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Global Positioning Systems, or GPS, are fast becoming one of the most in-demand technologies of the past few years. Formerly used only by the military, GPS are now common in cars and trucks. The system uses orbital satellites that send microwave signals to the GPS receivers, which translate that information into its location. GPS device use has significantly increased in the fields of realty, sales and delivery service. There's little use for bulky, awkward maps and atlases when one can merely enter an address into their GPS and have the device direct them to their destination. It can even tell you how long it will take to arrive at your goal! Parents can track their children, police can locate stolen cars and hikers will never lose their way thanks to the GPS. There have been many instances of people stranded in snowstorms or other natural disasters who were rescued thanks to the GPS devices in their cell phones. GPS have recreational uses, too. Geocaching, the modern-day form of letter-boxing, uses GPS to hide items in obscure places for other geocachers to find using hints and coordinates. Once the cache is found the searchers take the item that's in the cache and leave one of their own. Geocaching is increasing in popularity, with many websites springing up and flourishing, thanks to the availability of GPS devices. Owning a GPS used to be quite costly but prices now range from less than $100 or as much as $500 depending on the brand you decide to buy. The most popular models provide verbal directions to the destination that's been programmed into it. One of the advantages of such a device is safer driving. There are four types of GPS devices available now, the most basic being hand help without mapping. These are usually the size of your tv remote control and have a small two inch screen that can be a bit difficult to read sometimes because of its size. They are less expensive than other kinds of GPS and easy to learn to use. They don't, however, have a map database so you would need to know how to read and plot map coordinates. The other hand held GPS has mapping, that is, it has a base map and is capable of downloading a variety of different maps. Their size and light weight make them ideal for hikers or bicyclists but they do require batteries. Vehicle Mount GPS are used not only in cars and trucks but also in boats, planes and just about anywhere you need to install such a device. They're small but easier to read than the handheld systems and they use the vehicle's battery for power. The main disadvantage to a vehicle mounted GPS is lack of portability. Finally, you can install a GPS into your PDA or laptop by purchasing an antenna and GPS software. This means you have the advantages of GPS navigation with more memory at your disposal than in the handheld versions. The screen is larger and easier to read, too.
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GPS, GPS Tracking, GPS Tracking Devices,
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