Why Is GPS Satellite Configuration Important?

Author: Thomas Rodgers

Where in the sky the satellites your GPS is communicating with are located relative to where it--and you--are located is important when it comes to the accuracy of the information the unit will provide. And your handheld unit will display that configuration on the satellite page.
Again, this is page where you can determine how many satellites the GPS is connecting or communicating with and the Estimated Position Error (EPE). So this is yet another piece of information right on one screen.

The satellite screen is the first screen you should use when you fire up your GPS.

The satellite configuration is usually depicted within two concentric circles on the screen, with the satellites represented by dots or numbers. The inner circle on the screen represents the sky more above you than to the sides. The outer circle represents the horizon.

If your GPS is connecting with four or more satellites and is in 3D mode, and your EPE is low, that means your position fix will be good. And a good satellite configuration is even better.

What you want to see, ideally, is that one or two satellites are overhead--within that inner circle--with the rest spread out around the sky, somewhere in that outer circle. If all of those satellite "dots" or numbers are in the outer circle, with none over head, try moving around and see if you can improve that configuration.
A GPS receiver's job is to locate four or more of these satellites, figure out the distanc­e to each, and use this data to figure out its own location. This operation is based on a simple mathematical principle called trilateration, a system which is also used to discover the location of lightning strikes.
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