I think I lost my WASS

[Franklee]

I sent my iQue back and received a new one. Everything seems to work now but I don't get those "D's" on the bar graph anymore. Every once in a while a "D" appears then it goes away. I used to have 3 or 4 most of the time. Do I need to give it a real long time with the antenna open to get this or is something wrong with my unit? I've had it outside and open for about 30 minutes 3 or 4 times so far. Also what is the difference between solid bar and hollow bar? Thanks fellow GPS'ers for help.

[alexcue]

Probably a silly question but you did turn on th WAAS in preferences correct?

Also, yes it can take a while to get the first almanac from WAAS satellites. it's best to not move and be an an open area that has views of the horizons. Once they get a lock they come along easier.

[Franklee]

Alexcue, not a silly question, I've helped people with computers that weren't plugged in. Yes WASS is enabled and the "D" will sometimes show itself but just on one bar and then it goes away after about 3 secs.

[jonasolof]

Franklee, where about do you try to receive WAAS?

A hollow bar means the satellite is listened to and in the case of WAAS/EGNOS sats diffrential corrections may be received.

In the case of black bars it means that on top of the above (sorry for the lack of logic) the WAAS/EGNOS sat is also used for positioning although it is in geostationary orbit.

[Franklee]

Originally posted by jonasolof
Franklee, where about do you try to receive WAAS?

A hollow bar means the satellite is listened to and in the case of WAAS/EGNOS sats diffrential corrections may be received.

In the case of black bars it means that on top of the above (sorry for the lack of logic) the WAAS/EGNOS sat is also used for positioning although it is in geostationary orbit.

Jonasolof, Thanks for the info. I'm in the SE United States. I had the "D's" before in this area. This unit is a replacement and I'm not getting them yet except once in a while. I don't remember when I got my first one if it took days before I got the "D's"

[Curious Cat]

Originally posted by Franklee
I don't use one and the only reason I'm on this thread is to see if I can get one of you genuses to stop playing with your protectors long enough to help me with my thread. :D
Smart people only click here (http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=31389)

Sorry, Hope I don't get kicked off for being impatient.


Would have tried sooner but the "smart people only” threw me off.:D

I've heard that it can take 30 or more minutes for the WASS satellite to download all it's info to the GPS system the first time. I would leave it on for a couple of hours in an unobstructed area and see how it does. If you still don't have any D's then you might have a problem. Hopefully someone else can shed some more light on your situation.

[Moose Man]

Jonas and Anders are the resident experts in this arena - but I will say that since the solar flare of a few weeks ago I've noticed that Sat 47 is the only one I typically get a D signal from and I used to get it from both the 35 (closer to you) and the 47.

Now this may be my imagination and I notice more D signals at night. I suspect because of less radiation and less interference.

Besides - I've gotten accuracy of 7.8 or so feet without D's (WAAS disabled) and then turn on the D's and get 13 feet. I don't think it's that big of a deal other than a certain comfort level of knowing that the Que is 100% since it's return.

I would be more concerned about accuracy - which to me is the better gage because we don't know when the WAAS may be disabled or down.

How's the accuracy relative to before?

That's my 2cents.

[Franklee]

Thanks Curious and Moose, I'm going to try and leave it on for a while but right now it's clowdy and raining. I used to average about 20 ft accuracy with a best about 6 to 7 ft. Now my best is about 14 ft. Still seems to work well but I wonder what happenned to all my D's, not that I know what they help with anyway.

[apersson850]

So far I haven't seen any reception of Egnos with the built-in antenna. With an external antenna, it does happen every so often.
I haven't tried Jonas' patented frying pan amplifier, though. :)

Besides, I can only second the answers given above, even if I humbly accept the appointment to "he-who-knows-it-all" as far as this matter goes.

I may add, just for your information, that it's WAAS, not WASS. Wide Area Augmentation System is one example of a SBAS, Satellite Based Augmentation System.
European Geostationary Navigational Overlay System is another.

[Moose Man]

Did they put up a cellular tower recently in your area or something along those lines? Perhaps this changed it or maybe a neighbor put up a Satellite Dish that's two phased getting internet access. Grasping at straws here.

My Que averages around the 14 you show without a Gilsson external. I can only get it down to around the 7 when it's in the car heading due east.

How many satellites are you tracking and then where are they relative to either overhead or closer to the equator. If your tracking 12 sats with the ones directly overhead showing full strength then I'd say the antenna's good.

Also one other thing that I've noticed: if one of the WAAS bird's is "masked" by another SAT - that is very close to the same position as the 35 - the Que seems confused and doesn't like to D until there is seperation.

If you are getting D's then you haven't lost WAAS. It may just be atmosperic as you say. If you are getting D's, I doubt Garmin would "admit" any problem.

I very seldom get D's in town - almost always out on the open road and since the weather has turned Winter - maybe your not out as much or travelling in the same areas.

Just suggestions - but again I'm not an expert on the GPS WAAS scenario.

:)

[jonasolof]

Anders has posted comments before to the effect that if the iQue starts to apply D correction but then realizes that the sats that corrections can be applied to are not in a good position for triangulation, then it can revert back to non-waas correction. Dale De Priest has more on this on his iQue review.

De Prist has also taught us that a "bad" accuracy with WAAS can imply a more true position than a "better" accuracy without WAAS. I's just like in real life.You can be darn sure but wrong or a litle bit hesitant but yet closer to truth.

Jonas

[stevevo]

My new iQue is working really well but the other day I turned on the WAAS and tried it for a long time but got nothing and then shut it down and when I turned it back on and turned off WAAS it tried to look for satalites then and it took forever. I almost thought that it lost the antenna again. It did start aquiring again after about 10 minutes.

Stevevo

[Pekkle]

Since day one my WASS was enabled but I never ever received a single D in my iQue. However GPS V has received a lot of Ds in the same spot.. so I don't know.. other than that my iQue works fine.

[Franklee]

Moose and all, Thanks for all the suggesttions. I'm only getting 10 not 12 sats now and I'm pretty sure I used to get 12 before. This is with driving around so I don't think it's something new in my neighborhood. I'll see if it changes in the next few days and call Garmin if I'm having problems.

[Moose Man]

Don't forget the last two are always reserved for 35 and 47 so unless your D'ing those probably won't be seen.

How strong is the signal on the other 10 if it's real good then it's probably the WAAS birds just aren't friendly today.

[Franklee]

Originally posted by Curious Cat

I've heard that it can take 30 or more minutes for the WASS satellite to download all it's info to the GPS system the first time. I would leave it on for a couple of hours in an unobstructed area and see how it does. If you still don't have any D's then you might have a problem. Hopefully someone else can shed some more light on your situation.

Hey your advice was the simpilist but it worked! I went to an open place and keeped the antenna out for about 40 min and then all of a sudden I got 1 "D". A little later I started getting more till I got to 6 of them. Thanks everyone for helping.

[Curious Cat]

Originally posted by Franklee
Hey your advice was the simpilist but it worked! I went to an open place and keeped the antenna out for about 40 min and then all of a sudden I got 1 "D". A little later I started getting more till I got to 6 of them. Thanks everyone for helping.

Glad I could help. With all the brilliant answers you received, I'm genuinely as surprised as you are that my answer helped at all.:)

[apersson850]

You should see reception of an augmentation satellite sooner than that, but loading the complete WAAS data takes a while. If you then miss a part, you have to wait a full cycle (is it six minutes?) before you get a new chance.

Today, I've actually seen reception of #44 on my iQue, with the internal antenna. First time ever. But it didn't work without Jonas' amplifier, this time represented by the steel in the roof of my Volvo. Works just as good as a frying pan.

[jonasolof]

Sure - you didn't try a decent old cast iron frying pan yet did you? Do it when nobody sees you and don't tell anybody (but me) how it works.

My frying pan is better than my volvo 965 steel roof. Same steel as yours, I guess.

Jonas

Back to normal life, struggling to get his iQue work.

[tgales]

Geeze!!! I've never had more than 8 active satellites at even the best scenario, and I've never even seen a D on my screen! I must not be living in the right place....