Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!malgudi.oar.net!news.ans.net!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!dog.ee.lbl.gov!hellgate.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!sol.ee.usu.edu!sldf3
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Can Microwaves Be Used To Collect XYZ Coordinates
Message-ID: <1993Apr15.103953.66252@cc.usu.edu>
From: sldf3@sol.ee.usu.edu (Weston R Beal)
Date: 15 Apr 93 10:39:51 MDT
References: <C5Hs5J.AG7@bcstec.ca.boeing.com>
Distribution: world
Organization: Utah State Univ. EE
Nntp-Posting-Host: sol.ee.usu.edu
Lines: 32

In article <C5Hs5J.AG7@bcstec.ca.boeing.com>, rgc3679@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Robert G. Carpenter) writes:

|> It seems reasonable to me that a microwave transmitter-receiver setup could 
|> do the job. For example, say you want to map an acre lot, it'd be convenient
|> to place MW transmitters around the lot's periphery (either 2 or 3) and then
|> carry a hand-held recorder and walk to a point on the lot, press a button and
|> the coords of the recorder's location is stored as digital data.
|> 
|> What's the chance of this working? Any systems like this already exist?
|> What kind of accuracy could you expect? What would something like this
|> cost to prototype? Is there a better alternative than microwaves?

Of course you could develope this system, but there is already a system called Global
Positioning Satellites.  It gives three dimensional coordinates anywhere on earth. 
Many surveyors use this system with a differential receiver/transmitter to get
coordinates within centimeters.  Basic receivers with resolution of a few meters (on
a good day) are available from many sources.


-- 
WMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

  \_      \_  \_\_\_    \_\_\_               Weston R Beal
   \_      \_  \_    \_  \_    \_         sldf3@sol.ee.usu.edu
    \_  \_  \_  \_\_\_    \_\_\_            sldf3@cc.usu.edu
     \_\_  \_\_  \_  \_    \_    \_       Electrical Engineer
      \_      \_  \_    \_  \_\_\_       Utah State University

  "That's the wonderful thing about crayons; they can take you to
   more places than a starship can."    - Guinon


