There are, at very least, two sides to every story.  I recognize the value of GPS devices to the people who use them.  From the very beginning, however, the concept made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. By the principle of reciprocity, if you can get driving directions, They know where you are.  Let’s just call them a generic They, ok?

The Global Positioning System is a bunch of satellites in geostationary orbit.  They were put there, like all advanced technology, by the military.  As commercial possibilities expanded, the military agreed to allow use of the technology in a `dumbed-down’ state.  Should anything happen, the System will be shut off for civilian use.

Let’s not mince words.. the optics satellites can pretty much count the pores on your face from orbit.   The GPSes can obviously tell you how to go somewhere by knowing exactly where you are.  A kissing cousin to this technology is OnStar and its equivalents.  As I’ve mentioned, they’re alerady being used without warrants to spy on drivers suspected of committing crimes.

With this in mind, the hams (radio amateurs) love some of this new technology too.  Some play with APRS, which is essentially GPS that anyone can track via the web.  Why they’d voluntarily post this information is completely beyond me, but I don’t get a lot of things…

Please enjoy the following piece about hams and the GPS.

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Some 11,000 miles above Earth, 24 satellites make up the Global Positioning System. The GPS uses very low-powered signals and extremely sophisticated mechanisms to estimate user locations for a growing number of navigation devices. Despite its military roots, GPS has become the darling of consumers and commercial interests alike. And for an increasing range of uses, those in the radio hobbies are embracing GPS in a big way.