When you get information about GPS jammers you may wonder what they are and what potential uses they have.
Before explaining the GPS jammers yourself, it is best to explain how GPS works. GPS stands for Global Positioning System, a system used by individuals, businesses, and the military primarily for navigation purposes.
How GPS jammer Work This global positioning system uses a number of satellites in orbit to send out radio signals. The signals are sent to a GPS receiver in order to determine the position via triangulation. GPS can be found in individual handheld devices and cell phones, vehicle navigation and positioning systems, and in small GPS tracking devices.
Triangulation, in which three different points are measured to calculate a location, can be used to determine the position. In a car's navigation system, the vehicle's location is measured by three satellites that orbit the earth. Using triangulation, GPS can convey the location to the receiver with an accuracy of only inches.
GPS signals are radio signals that use a specific frequency. In fact, there are two main frequencies that GPS will operate on, one for public non-military use (1575.42 MHz) and the other for the U.S. military only (1227.6 MHz). Since GPS are nothing more than weak radio waves, these waves can be disturbed or distorted with a GPS jammer, although this requires technical equipment and specialist knowledge.
GPS jammers were originally developed by the government for military organizations and espionage agencies. Areas of use include confusing the enemy in precise locations or where the enemy's GPS-guided missiles or bombs fall.
Lately, civilians have turned to these devices to protect their privacy in an expanding world with GPS tracking. However, most civilians do not have the technical skills to create their own homemade gadgets as it means a little more than just blocking a radio signal with basic radio interference.
There are some civilian uses for jamming GPS signals, mostly privacy related, including the ability to hide yourself or your vehicle in case a GPS receiver is tracking it. A practical application would be a salesperson or delivery person who might want to have lunch outside of their territory or return home for a forgotten item without having to do a lot of explanation based on the GPS location on their vehicle. The range of most civil GPS jammers is sufficient to cover even the largest vehicles and provides privacy protection for the user.