What is gps, What is waas – Jabra c330 User Manual

Page 28

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24

c330 Owner’s Manual

A

PPENDIX

What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation

system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the

U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military

applications, but the government made the system available for civilian

use in the 1980s. GPS works in any weather condition, anywhere in the

world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to

use GPS.
A GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least three GPS

satellites to calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and track

movement. With four or more satellites in view, the receiver can

determine your 3D position (latitude, longitude, and altitude). Once your

position has been determined, the receiver can display it on the c330’s

Map

page and calculate other information, such as speed and bearing.

What is WAAS?

The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is an FAA-funded project

to improve the overall integrity of the GPS signal and increase position

accuracy for users in North America. The system is made up of satellites

and approximately 25 ground reference stations positioned across the

United States that monitor GPS satellite data. Two master stations,

located on either coast, collect data from the reference stations and create

a GPS data correction message.
According to the FAA’s Web site, testing in September 2002 of WAAS

confirmed an accuracy performance of 1–2 meters horizontal and 2–3

meters vertical throughout the majority of the continental United States

and portions of Alaska. For more information, go to

http://gps.faa

.gov/Programs/WAAS/waas.htm

.

WAAS is just one service provider that adheres to the MOPS

(Minimum Operational Performance Standard) for global Satellite

Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS). Eventually, there will be several

services of worldwide geostationary communication satellites and ground

reference stations.
Currently, enabling WAAS on your c330 in regions that are not supported

can degrade the accuracy. For this reason, when you enable WAAS on

your c330, the receiver automatically uses the method that achieves the

best accuracy. To enable WAAS, refer to

page 20

.

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