18 Wheels and a dozen birds

Hounddog · Post by **Hounddog** » 27 August 05 11:34 am

On a recent trip driving to Adelaide we had to cross the Hay plain. Miles and miles or dead flat featureless terrain. Only the shuddering draft of giant passing trucks breaks the monotony. But then something special. I glanced down at our GPS and saw it was picking up 12 birds and all at full saturation Not often I have seen that. How many others have seen their GPS working off 12 satellites. Is this as rare as it seems.

Hounddog

swampgecko · Post by **swampgecko** » 27 August 05 1:07 pm

Only Once I have seen a full count of skygods locked on, on the GPS..
This was on the return from Panorama Cache(the one overlooking Broken Bay) with George and Leek

EcoTeam · Post by **EcoTeam** » 27 August 05 6:23 pm

I remember seeing it only a couple of times. I think one was while doing the Tidal cache:
http://geocaching.com.au/cache/gcb1d3

EcoDave

president & 1st lady · Post by **president & 1st lady** » 27 August 05 7:35 pm

12 satelites, but no mobile phone coverage?

1st lady

alex · Post by **alex** » 27 August 05 10:58 pm

When explaining/demonstrating GPS to customers I have often joked that if ever I got 12 satellites I would be on a chat group to boast about it!!

Congratulations, 11 is my best ever.

Team Piggy · Post by **Team Piggy** » 27 August 05 11:07 pm

Picked up 12 and full signal on a longtail boat near Phang Nha in Thailand in 2003, I have a pic of it somewhere here, will see if I can find which CD it is on.

There was pretty flat water with large rock outcrops everywhere (Islands) Closest at that time was about 600 mtrs away.

GIN51E · Post by **GIN51E** » 28 August 05 10:09 am

I think i can take the cake on this one.

Yesterday i was down in Wollongong and was at cache "A Bit Eww" located on the beach and the GPS was tracking 13 Sats with full signal and WAAS now you can get much better then that.

Hounddog · Post by **Hounddog** » 28 August 05 10:42 am

I'll let someone else pick him up on that one.

GIN51E · Post by **GIN51E** » 28 August 05 10:56 am

Hounddog wrote:I'll let someone else pick him up on that one.

pick up on what? the 13sats? i know most GPS units can only track 12 but mine the explorist 600 can track 14.

or the WAAS?

i think it says WAAS just like it did nearly all day long.

now pick up on what?

swampgecko · Post by **swampgecko** » 28 August 05 11:09 am

Just been reading the PDF Manual for the Explorist600, and yes it can track 14 satellites.... It is also WAAS and EGNOS capabilities too... EGNOS is an interesting read, a similar system to the WAAS and the Japanese MSAS. Though EGNOS is satellite based. All three provide a similar function.. correction data for ensuring accurate navigation.

Hounddog · Post by **Hounddog** » 28 August 05 11:21 am

I'm surprised at you Swampy, for falling into this one.

I'll let you guys read up on WAAS, from the following link. http://www.gpsoz.com.au/WAAS.htm 

The receiver may be WAAS capable, but in Australia you should turn it off because there is no signal present and it will only degrade the accuracy of your GPSr. It also runs your baterries down a little faster for no gain.

As for the 13 sats. It's a bit hard to explain why this is near impossible at sea level. I have to got work now but I will explain later.

Hounddog

swampgecko · Post by **swampgecko** » 28 August 05 11:40 am

I didn't state we had WAAS out here HD... just pointing out a site that may help GIN51E understand it a bit better... as for the 13 satellites... if his system is capable detecting 14 satellites(which is backed up by the manufacturer), why is it then impossible to do?

riblit · Post by **riblit** » 28 August 05 12:06 pm

GPS signals are 'line of sight' and don't go through the earth. If I remember my theory correctly (It's been a while), the max radio "view" is a tangent to the sphere of diameter 5/4 that of the earth at the point of the receiver. 
At ground level, this is 12 satellites.

<img src ="http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gps/const.jpg">

GIN51E · Post by **GIN51E** » 28 August 05 2:25 pm

riblit wrote:GPS signals are 'line of sight' and don't go through the earth. If I remember my theory correctly (It's been a while), the max radio "view" is a tangent to the sphere of diameter 5/4 that of the earth at the point of the receiver. 
At ground level, this is 12 satellites.

<img src ="http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gps/const.jpg">

listen to all you women, i comment on what happened to me and what "I" actually saw on my GPS screen,

i was standing on the beach and it sayed "Tracking 13 Satellites" on the screen, so i don't care what you guys have to say i had 13 Satellites being tracked by my GPS so you can think what you want but i know what i saw,

as for the WAAS i'm fully aware of everyone saying its not in Australia but i think there is something happening which no one knows about,

i've had this GPS unit since the end of June and in that time now found 75 caches and hidden 4 and never have i once seen WAAS displayed by the GPS, so for it all of a sudden yesterday to come up saying WAAS and still today it says WAAS. then something has changed in regards to the satellites.