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The original GPS receivers in the late 80s and early 90s did not have maps. And they used LCD screens. The one I owned by Lowrance required 6 AA batteries. Not

The original GPS receivers in the late 80s and early 90s did not have maps. And they used LCD screens. The one I owned by Lowrance required 6 AA batteries. Not AAA. Not rechargeable. Optional power through a cigarette-auto cable, but that's not helpful when on foot. It burned through batteries like crazy. I owned this one: https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153749/http://retro-gps.info/photos/files/page2-1023-full.jpg https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153749/http://retro-gps.... (Lowrance GlobalNav Sport) 160 x 160 pixel display. It weighed 2 pounds with batteries. It provided latitude, longitude, and heading. Thought I would use it hiking but it was just too big to be anything but a toy. You inserted a cartridge, specific to your geographic area, if you wanted it to display names of towns/cities (data on the cartridges): https://www.ebay.com/itm/314936082464 https://www.ebay.com/itm/314936082464 It did have "waypoints" (lat/long bookmarks, essentially) that allowed you to plot a line as you traveled. It could tell you how far you were to different waypoints you'd previously entered. IIRC, it had a serial connection for waypoint download to a PC. People tried sharing waypoint series -- "routes" -- but it just never really had much success as I recall. It was just too cumbersome.

metadat 3y ago
Which model was yours? This page appears to show every model of handheld GPS ever made, and Lowrance has 4 entries. Thanks for sharing this, I never had the chance to see one of these units. It's so weird now to imagine GPS with no map! P.s. What does a six-channel GPS receiver even mean? Is more channels more better?
- TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
  Here's a better picture of what I owned. It had a huge hard-plastic case: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314936082464 https://www.ebay.com/itm/314936082464 The antenna flipped up and doubled as a screen protector: http://retro-gps.info/photos/files/page2-1023-full.jpg http://retro-gps.info/photos/files/page2-1023-full.jpg https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zxUAAOSwDspimA3F/s-l1600.jpg https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zxUAAOSwDspimA3F/s-l1600.jpg Sorry, I don't remember what 6-channel means. I would guess it could receive data from up to 6 satellites? Don't know. IIRC, this cost about $700 but cartridges were extra. Very expensive for the time. It worked without the cartridges, but I think it only displayed lat/long then, or in any case much more limited info. The carts added more info like town/city/state. Unfortunately, I could not find any YouTube videos of early GPS receivers.
  - metadat 3y ago
    Thanks @TDT for your prompt and rapid reply, always nice to connect with such a generous person who indulges me :D. What a spiffy looking unit, it looks like belongs mounted in the dash of a 198x Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Bronco, or similar alongside one of those old school built-in car phones. Archive links of the eBay resources: 1a. https://web.archive.org/web/20231104152903/https://www.ebay.com/itm/314936082464 https://web.archive.org/web/20231104152903/https://www.ebay.... 1b. https://archive.ph/QxwrN https://archive.ph/QxwrN 2a. https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153359/https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zxUAAOSwDspimA3F/s-l1600.jpg https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153359/https://i.ebayimg... 2b. https://archive.ph/crpGm https://archive.ph/crpGm (Adding because of how many broken eBay links I've encountered on forums over the years.. it's always frustrating, haha.)
    - TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
      You're welcome! This is the best photo in my opinion -- shows the antenna up (not covering screen), unit is powered on, and the unit itself is in excellent condition: https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153749/http://retro-gps.info/photos/files/page2-1023-full.jpg https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153749/http://retro-gps....
- skhr0680 3y ago
  https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2841&context=smallsat https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2... > The receiver has six channels that continuously track four primary GPS satellites and sequentially acquire and track all other visible and healthy satellites on the fifth and sixth channels.
- jdietrich 3y ago
  >What does a six-channel GPS receiver even mean? Is more channels more better? The operating principle of GPS is more complex than I can usefully summarise in a comment, but essentially the satellites are continuously broadcasting an extremely accurate time signal that the receiver uses to calculate the time-of-flight to each satellite. GPS receivers need signals from a minimum of four satellites to provide a location fix. There are usually more than four satellites visible, so additional channels allow for more than the minimum number of signals to be received. this can provide improved accuracy, faster time-to-first-fix and better resilience to interference. If you're receiving five or six signals, you don't lose your positioning fix when one of the satellites moves below the horizon or is obstructed by terrain. Reflected signals can cause error, because the time-of-flight of the signal will be greater than the actual distance to the satellite; extra channels allow these errors to be compensated for. For a long time, GPS receivers typically had no more than 12 channels, which was the maximum number that would actually be useful given the limited number of satellites in the original GPS constellation. Since then, many other navigation satellite constellations have launched, so between 40 and 60 navigation satellites are typically visible at any moment. Receivers have commensurately improved, with even basic receivers often having upwards of 48 channels.
  - eastbound 3y ago
    How does encryption work on GPS signals? Since it seems the military have access to better accuracy, it’s not just a wavelength that is broadcasted.
    - jdietrich 3y ago
      Prior to 2000, the civilian signal (C/A code) was deliberately degraded by the addition of small random variations in the time signal, but this is no longer the case. A separate military signal (P-code) still exists, which is encrypted in order to prevent spoofing; to my knowledge, the encryption scheme used for the military signal is still classified.
stcroixx 3y ago
Garmin handheld unit in the early 2000’s still had an LCD screen. I still have and use mine as a backup.
- supportengineer 3y ago
  I have the eMap. Still works. In 2002 I tethered my laptop to my phone and connected the eMap to the laptop. I had custom Java software that would read my position from the serial connection, and then post it to a custom PHP page, and there was a different page where you could view my position on a Yahoo Map.
lm411 3y ago
That Lowrance is a monster. Pretty cool though. My first GPS receiver was an old Magellan. I can't recall the model, but mid 90s, very basic features. Eventually after turning it on it would get a fix, and give you coordinates / speed / bearing. No names of towns or anything like that though it did have support for some number of waypoints. I typically used it for multi week hikes through the rockies where I was navigating primarily with topo maps & compass, and about once a day I'd turn on the GPSr to validate my location. It was too much of a pig on batteries to use it any more often, but, it was a reasonable size for hiking. Totally different world vs the Garmin GPSMap 66i I currently use, but, I'd probably trust the old Magellan more than I do 66i on week/longer excursions.
- avar 3y ago
  > about once a day I'd turn on the GPS to > validate my location. This point can't be stressed enough, these early GPS models (and even one I owned in the early 2000s) often served a fundamentally different use-case than what people think of as "GPS" today, which has come to mean something with integrated maps and navigation. The idea with many of these early devices was exactly what you're describing, experienced hikers who'd mainly use a map & compass to navigate might buy these. It was enough to have one GPS for the entire group, and on a typical trip with good visibility and orientation the GPS might never come out of the backpack. But knowing where you are if you manage to completely lose orientation (e.g. with an onset of fog) is invaluable. The original use case for GPS devices for hikers was that sort of fallback safety.
aziaziazi 3y ago
Wondering why « No rechargeable » ? I recall rechargeable AAs in late 90, didn’t they exist in early 80 ?
- hexmiles 3y ago
  Not OP, but i remember having a camera that use AAs and would not support rechargeable. While it powered up, it would not take photos and instead shutdown. I think they used to be able to deliver less power, also when i put them in the gameboy the little led was a tad dimmer that non rechargeable one even when fully charged
  - Libcat99 3y ago
    Most of the old rechargeable aa or aaa batteries were NiCd, which would be 1.2V vs the 1.5 you get from alkaline. I believe the voltage drops off more slowly than alkaline, but since the starting voltage is lower some devices just can't handle it. We had a set of cb radios when I was a kid, they had 12 aa battery spaces but two "blanks" installed. You used the blanks and 10 batteries for alkaline, but removed the blanks and installed 12 if using rechargeable to bring the voltage to an acceptable level.
- ljf 3y ago
  Even in the early 90s my good rechargeable batteries (AA) only put out 1.2v when freshly charged and dropped lower than that as they ran. They also ran far shorter than duracell or similar expensive batteries. So one the voltage may have been too low and two the usable loge might have been too short for these power hungry devices
  - RecycledEle 3y ago
    True. Many 1980's electronic devices needed too much power to be run by the NiCd batteries of that era. I failed to learn DC motors, controllers, and gear boxes in part because I lacked batteries powerful enough to drive the small motors I had. (Or maybe I was an idiot:o) Decades later, lithium 18650 cells make it easy for my students.
saltcured 3y ago
The first "portable" GPS receiver I ever saw was during a tour of a relative's military base in the mid to late 1980s. It was mounted in a travel case where the lid removed exposed the control panel. I want to say it was about the size of a shoe box. Similar in length and height to one of those hinged metal ammunition cans, but wider if I remember correctly. It seemed hefty enough to have a lead-acid battery inside, but they did not give details. You set it on the ground and waited minutes for a fix. Then it just displayed numeric grid coordinates of your location with segmented digit display cells somewhat like a 1970s calculator.

metadat 3y ago

Which model was yours? This page appears to show every model of handheld GPS ever made, and Lowrance has 4 entries. Thanks for sharing this, I never had the chance to see one of these units. It's so weird now to imagine GPS with no map! P.s. What does a six-channel GPS receiver even mean? Is more channels more better?

TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
Here's a better picture of what I owned. It had a huge hard-plastic case: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314936082464 https://www.ebay.com/itm/314936082464 The antenna flipped up and doubled as a screen protector: http://retro-gps.info/photos/files/page2-1023-full.jpg http://retro-gps.info/photos/files/page2-1023-full.jpg https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zxUAAOSwDspimA3F/s-l1600.jpg https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zxUAAOSwDspimA3F/s-l1600.jpg Sorry, I don't remember what 6-channel means. I would guess it could receive data from up to 6 satellites? Don't know. IIRC, this cost about $700 but cartridges were extra. Very expensive for the time. It worked without the cartridges, but I think it only displayed lat/long then, or in any case much more limited info. The carts added more info like town/city/state. Unfortunately, I could not find any YouTube videos of early GPS receivers.
- metadat 3y ago
  Thanks @TDT for your prompt and rapid reply, always nice to connect with such a generous person who indulges me :D. What a spiffy looking unit, it looks like belongs mounted in the dash of a 198x Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Bronco, or similar alongside one of those old school built-in car phones. Archive links of the eBay resources: 1a. https://web.archive.org/web/20231104152903/https://www.ebay.com/itm/314936082464 https://web.archive.org/web/20231104152903/https://www.ebay.... 1b. https://archive.ph/QxwrN https://archive.ph/QxwrN 2a. https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153359/https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zxUAAOSwDspimA3F/s-l1600.jpg https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153359/https://i.ebayimg... 2b. https://archive.ph/crpGm https://archive.ph/crpGm (Adding because of how many broken eBay links I've encountered on forums over the years.. it's always frustrating, haha.)
  - TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
    You're welcome! This is the best photo in my opinion -- shows the antenna up (not covering screen), unit is powered on, and the unit itself is in excellent condition: https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153749/http://retro-gps.info/photos/files/page2-1023-full.jpg https://web.archive.org/web/20231104153749/http://retro-gps....
skhr0680 3y ago
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2841&context=smallsat https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2... > The receiver has six channels that continuously track four primary GPS satellites and sequentially acquire and track all other visible and healthy satellites on the fifth and sixth channels.
jdietrich 3y ago
>What does a six-channel GPS receiver even mean? Is more channels more better? The operating principle of GPS is more complex than I can usefully summarise in a comment, but essentially the satellites are continuously broadcasting an extremely accurate time signal that the receiver uses to calculate the time-of-flight to each satellite. GPS receivers need signals from a minimum of four satellites to provide a location fix. There are usually more than four satellites visible, so additional channels allow for more than the minimum number of signals to be received. this can provide improved accuracy, faster time-to-first-fix and better resilience to interference. If you're receiving five or six signals, you don't lose your positioning fix when one of the satellites moves below the horizon or is obstructed by terrain. Reflected signals can cause error, because the time-of-flight of the signal will be greater than the actual distance to the satellite; extra channels allow these errors to be compensated for. For a long time, GPS receivers typically had no more than 12 channels, which was the maximum number that would actually be useful given the limited number of satellites in the original GPS constellation. Since then, many other navigation satellite constellations have launched, so between 40 and 60 navigation satellites are typically visible at any moment. Receivers have commensurately improved, with even basic receivers often having upwards of 48 channels.
- eastbound 3y ago
  How does encryption work on GPS signals? Since it seems the military have access to better accuracy, it’s not just a wavelength that is broadcasted.
  - jdietrich 3y ago
    Prior to 2000, the civilian signal (C/A code) was deliberately degraded by the addition of small random variations in the time signal, but this is no longer the case. A separate military signal (P-code) still exists, which is encrypted in order to prevent spoofing; to my knowledge, the encryption scheme used for the military signal is still classified.

stcroixx 3y ago

Garmin handheld unit in the early 2000’s still had an LCD screen. I still have and use mine as a backup.

supportengineer 3y ago
I have the eMap. Still works. In 2002 I tethered my laptop to my phone and connected the eMap to the laptop. I had custom Java software that would read my position from the serial connection, and then post it to a custom PHP page, and there was a different page where you could view my position on a Yahoo Map.

lm411 3y ago

That Lowrance is a monster. Pretty cool though. My first GPS receiver was an old Magellan. I can't recall the model, but mid 90s, very basic features. Eventually after turning it on it would get a fix, and give you coordinates / speed / bearing. No names of towns or anything like that though it did have support for some number of waypoints. I typically used it for multi week hikes through the rockies where I was navigating primarily with topo maps & compass, and about once a day I'd turn on the GPSr to validate my location. It was too much of a pig on batteries to use it any more often, but, it was a reasonable size for hiking. Totally different world vs the Garmin GPSMap 66i I currently use, but, I'd probably trust the old Magellan more than I do 66i on week/longer excursions.

avar 3y ago
> about once a day I'd turn on the GPS to > validate my location. This point can't be stressed enough, these early GPS models (and even one I owned in the early 2000s) often served a fundamentally different use-case than what people think of as "GPS" today, which has come to mean something with integrated maps and navigation. The idea with many of these early devices was exactly what you're describing, experienced hikers who'd mainly use a map & compass to navigate might buy these. It was enough to have one GPS for the entire group, and on a typical trip with good visibility and orientation the GPS might never come out of the backpack. But knowing where you are if you manage to completely lose orientation (e.g. with an onset of fog) is invaluable. The original use case for GPS devices for hikers was that sort of fallback safety.

aziaziazi 3y ago

Wondering why « No rechargeable » ? I recall rechargeable AAs in late 90, didn’t they exist in early 80 ?

hexmiles 3y ago
Not OP, but i remember having a camera that use AAs and would not support rechargeable. While it powered up, it would not take photos and instead shutdown. I think they used to be able to deliver less power, also when i put them in the gameboy the little led was a tad dimmer that non rechargeable one even when fully charged
- Libcat99 3y ago
  Most of the old rechargeable aa or aaa batteries were NiCd, which would be 1.2V vs the 1.5 you get from alkaline. I believe the voltage drops off more slowly than alkaline, but since the starting voltage is lower some devices just can't handle it. We had a set of cb radios when I was a kid, they had 12 aa battery spaces but two "blanks" installed. You used the blanks and 10 batteries for alkaline, but removed the blanks and installed 12 if using rechargeable to bring the voltage to an acceptable level.
ljf 3y ago
Even in the early 90s my good rechargeable batteries (AA) only put out 1.2v when freshly charged and dropped lower than that as they ran. They also ran far shorter than duracell or similar expensive batteries. So one the voltage may have been too low and two the usable loge might have been too short for these power hungry devices
- RecycledEle 3y ago
  True. Many 1980's electronic devices needed too much power to be run by the NiCd batteries of that era. I failed to learn DC motors, controllers, and gear boxes in part because I lacked batteries powerful enough to drive the small motors I had. (Or maybe I was an idiot:o) Decades later, lithium 18650 cells make it easy for my students.

saltcured 3y ago

The first "portable" GPS receiver I ever saw was during a tour of a relative's military base in the mid to late 1980s. It was mounted in a travel case where the lid removed exposed the control panel. I want to say it was about the size of a shoe box. Similar in length and height to one of those hinged metal ammunition cans, but wider if I remember correctly. It seemed hefty enough to have a lead-acid battery inside, but they did not give details. You set it on the ground and waited minutes for a fix. Then it just displayed numeric grid coordinates of your location with segmented digit display cells somewhat like a 1970s calculator.