What They Do Not Tell You About Auto Navigation Systems

Auto navigation systems have been improved a great deal since they were invented by the US armed forces in the Sixties and Seventies. In fact, their development is a continuous process, as you can easily imagine. I remember in the Eighties when you got a fix on your location every twelve minutes or so.

This meant that 'sat nav' was great for shipping and yachts, but not much good for cars or other fast-moving vehicles. They were also very expensive and quite large, not like the units that cyclists can buy in a wrist watch these days.

In spite of the fact that sat nav has improved far enough for companies to be able to manufacture reasonably priced auto navigation systems, there are still problems with them. But there is nothing new about that, it has become normal to begin selling a product while it is still at some phase of development.

Look at MS Widows for an illustration; it is nearly thirty years old and still does not work perfectly - it is still 'under improvement'. The same holds true of auto navigation systems.

And part of the trouble is with the software running the hardware. Software is a very tricky thing, as Windows proves to its users every day. I am not of necessity knocking Windows software, it is probably the best of its kind, but then there is no real competition for it and that is a pity for all the usual reasons such as indifference, high-handedness and over-pricing, just look at Windows 'Vista'. What an expensive pile of rubbish that was.

Needless to say, if Microsoft cannot get their software right, then auto navigation companies cannot either. Therefore, it is imperative to use an auto navigation device that either frequently updates itself automatically or permits the user to do it manually.

You need the latest bug-patches to the software and the latest updates to the maps. Ideally, the system should update itself every day automatically, but you should do it manually at least before each extensive journey.

The signal is obviously very significant as well. In order to get a fix on your position at least three satellites must be able to 'see' your auto navigation apparatus. If a fourth can verify the data, then so much the better.

This means that you may disappear 'off the radar', so to speak, if you are travelling under ground or in largely built-up locations. Being tracked by one or two satellites is not good enough, there is no triangulation.

It is reasonable to assume that if you have a clear view of the sky, then the three or four satellites should have a clear view of you, but it is not an infallible test. The best thing to have with you is still common sense. Do not just rely on your auto navigation system blindly. If you think it is giving you a false reading, perhaps it is.

In this case, the best thing to do is think about whether you or it is right and check it with a map if you have one. If all else fails, employ a bit of advice often given by Windows support, turn the device off, count to ten and turn it back on again - in other words, reboot it.