Rocky Mountain Tracking

By Greg Bartlett

If your spouse was cheating on you, you would want to know, right? This question sounds a lot like a line from one of those TV sitcom episodes where the husband is acting suspiciously and the wife gets herself all worked up. Come to find out, he’s been planning a big surprise birthday or anniversary party for her and by the end of the 30 minute show everyone is happy and in love again. Sound like real life? Not really.

So what do you do if you have suspicions about your spouse and your birthday or anniversary is not in the near future? Well, you could hire a private investigator, another thing commonly seen on movies and TV. But if that sounds too expensive, there is something else that you could try.

A GPS tracking system in the car of your spouse would allow you to track his or her movements. Not only can you be sure that your husband really is working late when he says that he will be by tracking his location, the GPS car tracker also tells you how fast he is going and how long he is parked anywhere. This ensures that a spouse cannot rendezvous at a location that could easily be explained. If you have proof that your wife was parked at a gas station for 2 hours, you know she was doing more than filling the tank and buying bread. If a spouse became worried that she was being tracked and decided to leave the car at work to make her whereabouts untraceable, you would still know just how long she was at work and how fast she sped home to try to mask the time gap.

For a relatively small cost, you can get a very reliable and accurate GPS tracking system. Many systems are magnetic, which allow you to stick it easily in an obscure place until you are ready to plug it in to the computer and see where your spouse has been lately.

Of course, this kind of system is not fool-proof. There are ways to get around a GPS tracking system, like parking at work and taking a taxi to another location. This would also not help track affairs with coworkers. However, this kind of a system would help in many situations and make it very difficult for a spouse to cheat and get away with it.

By Greg Bartlett

Today, the sun is shining brightly. It’s a nice change from the overcast skies and rainy weather we’ve been experiencing lately. And as useful as the rain is, the sun also has its own advantages, such as helping things grow. But the sun also has disadvantages, and more than just causing skin cancer. Have you ever wondered how the sun affects GPS satellites? After all, they’re up there in space with the sun. Does solar activity ever threaten them?

The sun does affect GPS systems. Solar activity is beautiful and fascinating to watch, but its effects can be costly and damaging. Solar radiation and radio waves from the sun interfere with GPS signals. During times of heavy solar activity, GPS information can be highly inaccurate, even to being off by about a football field’s length. Furthermore, excessive activity by the sun can injure the satellites and force them to be replaced.

Severe solar activity can threaten life as we know it. Satellites injured by solar activity may disrupt communication, cell phone usage, power grids, weather satellites, and GPS tracking and navigation. The sun usually goes through a cycle about every 11 years, during which solar activity increases and then decreases. Right now the sun’s activity is lessened and the sun is being very quiet.

Periods of quiet solar activity normally last about five years. The current period of quiet started in 2007 and has been even calmer than usual. Solar activity is at record lows. The sun’s magnetic fields are the weakest they’ve been since about 1913, and there are fewer sunspots this year even than last year’s record low number of sunspots. The things we depend upon daily, whether phones, power, or tracking and navigation systems, are more accurate and reliable during periods of quiet solar activity. The good news is that during calm times like this, GPS systems are accurate to within a foot. And satellites can stay in orbit for longer periods of time before having to be replaced, saving money and equipment.

Solar activity may increase again in a few years, but for now, enjoy the shining sun and the lack of solar activity. Right now your GPS systems are about as accurate as they can possibly be and your use of tracking systems to track your vehicle, ensure your safety, protect your investments, and to monitor your family or workers is safe and accurate, and will be as long as the sun is quiet.

By James Neely

In Boston, Massachusetts there is a case pending before the Supreme Judicial Court which will decide the legality of using GPS Tracking systems in tracking suspected criminals for the intent of gathering evidence for the support of charges against those involved in crimes.

The case has one underlying question as to the Constitutionality of the activity: Do the actions by police constitute illegal search and seizure when these devices are used without a prior warrant?

What the GPS Tracking system does. The devices being utilized by police are attached to a subject’s vehicle which then allows those cars to be tracked with incredible detail. Once retrieved by police, they can plug into a computer at headquarters to watch on-screen movements and locations of the suspects even to the point of being able to track the speed of the vehicle. It is like having police personnel right in the car at the time of the activities in question.

The case before the SJC in Massachusetts is drawing attention because the court ruling will send ripples through the law enforcement community. Police confirm the usage of the devices in ever increasing amounts, but say that warrants are obtained before-hand, otherwise the evidence would never be allowed in court to begin with.

The privacy issue. A larger and more relevant issue surrounds privacy and the lack thereof as these come into common uses across the nation. To the most conservative of those who allow for police activity that helps solve crimes, GPS Tracking systems present a real threat to privacy. It appears that no longer do we have a system of laws that maintain the innocence of a suspected party until proven guilty, but rather, anyone and everyone are considered guilty and these devices are used to obtain evidence to support that position.

The law enforcement justification. Police are always looking for ways to help prevent and solve crimes. The utilization of GPS tracking systems gives them an upper hand in this area, but also opens them up to abuse and misuse.

What’s the cost of safety? Ultimately we must decide between added safety and security at the expense of freedom. This is a debate that has been raging since the events of 9/11. Just because we have the tools and ability to track and monitor human activity does not mean that they should be used unabated against ordinary citizens.

There appears to be no clear-cut answer to this question other than waiting to see what the SJC in Massachusetts will decide. From there, other courts will probably follow suit with the same type of rulings. A ‘wait and see’ attitude prevails at this point.

By Greg Bartlett

Verizon, Sprint, and now AT&T are giving their customers options for tracking their family members. The charges differ by company, some charging per monitored person and others giving a flat rate for a certain number of phones. AT&T’s new program, called Family Map, costs $9.99 a month to track two phones or $14.99 to track up to five phones.

AT&T’s FamilyMap program is a GPS tracking device that uses satellite images as well as street maps to give families a clear view of where their children are. This program also enables customers to receive email or text notifications at specific times which report on their child’s whereabouts. They could use this GPS tracking device to notify them every afternoon when their child should be home from school. This would reassure working parents that their children are at the house and not getting into trouble. Parents could also check and see the location of their teen on a Friday night. Were they really spending the night at a friend’s house or were they going to a party?

A GPS tracking device, such as AT&T’s FamilyMap program, allows parents to know that their children are safe. This is, after all, the main reason that many teens get a cell phone in the first place. Parents want to be able to reach their children at any time, and it is comforting to know that they will always have a phone with which to call for help if needed.

The additional monthly cost may seem like an unlikely fit for your already tight budget, but the safety of one’s children surely must be one of the most important things. Room can be made in the budget for such a priority. Just cut one night of going out to eat for the month, or rent a movie instead of taking the family to the theaters. Either of these would easily save you the small amount necessary to ensure your children’s safety and put a little extra into your pockets.

As phone companies start offering services using a GPS tracking device, parents can be encouraged that this technology will enable them to quickly locate their children and ensure their safety. So if you’re looking for a more accurate way to keep your children safe, look into the GPS tracking that your cell phone provider offers or simply track your existing phone with NavIQ Mobile