View Full Version : RE: WASS issues



firefighterjake
03-28-2006, 03:17 PM
OK, right up front I kind of expect to get razzed for having a Magellan, but lately I've noticed a problem and I don't know if it's just me or due to something I've done so I would appreciate any honest answers to this question.

For the past few days I've been trying to get a WAAS lock and my GPSr won't establish a lock . . . the best I can get is EPE 16 feet. This makes it darn near impossible for me to do a cache hide.

What I'm wondering is if anyone else has any similar problems . . . which could possibly point to a problem with the satellite.

Alternatively, has anyone else had this happen to them? I was up on a hill the other day with a whole lot of high-powered transmitter antennas and was wondering if this could have done something to the GPSr unit.

Sabby
03-28-2006, 03:34 PM
Seems to me that I read that they moved the WASS sat to the west and we might not be able to see it. This is in anticipation of a new sat that will provide better coverage later this year.

from http://gps.faa.gov/programs/waas/non-aviationUsers-text.htm

Information for Non-Aviation Users
This page has been prepared to inform non-aviation users what they can expect as a result of the upcoming WAAS GEO satellite move.
The move of the AOR-W satellite to the west may have a significant impact on non-aviation users on the East Coast. In its new position, the AOR-W satellite will appear lower on the horizon to users situated at ground level. As a result, the satellite may be obstructed by mountains, buildings, trees, or other types of obstructions that sit to the west of the user.
This situation is temporary. A new WAAS satellite (PanAmSat) comes on-line in the fall of 2006 that will restore service to users on the East Coast affected by the temporary outage

WhereRWe?
03-28-2006, 03:59 PM
Cool! So... If you get home late, you can just tell the spouse: "they moved the satellite". :D :D :D

robt
03-28-2006, 04:32 PM
Seems to me that I read that they moved the WASS sat to the west and we might not be able to see it. This is in anticipation of a new sat that will provide better coverage later this year.

from http://gps.faa.gov/programs/waas/non-aviationUsers-text.htm

Information for Non-Aviation Users
This page has been prepared to inform non-aviation users what they can expect as a result of the upcoming WAAS GEO satellite move.
The move of the AOR-W satellite to the west may have a significant impact on non-aviation users on the East Coast. In its new position, the AOR-W satellite will appear lower on the horizon to users situated at ground level. As a result, the satellite may be obstructed by mountains, buildings, trees, or other types of obstructions that sit to the west of the user.
This situation is temporary. A new WAAS satellite (PanAmSat) comes on-line in the fall of 2006 that will restore service to users on the East Coast affected by the temporary outage

Thanks, I was wondering why I was having so many issues with that lately

firefighterjake
03-28-2006, 05:05 PM
Thanks, I was wondering why I was having so many issues with that lately

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one.

firefighterjake
03-28-2006, 05:07 PM
Seems to me that I read that they moved the WASS sat to the west and we might not be able to see it. This is in anticipation of a new sat that will provide better coverage later this year.

from http://gps.faa.gov/programs/waas/non-aviationUsers-text.htm

Information for Non-Aviation Users
This page has been prepared to inform non-aviation users what they can expect as a result of the upcoming WAAS GEO satellite move.
The move of the AOR-W satellite to the west may have a significant impact on non-aviation users on the East Coast. In its new position, the AOR-W satellite will appear lower on the horizon to users situated at ground level. As a result, the satellite may be obstructed by mountains, buildings, trees, or other types of obstructions that sit to the west of the user.
This situation is temporary. A new WAAS satellite (PanAmSat) comes on-line in the fall of 2006 that will restore service to users on the East Coast affected by the temporary outage

Very interesting . . . so does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do . . . I have a couple of caches that I would like to place and I'm a bit reluctant to place them without being able to use the WAAS and WAAS averaging. Is there a better time of day to try to get WAAS?

Trezurs*-R-*Fun
03-28-2006, 05:24 PM
Very interesting . . . so does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do . . . I have a couple of caches that I would like to place and I'm a bit reluctant to place them without being able to use the WAAS and WAAS averaging. Is there a better time of day to try to get WAAS?


Here's a suggestion, borrow a Garmin......LOL. (I couldn't resist) :D

I set out my first 5 caches without WAAS. I used my old Yellow eTrex personal navigator which doesn't even support WAAS. I averaged several readings by walking away then coming back to the exact spot and marking the coords. To date no one has had any issue with those coords. I would walk approx. 50 feet away in several different directions then come back to the intended hiding spot and mark each reading separately. I would repeat this 5 - 10 times depending on the tree cover. I would throw away the coord. that appeared to deviate the most and average the rest. This seems to work well, at least for me..

brdad
03-28-2006, 05:49 PM
I've placed all my caches using the same method TRF has with my 'Ol Yeller and had few complaints about coords. The only thing I have done different is come back on different days to get my averages. About 30 times on Battleship, but I can be obsessive. Just come back to the cache as if you don't know where it is and see how close it gets you.

WhereRWe?
03-28-2006, 06:03 PM
Very interesting . . . so does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do . . . I have a couple of caches that I would like to place and I'm a bit reluctant to place them without being able to use the WAAS and WAAS averaging. Is there a better time of day to try to get WAAS?

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. If the coordinates you establish are WAY off from what cache finders are experiencing, you can adjust them later and nobody will blame you.

:D :D

d’76
03-28-2006, 06:50 PM
Ask Mainiac, I couldnt pick up a signal Friday night at his house. I gave up and put it away. We went caching on Sunday and the best I could do for a long time at his house 160 ft. I would do better using a compass and a good hint. I havent had it on since Sunday but I was able to get around 16 ft. +/- I usually can do better than that. Maybe its just in our head:D

Hiram357
03-28-2006, 09:39 PM
i use my 72 at work just about every day, and i've noticed at the so-called peak times i average normally around 9 to16ft accuracy, and during the off hours (when sats aren't in view) i average about 16 to 24ft, i havent' noticed too much difference in the accuracy, but i have noticed it has been taking longer to aquire sats.

firefighterjake
03-29-2006, 07:09 AM
Thanks for the replys guys. I asked this same question at GC.com and got the same answer that Sabby gave me . . . along with this informative link. Looks like we'll be without WAAS for a while . . . looks like this satellite move pretty much only affects Maine and part of New Hampshire and of course, parts of eastern Canada (can't forget our friends in the North.) Also, the press release says the move started in February and should be complete in two months . . . and it's about a month into the move so this is probably the answer to my no-WAAS question.

http://gps.faa.gov/programs/waas/for_pilots.htm


I also appreciate the input on placing the cache without WAAS. Looks like it will take a bit longer, but at least I can get some of those caches out that I've been sitting on . . . and dragging back and forth to Bangor with me for the past four days.