+Choachy Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Ive been curious to see how much more accurate my legend could get, but I cant seem to get it to do anything different than normal. I have the interface mode set to garmin, GPS mode in normal, and WAAS enabled under the system preferences. I was getting a signal from Satellite 35, even made sure I turned/aimed right towards it, and waiting about 5 minutes in the area, and I didnt get any of the symbols on the satellite screen that I expected. Am I missing something? My time, your time is limited, but time itself is unlimited. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 It takes longer than 5 min to set up your WAAS almanac and then you might see some results. I've had someone tell me they stood on top of one of my caches wiht WAAS saying '3' accuracey instead of the 20' they stated with. It helps to have big sky all around. Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+scoobydum Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Here's some good info on WAAS: http://gpsinformation.net/waasgps.htm http://gpsinformation.net/exe/waas.html ------------------------ Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I went down into the canyon, bush-whacked through the branches and thorns, waded across the river, climbed the rock face, found the cache, and walked along the *%#@!! TRAIL back to my truck! Quote Link to comment
+Choachy Posted February 14, 2003 Author Share Posted February 14, 2003 Good info. Thanks for the links. My time, your time is limited, but time itself is unlimited. Quote Link to comment
+apersson850 Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Now when I got a replacement Vista, instead of the one with the malfuntioning display, the new one new nothing about EGNOS. They aren't really transmitting yet, but test data can be received. I drove around with the unit in the car at several occasions during a day, but to no avail. No EGNOS satellite found. When I came home, I placed the Vista in a window, where I know that IOR can be received. Then I had dinner. After that, it had placed #33 and #44 (AOR-E and IOR) correctly on the satellite page. Now it knows what to find, and EGNOS lock occurs in a few seconds when I go out. So, invest half an hour or something and let the unit stand still, preferable tilted towards the WAAS satellite you are trying to receive. Also note that while it could see #44 only, that transmits almanac data for #33 too. Anders Quote Link to comment
+elmo-fried Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Anders:Now when I got a replacement Vista, instead of the one with the malfuntioning display, the new one new nothing about EGNOS. They aren't really transmitting yet, but test data can be received. I drove around with the unit in the car at several occasions during a day, but to no avail. No EGNOS satellite found. When I came home, I placed the Vista in a window, where I know that IOR can be received. Then I had dinner. After that, it had placed #33 and #44 (AOR-E and IOR) correctly on the satellite page. Now it knows what to find, and EGNOS lock occurs in a few seconds when I go out. So, invest half an hour or something and let the unit stand still, preferable tilted towards the WAAS satellite you are trying to receive. Also note that while it could see #44 only, that transmits almanac data for #33 too. Anders Also, if you recently do a firmware upgrade, you'll often lose almanac data (like from 2.5 to the latest 3.10 eTrex Legend software). I typically take my GPSr to a wide open area right after I upgrade the firmware and just let it sit for 10-15 minutes and typically show at least one of the WAAS birds (last two sats on the list). Jason Roysdon jason.roysdon.net Quote Link to comment
+st_richardson Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Anders:Now when I got a replacement Vista, instead of the one with the malfuntioning display, the new one new nothing about EGNOS. They aren't really transmitting yet, but test data can be received. I drove around with the unit in the car at several occasions during a day, but to no avail. No EGNOS satellite found. When I came home, I placed the Vista in a window, where I know that IOR can be received. Then I had dinner. After that, it had placed #33 and #44 (AOR-E and IOR) correctly on the satellite page. Now it knows what to find, and EGNOS lock occurs in a few seconds when I go out. So, invest half an hour or something and let the unit stand still, preferable tilted towards the WAAS satellite you are trying to receive. Also note that while it could see #44 only, that transmits almanac data for #33 too. Anders I've done a master reset and tried several times for 1 or 2 hours to reload the WAAS data without luck. I know that I have a clear signal because my Rino 120 units are recieving the data. BTW... Is there anyone on the US East coast using WAAS with the latest software? [This message was edited by st_richardson on February 22, 2003 at 02:36 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+st_richardson Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 I let my Vista acquire Satellites till the batteries ran down this evening. I still have not been able get WAAS data. It really bugs me that I can't get the data while my Rino has no problems. Quote Link to comment
mlastella Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 I own an eTrex Vista, which I have only used in and around Los Gatos, California and the Pinnacles National Monument (I just got it and started to learn how to use it). I see a WAAS satellite check in every now and then on the device, but not all the time. The best accuracy measurement that I have seen so far is 17 feet that I can recall. I don't remember if that included the WAAS satellite or not. From what I remember in the instruction manual, there were only two of these types of satellites up right now. One over the Atlantic and another over the Pacific. Because of this, I don't imagine that you can reach these particular satellites from everywhere. But, I'm no rocket scientist! Quote Link to comment
+Choachy Posted February 23, 2003 Author Share Posted February 23, 2003 About 4 nights ago, I was showing off my eTrex legend to a friend who hadn't seen it yet. I powered it up, and explained to him that I havent been able to get WAAS to work yet, and it was very strange to me... The GPSr acquired a signal from enough satellites in about 10 seconds, and after about 30 seconds(long enough to scroll through the pages), I was showing a 'D' under my all satellites, and accuracy jumped down to 10-12 feet. This was under a cloudy sky as well. I couldnt believe how fast it happened, and I did not try any of the above suggestions yet. In fact, I hadn't even powered on the GPS since I started this thread. My time, your time is limited, but time itself is unlimited. Quote Link to comment
+apersson850 Posted February 24, 2003 Share Posted February 24, 2003 Have you spoken gently to your GPS units? If the Vista is upset, perhaps due to rough language, it will less likely be in such a mood, that it can really receive these tricky WAAS signals. Anders Quote Link to comment
+st_richardson Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Anders:Have you spoken gently to your GPS units? If the Vista is upset, perhaps due to rough language, it will less likely be in such a mood, that it can really receive these tricky WAAS signals. Anders You mean it doesn't help to throw the GD thing at the nearest tree? Seriously though I had it on top of a mountain this week. I rotated the Vista 90 degrees every half hour or so with no luck. I know the signal is there to be received because I checked it with my Rino first. Garmin has suggested I download the software again before sending it to them with a $125 check. I'm hoping that will solve the problem as I have hard time believing it is a hardware problem when it stopped working after the software upgrade. I'll also try reloading a previous software version before sending it to Garmin. BTW... What is trick again to get in diagnostic mode? I'd like to see if it passes the checksum. Quote Link to comment
+apersson850 Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 Is it scanning for WAAS channels as it is supposed to be doing, i.e. looking through sats #33 thru #50, changing every 45 seconds or so? Or does it just sit there listening to the same sat all the time, without success? To enter diagnostics mode, hold Enter pressed while turning the GD thing on. Anders Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 Maybe he's just in Battery Saver mode. Won't get WAAS if he is. Quote Link to comment
+st_richardson Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Anders:Is it scanning for WAAS channels as it is supposed to be doing, i.e. looking through sats #33 thru #50, changing every 45 seconds or so? Or does it just sit there listening to the same sat all the time, without success?... It just sits there. As far as I can tell it has no idea that there are any sats above 33. I hope to have time Saturday to try reloading the software. quote:Originally posted by EraSeek:Maybe he's just in Battery Saver mode.... Thanks for the reminder. I believe I checked that also. Quote Link to comment
+Rich in NEPA Posted March 2, 2003 Share Posted March 2, 2003 quote:Originally posted by st_richardson: BTW... Is there anyone on the US East coast using WAAS with the latest software? FWIW, I'm currently using a GPSmap76 with the v3.10 firmware and have no trouble getting the AOR-W (#35) WAAS signal and 3D Differential location. My unit usually indicates well under 3-meter estimated accuracy in this mode. (Don't ask me if this actually makes a difference in the field 'cuz I haven't noticed any!) Cheers ... ~Rich in NEPA~ === A man with a GPS receiver knows where he is; a man with two GPS receivers is never sure. === Quote Link to comment
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