With the advancement of new technology, we cannot make do without a GPS device. It helps us find our destination with voice assisted navigation and real time maps of the roads that we are travelling on. GPS technology has improved the quality of our lives with ease of finding a new location from point A to point B.

Determine the Type of Antenna in your GPS

You need to determine the type of antenna in your GPS so that it can synchronize properly with the satellite. You need to ensure that you have a clear view of the sky because rain clouds can interfere with the transmission. Tall buildings and trees can also interfere with the internal synchronization of the GPS devices and the satellite.

Use Position Averaging

You need to use position averaging when turning on your GPS device. There are many features that come with the GPS such as ability to type in the name of the road and outcome a list of all the possible road names. There’s also the feature to find clubs, petrol stations, automated teller machines of certain banks, condominiums, which are all keyed into the database of the GPS.

Turn on WAAS Capability

WAAS is the acronym for Wide Area Augmentation System. By turning on WAAS capability, WAAS can correct GPS signal errors caused by ionosphere disturbances. It consists of about 25 ground reference stations positioned across the United States that monitor GPS satellite data.

Read the Manual Carefully

To maintain the accuracy and longevity of your GPS device, you need to read the manual carefully. Put your GPS device away from magnetic objects so that it does not interfere with the signals.

Update the GPS Maps

In order to have a more accurate GPS, you need to update the GPS maps regularly as new roads are being constructed all the time and this will change the geography of the maps. You can do this by downloading the latest map from the Internet.

I used PND loaded with satnav one india maps to navigate to shirdi. Days before the trip i was really wondering how comfortable it would to travel to a unknown town, unknown state, that too through roads that i had never known about. Heavily relying on the PND, we started the travel. Much too our excitement the maps were so supportive all along the travel. Our route was Hyderabad-Sholapur-Tembhurni-Ahmednagar-Shirdi. All these routes were 100% supported by the maps. The best delight was traversing through Ahmednagar town without seeking any help from passerby. I felt as good as a localite of the town, navigating one ways, traffic signals with much ease Without waiting for a single moment. The maps smoothly connected us to the Shirdi highway. Anyways our hotel location @Shirdi was located by “pinch & save” of the location manually at maps. This helped us to reach the hotel ourselves.

Similar stories during the return journey too. From Shani Signapur to Ahmednagar there is a scenic route, which localite advised not to take as the connection route is quite confusing. Brownie point to the maps here, this route is available. Enroute we could see few travellers getting confused at intersections & waiting for passerby help whereas we navigated comfortably. Same good experiences all along the return journey too. Overall i wud say the PND with maps made our journey more safe & enjoyable; we were able to save time.

Great job satnav team! You people making the travel a much better experience! keep up the good work !

Some technological marvels may seem very futuristic and advanced but are older than you think they are. Take Global Positioning System (GPS) for example. Would you believe that December 20th 2010, marked two decades of the system providing critical and reliable mapping data to governments, commercial units and lost civilians. That’s right! GPS has been showing people the way for twenty long years now.

The United States Department of Defense started work on establishing the system way back in 1973. It was designed to overcome the limitations of the previous systems. On the 26th of November 1990, Boeing (then The Rockwell Corporation) launched Space Vehicle Number (SVN) 23 and set healthy to navigation and timing users on 10 December 1990. This marked the birth of GPS as we know it today. However, it must be noted that it took two years for the satellite to be fully operational for navigation purposes. The amazing thing is that this satellite was expected to last for a mere seven years, and now minor repairs notwithstanding it’s expected to orbit well into its twenty first year. To date, it has operated longer than any other satellite in history.

In the two decades that followed the launch GPS has been used for a whole array of civilian and military purposes. In fact, the Gulf War, between 1990 and 1992 marks the first conflict where GPS has been widely used to tactical advantage on the battlefield. As you might already know GPS is today used in multiple ways to make everyday life easier like tracking persons, vehicles or pets, geo-tagging or applying location co-ordinates to digital objects such as photographs, navigation on land and in the seas. It’s also an irreplaceable tool Disaster Management and Rescue teams.

The GPS system continues to improve with scientists and technicians dedicating time and effort to ensure a perfect and flawless system. In August of 2010, Boeing launched the first of its twelve IVF satellites. This is pegged to be the most advanced Global Positioning System in history. The next satellite in the series is expected to launch sometime in late 2011.

In case you are wondering who is it exactly that maintains and runs this mammoth task – Most of the credit goes to the United States Air Force. The Global Positioning System Constellation network is testament to how ably the US Air Force continues to meet and exceed service requirements. The US Air Force works closely with companies like Boeing to maintain and develop the system that has been critical for both American and international government bodies, private firms and the general public. Both parties are now attempting to modernize the entire system in order to improve timing and positioning, accuracy, signal strength, integrity, design life and interoperability. This will ensure that GPS remains the gold standard for positioning, navigation and timing worldwide and provide improved accuracy and assured availability to both military and civilian users around the globe.

Three cheers for GPS, may it keep on its track to perfection in the years to come.

SatGuide has partnered with Waze http://world.waze.com/

SatGuide Waze is a completely Free GPS navigation solution for the smart-phone, which allows full turn-by-turn navigation, and which also helps to share the current status on the road with other users of waze (‘wazers’) there by giving them unique information that is literally impossible to source otherwise in the current Indian market.

SatGuide Waze learns the routes and they improve. The SatGuide Waze map is built every day so called as “Live Map”, based on the feedback from the previous day. So at first, keep driving to work the way you always do. The route given to you will soon adapt, it’s not fixed!

With SatGuide Waze software, one can report traffic from where they are, and other wazers can see the report on their maps.This will help to avoid traffic and thus save fuel and time as well.

To use the software start smart-phone’s browser to open http://m.waze.com from where SatGuide Waze software can be downloaded

Pix of the tentatively mounted PDA. Hope the new one is on way…soon as this one has quite some scratches on it… I am suggesting SatGuide to put put a proper feature on usage of their maps for maximum usage.

Share your SatGuide pictures with us. Send them to satguide5@gmail.com

Dear GPS Enthusiast ,
Greetings from SatGuide, India’s GPS Pioneer in 2005 and market leader today! SatGuide has a strong presence in Large Format Retail Stores like Croma, EZone, Reliance Autozone etc and in Car Dealerships & Car Accessories stores across the country.

As we embark on the journey to expand this market further, we bring you a fun-filled option to help spread awareness on GPS technologies, get a host of rewards and a load of freebies for yourself and family!!

Install SatGuide Rear Mirror sticker in your Car, be a SatGuide Brand Ambassador , and free fuel for your vehicle! Visit SatGuide Dealer points at the start of your deal and a SatGuide Executive will do the needful for installation and a simple registration process. You will also be given welcome kit as confirmation of your registration.

Later, drive your vehicle for a minimum of three Months and not less than 250 Km/ Month to get free Fuel voucher as well as other freebies. To receive the vouchers, visit the same location after three months and our executives will do the needful. Details of the prizes are as follows

SatGuide Sticker installation points will be available at prominent dealer outlets in India. To avail the offer, Please respond on undersigned email-id. Happy Navigating and NEVER GET LOST!!

dinakar@satnavtech.com

Due to navigational problem on unknown road, I was abstained for a long drive. But recently when I had a SatGuide device, I have decided to drive to my native in Kerala via Mumbai. I started from Surat Hazira to Mumbai with SatGuide device on with necessary inputs.

Really I was surprised to note that every street has been shown on the map and my car was absolutely on the road. The device uses nearest route to reach the destination and speaks whenever there is a turning, 2 km before, then 1 km before , then 500 mts and 200 mts and finally on turning. When I change the route it used to recalculate the route immediate within 1 minute and let us know the nearest route. If I don’t care for a U turn told by the device I was forced to comeback after some time. When I was nearing Mumbai thane I was little bit confused then I asked my 10 years old son to hold the device and look in to it. The device guided us very accurately turn by turn. And very easily we reached Vashi without anybody’s help.

Then I started to CBD with my device and drive through the road and the device really guided me through the road to CBD. From CBD next morning we started for Hubli with this device. By then my son was familiar with the device and he use to show the route.

When I reached Hubli I did not go by the route and a shopkeeper told me to go back to reach the bus stand as the device was showing the correct route. Then I had been to Udupi Krishna’s temple, the device shown me till the car parking area just behind the temple. Then we had been to Kasaragod via Mangalore. It was really a memorable journey with this device on the car.

Far and wide it’s known that the summer sun of India can be a cruel and evil thing. Last summer I found myself stranded in the most horrible of places, with the sun scorching down on me. To make matters worse, I had my family with me and they too were very worried. That was when my friend’s SatGuide truly saved us. Come; let me narrate the entire tale.

My name’s Brijesh Kriplani. Last summer, I hatched a plan of driving down to Rajasthan with my family. I’d just bought a new car, and it would be quite a fun trip for the family. My friend and colleague Rajesh decided that it was a wonderful idea. I asked him, why not he tag along with his family. So, one fine Saturday morning, our two cars left the bustling city for a peaceful trip.

I’d done a lot of planning before the trip- bought route maps, planned pit stops, looked for dhabas restaurants and hotels on the way, etc. However, despite all the planning I found myself at seemingly endless stretch of deserted road, with no one around me I must have had taken a wrong turn somewhere. I tried back to the highway, but ended up going around in circles. To make matters worse, the sun was beating down so hard that it made it difficult for one to think straight. The kids were exhausted and fell asleep. My wife was trying to call Rajesh on the cell phone but we were so far out that there was no network.

Just as I gave up all hopes of finding my way back, I heard the honk of Rajesh’s Maruti behind me. Oh, how I jumped with joy !I asked him how he found me and he told me that as he was following, he saw me go off track in the distance. So he came looking for me to take me back to the main road. How do we do that?!, I asked him. He laughed and pointed to the Satguide C 230 on his dashboard.

I read up on this marvelous device later. The device, Maruti Navigator C230 from SatGuide offers a touch screen interface with simple intuitive software. It is one the most advanced personal navigation systems available in the market today. This device has sophisticated navigation functions with clear maps, turn-by-turn guidance and voice instructions. USB charging facility coupled with both a car charger and a room charger ensures that the unit will never run out of power. Plus it comes built in with a photo viewer and MP3 player.

Needless to say, I wasted no time in getting myself one of these wonderful little devices, and my trips have never been the same!

Travelling then (12 years earlier) and now

Around 12 years back we took a really adventurous trip to Kerala driving our way through the state- its rainforests and coasts. We had no GPS and relied on a hand held paper map of the roads. Our map was highly accurate, but our navigator was not (especially without his reading glasses) and we lost directions several times. 

Each time we got down and asked for directions we received plenty of indications and hand gestures (we did not know Malayalam -their local language). At times they would oblige by drawing directions on the dusty roadsides. They were certainly a helpful lot but we never arrived at our destination without losing ourselves again. After some instances someone in our group observed that a single Malayalam word would always predominate verbal discussions. It was “nere”. Excited at the find we opened the Malayalam-English dictionary that we carried and there was the meaning. ‘Nere’ meant straight. 

Well I know you haven’t a straight face

Another time we were driving through Rajasthan. They are used to folks driving through their roads. At turns we asked for directions, they said ‘seedhe’ which again means straight. Of course we would lose directions again until our son observed that though they said ‘seedhe’ (straight), their hand was pointing in another direction!

So much for directions!

Our trips throughout 2008 and 2009 were completely different. We had equipped ourselves with the “Never Get Lost” GPS device SatGuide. And we truly never got lost. 

The members of our group were ecstatic at its performance. I was not. Why?
I missed getting down at those small villages, photographing the locals and sampling truly local cuisine. 

However, beginning 2010 I was in for a surprise. We took off to Himachal and we took the longest and winding routes through small villages where we got down and interacted with locals, ate with them and even slept in their houses. We never lost our way even once. I began to marvel at the technology of SatGuide and its accuracy.

This is was great technology does. It allows you to choose. For me the choices that SatGuide gave me were impressive. That a GPS would make directions easy was understood. But by giving mapping minute details it allowed us to plan something unique. That made a lot of difference.

Thank You SatGuide.