BEHAVIOR
This GM system is a subscription service that can provide vehicle tracking (for stolen cars), emergency response (notifying authorities of an emergency and its location), and other communications. Newer versions of OnStar automatically contact emergency services if the vehicle is involved in a serious accident. Some systems allow police to shut off the car’s engine if it has been reported stolen.
HABITAT
The antenna is usually found on the back of the roof, in the center.
It often has a distinctive shark-fin shape, but other shapes are used as well.
HOW IT WORKS
OnStar uses cellular telephone systems to communicate. Emergencies are handled out of two call centers operated around the clock: one in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the other in Oshawa, Ontario.
The system has a diagnostic system to sense problems, such as impacts that suggest a collision. When an impact is recorded, the system communicates to the operation centers by cell phone service provided
by the three major cell phone companies in the United States.
The service includes a built-in car phone. The driver can make and receive calls without picking up a phone. Calls are made hands-free.
© 2009 by Ed Sobey
All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN: 978-1-55652-812-5
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sobey, Edwin J. C., 1948–
A field guide to automotive technology / Ed Sobey.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-55652-812-5
1. Automobiles—Popular works. 2. Mechanics—Popular works. I. Title.
TL146.5.S63 2008
629.2—dc22
2008046620
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