The IEEE Communications Society Portugal Chapter, the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Portugal Chapter, and the Instituto de Telecomunicações successfully organized the “GPS Games Portugal Tour 2026”, a three-day initiative dedicated to hands-on learning in GNSS technologies and amateur radio, held from April 19 to 21, 2026, in Covilhã and Lisbon.
The event brought together around 40 participants, including students, researchers, and telecommunications enthusiasts, highlighting the growing interest in practical applications of global navigation systems and real-time communication technologies.
The tour featured internationally experienced speaker Miroslav Skoric, IEEE Senior Member, who shared more than 30 years of expertise in computer systems and amateur radio. Throughout the sessions, participants explored real-world GPS applications in communication systems through practical demonstrations, low-cost GPS receiver experiments, and outdoor radio equipment activities.
The first stage of the initiative took place at the University of Beira Interior, where sessions were hosted at UBIMEDICAL and the Faculty of Engineering. Topics included GNSS fundamentals, APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System), environmental monitoring using integrated sensors, and practical antenna workshops focused on VHF/UHF and HF communications.
The tour concluded in Lisbon at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted by the Instituto de Telecomunicações. Participants attended technical sessions on positioning systems and real-time communication applications, and live demonstrations of GNSS technologies.
Beyond its technical component, the “GPS Games Portugal Tour 2026” stood out for its educational impact and its promotion of hands-on engineering education, strengthening collaboration between academia, industry, and the scientific community.
With free admission upon registration, the initiative provided accessible learning opportunities for students and young researchers, encouraging the development of practical skills in telecommunications, navigation technologies, and emergency communication systems.
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