The satellite tracking technology intended for military applications during the 1980s is now made available to you through portable GPS navigational devices. These products have become extremely popular that entrepreneurs like you can jump into the bandwagon and cash in.

All you need to do for starters is to familiarize yourself with some of the most important portable GPS terms that you need to know if you want to go into business in this market segment. But first, take a look at how GPS systems work and gain some basic understanding that would prove useful for you in the long run.

How Does GPS System Work?

The main purpose of your portable GPS unit is to tell you precisely where on earth you are at that particular moment. This device can do this by triangulating your position based on information it receives from GPS satellites orbiting the earth.

With signals coming from three satellites, your portable GPS unit can calculate and tell you your 2D location in terms of latitude and longitude (will get to these terms in a moment). With four or more satellite signals, your GPS device can tell you more information about your position including how high you are from sea level – or what is technically called altitude.

Once your portable GPS unit locks in your position, it can then track your movement as well as give a whole bunch of other information like your speed, bearing, distance to your destination and more. Oh yes, it can also play your favorite MP3 files while you’re at it.

Portable GPS Terms You Need to Know

As an entrepreneur, it would really do your business image some good if you’re familiar with all the nooks and crannies associated with the product you’re selling. You can start by knowing the following portable GPS terms by heart.

• Longitude

There is an imaginary line running from the North to the South Pole which passes through Greenwich, England. This line is called the Prime Meridian. An incremental distance measured in degrees from the east or west of this line is called the longitude.

• Latitude

Just like the Prime Meridian, the Equator divides the world into a northern and southern hemisphere. Measured distances either on the north or the south of the equator is called latitude.

• Elevation

Your elevation is a measure of your distance, either above or below, the mean sea level.

• Multipath Error

GPS signals can sometimes bounce off tall buildings and mountains before these signals can ever reach your portable GPS receiver. This would cause problems in the accuracy of the signals you receive resulting in multipath errors.

• C/A Code

Civilian users of portable GPS receivers like you receives standard positioning signals called Coarse/Acquisition Code or more commonly called C/A Code. These signals can give your fix position with an accuracy of 100 meters or less.

• L1

There are two radio frequencies transmitted by GPS satellites and the first one called L1 transmits at 1575.42 Mhz and carries the C/A Code, P-Code and other nav messages.

• L2

The second set of radio frequencies from GPS satellites transmits at 1227.6 MHz and carries only the P-Code.

• OS

Just like a basic computer, the basic software that controls your portable GPS receiver runs through a specific Operating System or OS.

• Cracked Software

Your portable GPS device functions with the use of a GPS software. This software is licensed and sold by manufacturers. Hackers can sometimes remove the security coding placed by software manufacturers, resulting in cracked software. This is mostly prevalent in portable GPS units sold by Chinese traders.

• Assisted GPS

To boost the performance of portable GPS systems, cell phone networks can be utilized using Assisted GPS or AGPS.

• Warm Start Up Time

This is the time it takes for the portable GPS receiver to start navigation using the information during your last use, which is stored up in its memory.

• Cold Start Up Time

This is the time it takes for the portable GPS receiver to start providing position updates even without store information in its memory from previous use.

• Maximum Positional Altitude

This is the maximum altitude where your portable GPS receiver can function accurately and give you accurate coordinates. Some portable units like GPS watches can have its maximum elevation set by the user. The unit will alarm once the set altitude is reached, as in the case of mountain hikes and climbing.

14* Recapture Time

This is the time it takes for the unit to recover and interrupted signal without powering your unit off.

• Position Sensitivity

This sensitivity determines how fast your unit can search and process GPS signals to give you an accurate fix of your location.

• Data Update Rate

One thing that you should remember as a portable GPS device user is to have updated maps and other directional information in your unit. How fast your unit can update information depends on its data update rate. Higher-end models have auto update features that updates live traffic feed every 5 minutes for more accurate driving information.

It would be to an entrepreneur’s advantage if he is well versed in the terms, functions and features of the portable GPS navigational devices he is marketing. Customers would be more comfortable in dealing with someone who knows much about the goods he is selling – and portable GPS devices falls in the same category.