Handheld GPS Tracking http://www.handheldgpstracking.com Never Get Lost Again Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:52:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 en The Precision of GPS http://www.handheldgpstracking.com/the-precision-of-gps/ http://www.handheldgpstracking.com/the-precision-of-gps/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:52:00 +0000 admin http://www.handheldgpstracking.com/?p=3 A typical hand-held GPS receiver calculates position by using the signals from at least four or more Satellites. In order to work properly, four satellites are needed to insure a very accurate local time and position. In other words, the hand-held GPS uses four measurements to solve for four variables: x, y, z, and t.

Every satellite sends signals that travel at the speed of light through outer space, and slightly slower through the atmosphere. The hand-held device then uses the arrival time of the signal to compute the distance to each satellite, from which it determines the position of the receiver using geometry and trigonometry.

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