INTRODUCTION TO GPS INFORMATION SCREEN

The GPS Information screen (pictured to the right) is used to view general technical information regarding the GPS unit and the GPS satellites that are being used.

Along the left side of the screen is a list of GPS satellite ID's and their relative strength. In this case, we have satellite numbers 2, 4, 6, and 8 with relative strengths of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. The higher the strength, the better the reception from that satellite.

To the right there is a sky projection chart which plots where each satellite is in the sky. The closer a satellite is to the edge of the circle, the closer that satellite is to the horizon. The closer a satellite is to the middle of the circle, the closer that satellite is to straight above you.

At the top of the screen, between the satellite signal strength list and the sky projection view, your current latitude and longitude is displayed--in the above example we're at 28.608698N latitude and 98.909808W longitude.

At the bottom of the screen the current UTC time as returned by your GPS unit is displayed. Note that this is UTC time and is not adjusted for your time zone.

In the lower right hand corner of the screen we have some final technical information from the GPS unit:

Sats: This indicates how many satellites are being used to determine your current location. Generally, the more satellites the better the accuracy of the data returned by the GPS unit.

HDOP: This refers to the horizontal dolution of precision which, in general terms, gives you a good idea of how accurate the latitude and longitude returned by your GPS is. The lower this number the more accurate the data being returned by your GPS is.

VDOP: This refers to the vertical dolution of precision which, in general terms, gives you a good idea of how accurate the altitude returned by your GPS is. The lower this number the more accurate the data being returned by your GPS is.

Bat: This tells you, as a percentage, how much battery charge you have remaining. A fully charged battery should return a value close to 100%. This value will go down as you use your Palm and consume battery power.