WAAS in MN

[Guest TeamCNJC]

I have a Garmin Venture with WAAS capability in the Twin Cities, MN area. With WAAS off (and battery saver on), I usually get an 18-20' accuracy. With WAAS turned on (and battery consumption high), I usually get an 18-20' accuracy, despite 8-10 satellites, all showing a differential. WAAS only works when the unit is pointing at bird 35 in the SE. Has anyone else had any better experiences in MN? -Craig

[Guest joshuabrand]

I have been down to 10 feet of accuracy with a Garmin Etrex Venture using WAAS both in North Dakota, where I live, and in Minnesota at Isle Royal National Park.

[Guest TeamCNJC]

Well, it looks like operator error again. I'm not sure what to do short of a full reset to reload the almanacs. I have been getting slightly better readings, but nothing less than 14 feet, and that's when I'm getting 15-16 feet in battery saver non-WAAS mode. Personally, for geocaching in MN it's purely academic, since I can't maintain a WAAS lock unless I'm pointing to the SE.

 

Thanks for your reply. Do you typically leave WAAS on or off?

 

-Craig

[Guest joshuabrand]

Bear in mind that WAAS is not yet fully developed and you will likely see better performance as more satellites are launched between now and 2013.

 

Typically, I have WAAS off, though I do like to play with it sometimes. Lately though, I havn't seen much difference with or without it, normally only a few feet. WAAS does slow down the operation of the Venture, so normally I'll take a few feet more of error to have faster operation.