WAAS up ?

[Lost Cause]

I wonder if anyone can help out a newbie here please ?



I am running a 2210 with an EMTAC GPS receiver and was wondering whether WAAS/EGNOS/SBAS (or whatever it’s called) can be used yet ? I appreciate that officially the WAAS system is still in testing, but has anyone had any success using it right now ??



I have two particular applications in my mind



1. Pin Distance – as a keen golfer (5 handicap) then the possibility of a highly ACCURATE location fix, to within a couple of yards, is really appealing !



2. TTN2 – Obviously this works fine without WAAS, but when I’m walking/hiking can the WAAS signal be received to provide greater accuracy ?



The main reason for asking is actually for the golf thing, but I’ve posted in the EMTAC forum to keep any discussion general about WAAS etc.



So, can anyone shed some light on this for a newbie please ?



Is it yet possible to do any of this, and if so, how does one configure CruxView etc ?



I've tried collating some info from this site and elsewhere, but I soon went cross-eyed...



Thanks

[MikeB]

You can configure the Emtac to use WAAS/EGNOS where available.



This is done in CruxView under the SBAS setting. All you need to do is set it to AUTO and it will use a differential fix whenever the WAAS/Egnos Sats are visible, and automatically select which one to use.



You should be aware that in Europe EGNOS is still in test phase and should not be relied on. Also it will not always be available.
_________________
Mike Barrett

[Lost Cause]

Smashing. I've found that. Thank you.



Hopefully some last questions:





1. Is there any indication in Cruxview that a differential fix has been achieved ? I can't see anything obvious in the GPS status screen. Though that may be because I haven't achieved a SBAS fix yet...



2. Once I've set SBAS to auto in Cruxview, do I have to leave Cruxview open in order to achieve a differential fix when in TTN2 (when walking for instance). I currently don't open Cruxview when in TTN2.



3. When using TTN2 are there any disadvantages to always trying to achieve a differential fix ?

[MikeB]

OK here goes.



I cannot remember specifically about CruxView, but I dont think there is an specific indication given. In fact so far the only application the I have seen that gives a positive Differential GPS indication is OziExplorerCE. I am trying to remember where I saw it but one application showed satellites in the 12x range which are the WAAS/EGNOS identification sats.



Once set then this is set in the GPS until you change the setting. So whichever GPS application you use will be fed differential corrected fixes.



I have heard that sometimes a differential fix can be less accurate than a normal fix. I have not experienced this myself. I could understand this during testing as spurious signals could be fed to the EGNOS satellite. You will also lose one (of the 12) channel on your receiver but this should not really affect your units performance.
_________________
Mike Barrett

[Lost Cause]

Cheers Mike. Thanks a trillion.



I've got all this into a context now I think - knowing what's possible, not possible and how to do it. Thanks again.



It's a shame all this is not a bit more properly supported yet - though I realise the SBAS format itself is not yet nailed down.



And alas, I'm realistic enough to know that no-one is going to get rich catering for PDA carrying golfers requesting greater accuracy !

[Lost Cause]

To partly answer my own question:



With SBAS set to auto, then sometimes on the GPS Status screen then the fix will read



'3D+DGPS'



Which I'm taking to mean 3D and Differential fix. Though there are no other indications that a differential fix is being received. Anyhow, Pin Distance does seem to be more accurate under these conditions. I hope it isn't just wishful thinking.



Somewhat strangely though, on the returning to the SBAS page, the 'SBAS Setting' reads 'AUTO!!', but 'SBAS Channel' will always read 'OFF'. Which seems like conflicting information.

[MikeB]

Your assumptions are correct. Most applications will automatically use Differential Fixes without realising or reporting it.



The CRUX view app is pretty confusing. When I first started to use it I thought that the unit kept resetting itself. This was of course not the case. The SBAS Setting is the current setting of the WAAS/EGNOS reception, whereas the SBAS Channel is the setting that would be applied. It would be nice if it defaulted to the current setting, would avoid a lot of confusion.
_________________
Mike Barrett

[snaz]

cruxview, i believe, only runs on pocket PCs. Is there any way to activate WAAS from a palm (tungsten T3, palm OS v5)?

[Dirk]

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