Buyer's Guides
How do they work?
The clue's in the name. Satnav systems function by working out their place on Earth using several different satellites at once.
As each satellite is in a different position, this allows the device in your car to work out your location through triangulation.
Bet you didn't think those map-reading courses in the boy scouts would ever make sense? Well, satnav works on the same principles. The satnav in your car has an aerial that receives the signals from the satellites.
As each satellite is in a different position, this allows the device in your car to work out your location through triangulation.
Bet you didn't think those map-reading courses in the boy scouts would ever make sense? Well, satnav works on the same principles. The satnav in your car has an aerial that receives the signals from the satellites.
Satellite navigations systems are also referred to as GPS (global positioning satellite). This is just a fancy name for the same thing, although it's more commonly used when talking about the sort of handheld device hill walkers use to avoid sauntering off the edge of a mountain.