WAAS less expensive and more accurate?

[Guest ferdinand]

12 channel parrellel, common cheap, limited resolution. Differential, more expensive, better resolution.

Does any one know about WAAS, I heard it was less expensive, but better resolution. DOes any one know if any hand helds are using it?

[Guest peter]

The new Garmin eTrex Venture, Legend, and Vista that are just becoming available are reported to support the WAAS signals. The Garmin eMap and perhaps some other models have been said to be capable of supporting WAAS but a new firmware version would be required.

[Guest doc_api]

I remember reading somewhere that some of the new gps units are capable of using WAAS, but that there aren't enough WAAS sattelites out there for it to be really effective at this point.

[Guest Alex]

The only way to find out is to ask.....

 

What is WAAS please?

 

Alex

[Guest Moun10Bike]

It stands for "Wide Area Augmentation System." It is a system being set up by the FAA (the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration) to allow for Category 1 landings using the GPS system. (Cat 1 means close to the runway but not good enough for zero-visibility landing -- you need LAAS, or Local Area Augmentation System, for that.) You can essentially think of it as a DGPS system that uses geosynchronous satellites put in orbit by the FAA. You can find out more at http://joe.mehaffey.com/waaslaas.htm.

 

[This message has been edited by Moun10Bike (edited 03-02-2001).]

[Guest ScottJ]

The link above is no good. Something spelled wrong? Didn't have time to investigate.

[Guest Moun10Bike]

It looks like the period at the end of the sentence got incorporated into the URL. I have edited the message so that the period doesn't get added to the address. It should work now!