General

IPX0: No special protection.

IPX1: Protected against falling water. 3-5mm rain/min for 10 minutes in normal operating position.

IPX2: Protected against falling water. 3-5mm rain/min for 10 minutes when tilted to 15 degrees in 4 fixed positions.

IPX3: Protected against spraying water. 60 degrees from vertical – pressure 80-100kN/m sq for 5 minutes.

IPX4: Protected against splashing water. All angles – pressure 80-100kN/m sq.

IPX5: Protected against water jets. All angles – pressure of 30kN/m sq – 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.

IPX6: Protected against heavy seas. All angles – pressure of 100kN/m sq – 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.

IPX7: Protected against water immersion. 30 minutes at a depth of one meter.

You’ve heard the term WAAS, seen it on packaging and ads for Garmin® products, and maybe even know it stands for Wide Area Augmentation System. Okay, so what the heck is it? Basically, it’s a system of satellites and ground stations that provide GPS signal corrections, giving you even better position accuracy. How much better? Try an average of up to five times better. A WAAS-capable receiver can give you a position accuracy of better than three meters 95 percent of the time. And you don’t have to purchase additional receiving equipment or pay service fees to utilize WAAS.

The origins of WAAS

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) are developing the WAAS program for use in precision flight approaches. Currently, GPS alone does not meet the FAA’s navigation requirements for accuracy, integrity, and availability. WAAS corrects for GPS signal errors caused by ionospheric disturbances, timing, and satellite orbit errors, and it provides vital integrity information regarding the health of each GPS satellite.

How it Works

WAAS consists of...

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 in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions,anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There in no subscription fee or setup charge to use GPS.

How it works

GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal information to earth. GPS receivers take this information and use triangulation to calculate the user’s exact location. Essentially, the GPS receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far away the satellite is. Now, with distance measurements from a few more satellites, the receiver can determine the user’s position and display it on the unit’s electronic map.

A GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least three satellites to calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and
track...

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Paul: I have been using both the MetroGuide Europe and the Europe Roads and Recreation (Europe R&R) CDs since March of 2002. I can state categorically that they are good and very useful products that chart one’s way quite well in the often-tangled urban jungles of Europe. I have used these products with my GPS V [Americas], from GPSCentral of course, and I should also mention that I have availed myself of all the available GPS V firmware and all of the MapSource software updates (Versions 2.05 and 4.09 respectively as of this writing) since I acquired both items. I would also encourage all GPS users in the community to do the same. These updates are useful and they do augment the capability and performance of your unit. In the case of the GPS V for example, Garmin have added a small “alarm clock” feature as well as a calculator should you need it, and there are many...