and will not be used on a daily basis. Many automobiles are being equipped with passive GPS tracking, these system will record the location and the drivers speed, this information can be used later on for statistical information. A vehicle's location is updated at intervals of between 2 - 15 minutes.

There are many types of GPS vehicle tracking; wireless passive, cellular and satellite systems that can track in a real time basis. When talking about a cellular based system, these systems transmit the vehicles information over a land network every 5 minutes.

GPS vehicle tracking systems are more affordable and more popular than ever before, but do you need one. Many business are starting to use GPS systems that track their vehicles so they know where each vehicles it. Many car manufactures are including these GPS systems in their cars and trucks. GPS tracking systems are used by businesses in the service, transportation and manufacturing industries.

There are other types of GPS or global positioning systems can help give you peace of mind in knowing when your pet has crossed outside the safety zone of the backyard, or somewhere in your neighborhood. Many pet tracker system use GPS technology to keep track of your pets, these devices are so small they are able to fit into the pets collar. GPS tracking system do cost more depending on the brand name, but the features and functionality are well worth it.

About the Author

David Marc Fishman is the owner of Priceriot. Priceriot is a new auction where prices drop as people shop for electronics. Ask an Expert how to do things via video.

GPS Vehicle Tracking & Theft

Millennium Plus Mobile Locating unit(MLU) GPS vehicle tracking device. Millennium Plus products and services allow you to monitor and control your vehicles remotely through a powerful combination of Global Positioning Satellite technology, and microbust technology. You can access the reporting and alert functions of Millennium Plus over the Internet, using any standard web browser or e-mail system 24/7.

Types Of GPS Devices

The Global Positioning System - or GPS - has transformed how the world finds its way. It's no secret that the popularity of GPS has made it a standard feature in many a car. But in truth there are quite a number of GPS devices that are used in today's modern society. What began as a government experiment and then a standard device used by the military, is now more popular than ever in civilian society.

When Russia launched Sputnik in the late 1950's we had our first glimpse into the role that satellites would play in our future. Those who were monitoring Sputnik found that they were able to pinpoint its location based on the radio waves it provided. The seeds of GPS were born.

In the 1960s the U.S. Navy began experimenting with the technology, using the positioning of six satellites to help missile-carrying Navy submarines pinpoint their location. But the Global Positioning System that we know today was designed and implemented by the United States Department of Defense; the first operational satellite was launched in 1978 and by the mid 1990s there were 24 satellites - all of which are still in operation today.

The byproduct of this new technology has been GPS devices, designed to harness the power of satellite navigation to offer the highest level of convenience. It seems as though every year more GPS devices hit the shelves and in so doing they become part of what's expected in society. The types of GPS devices are varied and your choice to use them depends largely on your frequency of need.

One of the more popular GPS devices is GPS mapping that allows you to visit any number of websites and enter any address in the world. If satellites have access to this area, you are immediately given a satellite picture showing the precise location you requested. For mapping trips, these GPS devices can take information downloaded from your computer and put it to use in your car, giving you detailed directions for the most expedient trip.

Another one of the more popular GPS devices is a GPS navigational unit. These units can either be mounted in your car or come in a portable system that you can transfer from vehicle to vehicle. Once a destination is entered into the GPS navigational system, it can literally walk you through your trip telling you where to turn and the time and distance relative to each portion of the drive. Some navigational units offer a feature whereby you can find restaurants, shopping, hospitals, and accommodations regardless of where you are; this can be incredibly useful when hunting services in a town with which you are unfamiliar.

GPS tracking, another of the GPS devices, allows you to track another person or thing. Many parents use GPS tracking in the cars of their teenage drivers. Others use this system to help protect precious items that are in danger of being stolen.

No matter which of the GPS devices you choose, you will no doubt find GPS to be an essential part of your life before long.

About the Author

For easy to understand, in depth information about gps visit our ezGuide 2 GPS.

STOP Auto Thieves NOW!!

Using GPS Vehicle Tracking to monitor new or teen drivers. Track your vehicle anytime 365 days, 24/7. Check your vehicle location, speed and direction with a photo view. Set a electronic fence which can alert you when your vehicle has crossed a predefined geographic boundary. Alarm reporting notifies you when your car alarm is activated. GPS vehicle tracking system, fleet management, auto theft, car security systems, car tracking, gps tracking technologies, new gps technology, auto alarm, auto security, gps, teen drivers, tracking, theft prevention, vehicle locating, vehicle location, vehicle management, vehicle recovery, vehicle tracking.

Vehicle Tracking System Sale

GPS Vehicle Surveillance Equipment is Here to Help You!

Monitor the Speed of the Vehicle - If an employee is driving too fast, he’ll waste gasoline and ware tires off sooner that normally would. So a GPS tracker can help you in this situation easily. A GPS tracking system monitors the speed of the vehicle. Whenever the speed limit is exceeded, you get an alert and a report, so you’ll have a proof and know who exceeded the speed.
Know Where Your Car is at the Moment - Let’s say you’re just turned on your computer and you want to login to the central station to find out where your car (or cars) is at the moment. GPS lets you do that without any trouble. You login to the system and see exactly where your car is now.
Signal Update Interval - You can set the desired update frequency of the signal of your GPS device. For instance, if you don’t need to track your vehicles very often, you can set a frequency to 30 minutes. Otherwise, you can set it to 2 minutes and know where your car is precisely every 2 minutes.

About the Author:

Submitted at: Content-Articles.com - WebSite Content and Article Directory

See: Sale on Car GPS System

Is it Time to Buy a GPS Device?

GPS stands for “Global Positioning System” which utilizes at least three satellites at any given time to help guide you to a destination. In case you’ve been in a dense fog over the past decade, these devices have gotten smaller and cheaper and very portable. So, why do you need one in the first place? Let’s ask a few questions to help you decide:

Do you ever travel to places and rent a car?
Do you ever need directions to a new restaurant or business meeting?
Do you have a new driver, like a teen, in the house?
Do you ever get lost while driving?
Do you ever need an alternate route because of construction, traffic, etc.
Do you ever need to know how to find the nearest bank, gas station, etc.?
Do you like really cool gadgets that are wireless? Me too!

Well, the newer GPS can help you with all those items and more. I researched the net before buying mine and have no stock or investment in the one I’m going to describe. You should chose your own to buy, but let me explain more about my choice. It’s called the Garmin Nuvi 360. The following is part of the online review by CNET.

“At 3.8 by 2.0 by 0.8 inches and 5.1 ounces, the Garmin Nüvi 360 is approximately the size of a deck of cards and is truly travel-friendly. But more amazing than its portability is how much Garmin crams into this handheld device. First, as we mentioned earlier, the Nüvi 360 comes with integrated Bluetooth, letting it act as a hands-free unit when paired with a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. Also new is Garmin Lock, an antitheft feature that disables the device until the user enters a four-digit PIN. Other goodies include preloaded maps of North America, a 3.5-inch touch screen, and an SD expansion slot. Its navigation features include voice-guided directions, a points-of-interest database, automatic routing, text-to-speech functionality, and an optional traffic receiver. Of course, the beauty of the Nüvi line is that the devices double as travel guides.”

That’s pretty cool, right? The guides will show you POI or Points of Interest like local museums, restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. It uses a touch screen and talks you to your destination with your choice of voices and accents. It has a really clear screen and you can place it on your lap or use an adapter to stick it to your windshield. It’s small enough to pack for any trip. The only downside is it does need to be charged if you don’t use the car power cord and it costs between $500 and $600. But you don’t have to subscribe to any additional services or websites and you can download the latest maps as they become available.

As I stated before, I don’t own stock in Garmin so I have no vested interest, other than I like this particular model. Other highly rated GPS devices are made by TomTom, Megellan, Lowrance, Navman. Alpine and Cobra. I obviously prefer the handheld because of easy transportability and the fact they contain their own internal antenna. You can do an Internet search on your own and visit your local electronics store like Best Buy to see for yourself. But I will bet that this will become one of your “must-have” tech toys and you will enjoy traveling even more.

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, "Pursuit of the Phoenix." His latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages" which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com Currently, he is the Marketing Director for http://www.thenurseschoice.com a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Hauser

See: Buy GPS Navigator

Choosing A Handheld GPS Unit

GPS Units used to be all the same. They were universal and somewhat bulky. However, as the need and demand for GPS technology has increased, the way GPS Units are made has changed significantly. Hikers, bikers, cross-country skiers, and all kinds of other individuals who travel across the wide, open country had a need for a GPS Unit that was easy to travel with, yet still worked in order to assist and prevent getting lost in unfamiliar locations.

Some people may not use handheld GPS Units for such practical purposes. Some people just like to have them on hand. Handheld GPS Units can help in an emergency. Besides, they look nice and make life much easier whenever you are traveling to any location. It may be you just want to purchase your GPS for looks, and that is ok. Whatever your motivation is, you can find an excellent handheld GPS Unit to suit your every need.

Adding a GPS to your Current Handheld Device

Depending on the type of handheld device you have, you may be able to upgrade so GPS technology is included. They make GPS information available to PDAs and even laptops. However, you can also purchase a handheld device with GPS functionality if you do not have one already. This is convenient since your GPS Unit now has multiple capabilities and functions.

For example, the GPS manufacturer Garmin makes several nice PDA models including the Garmin iQue M3 Pocket PC and GPS Navigator.

Getting Around with Handheld GPS Units

Getting around your town, city, or the country becomes easier with a handheld device. There are two main brands of handheld GPS Units. The first is Garmin and the second is Magellan. There are other, lesser-known brands, but these are the two major ones. These brands differ in functionality (Garmin uses WAAS), features, and capabilities.

Depending on where you are, the reception from the satellites sending the location to your handheld GPS Unit may be better or worse. Mountains, skyscrapers, and trees can all obstruct the satellite signal from sending to the GPS unit. This is partly why multiple satellites are used for each receiver. Of course, this can also mean your map image and directions are not as accurate.

The downside to Handheld GPS Units

If you live in, work in, or visit areas that do not allow for GPS signals to read correctly, then you may not want to waste your money on a handheld GPS Unit. However, most areas, even the busiest or most mountainous do allow for access in certain areas, so you will find this is often the least of your problems.

Another potential problem you may find with handheld GPS Units is their size. If you want to use a PDA GPS Unit, expect the GPS to take up the bulk of space on your PDA. You can get PDA's with additional space such as the Garmin iQue M3 Bundle w/2gb memory card as opposed to the Garmin iQue M3 Bundle w/1gb memory card.

Of course, you may decide that cutting corners on your PDA just is not worth it. You can keep your PDA with all of the programs you need. Then you can purchase a separate, handheld GPS Unit such as the Magellan eXplorist 500 le or the Garmin GPSMAP 60C.

These systems, while smaller than the portable GPS Units, are easier to transport. However, sacrificing size can be a problem. Often, maps, voice functionality, and other common features of portable GPS Units are considered add-ons for handheld GPS Units. You may be able to purchase the best handheld GPS Unit with all of the add-ons already attached, such as the Garmin GPSMAP 60. However, you will have to add at least one thing on. You are going to have to decide if purchasing a handheld, for this reason, is worth it.

The Benefits of Handheld GPS Units

Of course, the benefits do outweigh the annoyances when using a handheld GPS Unit. Depending on why you need a GPS receiver you may find that handheld units suit you better than a portable unit does.

There are many reasons you should buy a handheld GPS Unit. These reasons include:

· Easily upgradeable on a PDA · Able to work with many add-ons offering additional options after you purchase it · Easy to transport · Excellent for situations when you get lost or emergencies such as broken down cars (when you need to go for help) · Ability to transfer images & maps to and from laptops, PDAs, and more

Ultimately, whether you choose a handheld GPS Unit or a portable GPS Unit is up to you. However, just make sure you choose based on your needs and you simply cannot go wrong.

About the Author

Catherine Tower of Gottronics, is in charge of the research department, where she gathers information and reviews different portable GPS units, whether it be good or bad and stays up to date with all of the latest developments of the products.

Audubon Center offers kid-friendly adventures in sport of geocaching

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