For A Price, Gps Can Help You Find Your Way Back To Your Wallet

The network of satellites responsible for tanks, fighter jets and missiles now has its sights set on a more ambitious target: your wallet.

Not getting lost has become the latest peacetime dividend. Whether in Yosemite National Park or the streets of San Francisco, a technology called Global Positioning Systems, or GPS, is being used to guide regular joes to safety, to shore or to a plate of linguine.

Cellular phones, personal computers and even beepers were once the toys and tools of the techno-elite, from scientists to blue-chip businessmen. But the gadgets successfully made the leap into the mainstream.

GPS, with prices ranging from $300 to $3,000, still is trying to bridge that gap. Dash-mounted units are becoming standard-issue for rental-car agencies, buses in Paris, and ambulances in Portland. But hand-held receivers - about the size of a Nintendo Gameboy - are considered the technology’s entry point into everyday use.

“We’re targeting backpackers, hunters and fishermen first, because they can easily get lost,” said Ginny Whitney, spokeswoman for Garmin, which sells the hand-held GPS 75 for $299. “But we’ll eventually see this technology used for everyday traveling.”

GPS was designed by the U.S. Department of Defense, which put 24 satellites into orbit. To pinpoint location, GPS receivers triangulate position by measuring the distance to three GPS satellites and then the user’s longitude, latitude and altitude. In any weather. It can be accurate within 10 meters, unless the Defense Department decides to distort the signals, which it did during the Gulf War.

GPS is already used by thousands of boaters and pilots, both professional and hobbyists, who use dash-mounted or hand-held receivers to determine where they are. But today, the technology is trying to work its way into such mainstream areas as dashboards and backpacks.

The idea is catching on. Magellan Systems reports that it sells 100,000 of its hand-held unit called “Trailblazer” every month.

“It’s definitely the hot item at the outdoor and backpacking trade shows,” said Brian Kline, a manager at Valley Sporting Goods in Modesto, Calif. “But locally, we’re not selling any. It’s expensive. So far, our customers are happy just using a compass and a map.”

In the meantime, GPS is making inroads in on-road markets. Several cities use GPS for police, fire and ambulance services, which use the technology to answer emergency calls faster and more accurately.

Firms such as Navigation Technologies in Sunnyvale, Calif., are working with Oldsmobile and Avis to map city streets, highways and points of interest, from Disneyland to Motel 6. These map data bases are then integrated with on-board GPS systems, which locates you on the computerized map.

“Computerized mapping is a comprehensive and long-term project, and we’re just beginning,” said Avis spokeswoman Demetria Mudar. “The sophistication varies from city to city. For instance, our New York data base is a 50-mile radius, very detailed. If you want to get to Rhode Island, the map can find the highways to get there, but not specific streets.”

Avis began using in-vehicle navigation systems in 1992, testing them in rental cars in San Jose, Calif. Today Avis uses the device throughout California, southern Florida, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., and is testing the devices in Baltimore, Boston and Dallas.

The device is a 4-inch screen with a small keypad on the dashboard. Drivers can enter a street address or scroll through menus to find local hotels or restaurants. After selecting a destination, the GPS receiver locates the driver, then the device computes the most convenient route. It can also be programmed to avoid freeways.

The screen displays the route with bold arrows. A male voice directs the driver with instructions - “Right turn ahead,” “Prepare to make a U-turn” or, if you really get off-track, “Do you want to calculate another route?”

The device is also available, as a $2,000 option, on some new Oldsmobiles. Sony Electronics is selling a similar system for $2,995, using GPS signals and maps recorded on CD-ROM.

Mudar said she sees GPS as just another step toward making cars safer.

“It wasn’t too long ago that air bags and ABS (anti-lock braking systems) weren’t common, and now they’re all over the place,” she said. “I think in the not-to-distant future, we’re going to see the same happen with these systems.”

Toward that kind of transparency, Delco Electronics is developing a $700 GPS unit that replaces your car radio. It still acts as a stereo, but also receives GPS signals.