GPS Tracker Primer
Soon GPS will become almost as basic as the telephone, or more likely included with every phone handset. GPS can calculate positions accurate to a matter of. In fact, incredibly with advanced equipment you can make measurements to less than a centimeter!
It’s just like assigning every square meter on the planet a unique address. GPS receivers have become very economical as they have been miniaturized to just a few integrated circuits. These days GPS is becoming integrated into cars, boats, planes, construction equipment, movie making gear, farm machinery, laptop computers and especially mobile phones.
Tracking cell phones is a active topic getting a lot of interest. A lot of the discussion surrounding cell tracking, cell phone GPS and mobile phone tracker software applications would be more meaningful with a GPS Satellite primer and glossary.
GPS is an acronym for Global Positioning System. GPS satellites broadcast signals from medium earth orbit that GPS receivers use to calculate three-dimensional location (latitude, longitude, and altitude) plus precise time. The GPS network is made up of 3 main segments: Space Segment, Control Segment and User Segment.
The GPS Space Segment is composed of twenty-four to thirty-two satellites that orbit the earth in medium earth orbit MEO. These satellites are referred to as the GPS Constellation, and they make an orbit twice a day. They are not geosynchronous, they travel at over 7,000 mph. They are solar powered but have battery reserve for when they are in the earth’s shadow. They are positioned so that there are at least 4 satellites ‘visible’ from any point on earth. Small rocket boosters on each satellite keep them properly positioned. The satellites last about ten years until all their fuel runs out.
GPS Satellites are not communications satellites. Geostationary or communications satellites are at a much higher orbit of about 22,300 miles above the equator. These satellites are used for weather forecasting, satellite TV, satellite radio and most other types of global communications. At exactly 22,000 miles above the equator, the earth’s force of gravity and centrifugal forces are canceled and are in equilibrium. This is the ideal location to place a stationary satellite. The earth rotates at about 1,000 miles an hour, and because of their high earth orbit the geostationary satellites need to travel at about 7,000 mph to keep position. This is approximately the same speed as GPS satellites, but since stationary satellites are 10,000 miles further away they don’t move relative to the earth.
The GPS Control Segment includes Master Control Station, an Alternate Master Control Station, and numerous dedicated and shared Ground Antennas and Monitor Stations that work together to ensure the satellites are working to specification and the information they beam down to earth is accurate.
The GPS User Segment made up of of GPS receivers taking the shape of mobile phones and , laptops, in-car navigation devices and hand-held tracking units along with the people that use them, and the software programs that make them function.
GPS receivers calculate location by precisely timing the signals transmitted by GPS satellites. This data includes the time the message was transmitted, precise orbital information (the ephemeris), and the general system health and rough orbits of all GPS satellites (the almanac).
Consider that there is a basic difference between cell phone GPS Tracking and GPS Navigation. GPS mobile phone tracking is usually associated with a third-party maintaining records of either real-time or historical mobile phone position, while Navigation deals with the smartphone user figuring out how to get from point A to point B. Neither use works without some kind of third-party software program.
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Global Satellite System Frequently Asked Questions
Why does GPS receiver only work outside?
GPS satellites are orbiting to be sure that from any point on earth there are a minimum four satellites in site at any given time. Even though the satellites use radio signals, the signal needs a clear of site to the receiver. Once the GPS satellite drops behind the horizon, or a building, or even heavy cloud cover, the radio signal may not reach the receiver.
What do the satellites do?
The GPS satellites are broadcasting the time. Both the satellite and the GPS receiver use atomic clocks for extreme accuracy. By comparing the difference between the time given by the satellite and the time in the GPS receiver, it can calculate the distance between it and the satellite.
How does the GPS satellite know where it is?
The satellites keep location stored inside in calculated tables. But they can deviate off course over time. To correct this, the satellite communicates with fixed reference stations positioned around the globe. Each time it touches base with the ground stations, the satellite adjusts its internal position tables.
Does a GPS receiver send information back to the satellite?
No, they don’t do that. GPS equipped mobile phones will send data but not to the satellite.
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