What Is Waas - Garmin GPSMAP 376C Owner's Manual

• Searching for WAAS—WAAS is enabled and the receiver is
searching for WAAS signal.
• Using WAAS—WAAS capability is enabled and the unit is
receiving WAAS corrections.
• Check Beacon Wiring—the DGPS setting is enabled in the
Interface sub tab on the Main Menu—Setup tab but no DGPS
device is detected.
• No Beacon Signal—DGPS receiver is attached, but not
transmitting RTCM data to GPS.
• Tuning Beacon—the receiver is tuning manually to a DGPS
frequency.
• Using Differential—the unit is receiving DGPS corrections.
• Scanning for Beacon—the DGPS receiver is scanning for an
available frequency.

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
GPSMAP 376C Owner's Manual
190-00508-00_0C.indd 123
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.
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.
All SBAS systems use the same receiver frequency; therefore, any
operational SBAS system should be capable of providing your GPS
unit with increased accuracy at any location in the world.
Currently, enabling WAAS on your Garmin GPSMAP 376C in
regions that are not supported by ground stations might not improve
accuracy, even when receiving signals from an SBAS satellite. In
fact it can degrade the accuracy to less than that provided by GPS
satellites alone. For this reason, when you enable WAAS on your
Garmin GPS receiver, the receiver automatically uses the method
that achieves the best accuracy. To enable WAAS, see
For more information, go to http://gps.faa.gov/Programs/WAAS/
waas.htm.
A > S I
PPENDIX ATELLITE NFORMATION
page 6.
123
11/6/2006 9:47:48 AM