On Course With GPS

The Compaq Aero 2100 is a color-screen Palm-size PC with built in productivity software. It can be connected to the Gramin GPS III Plus via serial cable and display map information using the Tele Type GPS software.   The Garmin GPS III Plus is a standalone GPS receiver with its own monochrome display and batteries. It connects to a PC Companion via serial cable and displays map information on a PC Companion using the TeleType GPS software.

Knowing where you are and where you're going is important in life. In fact, it's so important to the U.S. Government that they spent $10 billion developing the Global Positioning System (GPS; see below). This expensive collection of satellites and ground stations makes it possible for anyone equipped with a GPS receiver to precisely know their position, along with their direction and speed if they're moving. Anyone with a GPS receiver can access the system to accurately track his or her exact location. The GPS data can even be overlaid in "real-time" on an electronic map for a precise, street-by-street representation of your location.

I live in Houston, Texas, and although I'm pretty familiar with my part of the city, large portions of it are foreign to me. I've always been intrigued by the idea of having a GPS-map system in my car to help me navigate. Such systems are available as expensive add-ons ($2000-$3000) to already-expensive luxury vehicles. In addition, Clarion markets the AutoPC; an in-dash Windows CE mobile computer with a GPS option. But the AutoPC costs $1,300 and the GPS option another $300 to $500 ­ still pretty expensive.

A third solution, and one that I've tried, is to use an inexpensive portable GPS receiver in conjunction with a Windows 95 laptop computer, a connectivity cable and automobile power adapter. Many portable GPS receivers come with a small, monochrome screen that can display data (latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) as well as simple maps. Using a GPS receiver with the laptop computer added a larger color screen, which improves usability greatly. It also allowed me to use more complex map display software. The GPS/laptop PC combination worked, but a quick stop meant the whole mess slid onto the floor. In addition, I was always worried about theft and the heat of a Texas summer damaging the equipment.