Lowrance electronic 5300c - Manual (Page 15)

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This is not to say that it won’t work at walking or trolling speeds — it
will. There will simply be more "wandering" of the data shown on the
display.
GPS alone is accurate for route navigation, but the U.S. Federal Avia-
tion Administration has special aircraft navigation needs that go be-
yond basic GPS. So, the FAA has developed a program to boost GPS
performance with its Wide Area Augmentation System, or WAAS. The
FAA commissioned the system on July 11, 2003.
WAAS is designed to increase GPS accuracy to within 7.6 meters verti-
cally and horizontally, but it consistently delivers accuracies within 1-2
meters horizontal and 2-3 meters vertical, according to the FAA. It does
this by broadcasting correction signals on GPS frequencies. Your unit
automatically receives both GPS and WAAS signals.
There, however, are some fringe areas of the U.S., including parts of
Alaska that do not yet receive robust WAAS coverage. Continued
WAAS development is planned to extend WAAS coverage in the years
to come.
WAAS boosts the accuracy of land GPS navigation, but the system is
designed for aircraft. The satellites are in a fixed orbit around the
Equator, so they appear very low in the sky to someone on the ground
in North America. Aircraft and vessels on open water can get consis-
tently good WAAS reception, but terrain, foliage or even large man-
made structures can sometimes block the WAAS signal from ground
receivers.
You'll find that using your GPS receiver is both easy and amazingly
accurate. It’s easily the most accurate method of electronic navigation
available to the general public today. Remember that this receiver is
only a tool. Always have another method of navigation available, such
as a map or chart and a compass.
Also remember that this unit will always show navigation information
in the shortest line from your present position to a waypoint, regardless
of terrain! It only calculates position, it can’t know what’s between you
and your destination, for example. It’s up to you to safely navigate
around obstacles, no matter how you’re using this product.
Free Training Aids Available
Now that you know something about the technology that makes this
unit possible, you are ready to start learning how to use that technol-
ogy. This manual will guide you through the process of setting up and
running your unit, but that is only one of many resources available.
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