GPS Receiver Basics
Students work with GPS receiversCopyright Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_navigation_device#/media/File:GPS_Receivers_2007.jpg
Students familiarize themselves — through trial and error — with the basics of GPS receiver operation. They view a receiver's satellite visibility screen as they walk in various directions and monitor their progress on the receiver's map. Students may enter waypoints and use the GPS information to guide them back to specific locations.
Some engineers specialize in antenna design and placement for a range of conditions. Antennas are part of every cell phone and tower. In schools, shopping malls, warehouses, hospitals, offices, exhibition halls and airports they enable wireless Internet hot-spot coverage. In a shipping port, antennas collect data on the movement of shipping containers. On helicopters, they provide police, news or sports events with real-time video. Antennas mounted on bicycles or race cars enable continuous high-speed data links. They provide long-distance data transmission from ocean-based oil and gas platforms, buoys, ships, aircraft and spacecraft.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand the core concepts of GPS technology
- Measure and calculate values (i.e distance and speed) from acquired data
- Learn about GPS technology through hands-on experimentation