As of Midnight 02 May 2000 the US Air Force is TURNING OFF the random 100 meter error that has been effecting the accuracy of civilian GPS receivers.

This was reported by CBS and NBC news today.

 

Please don't ask how accurate GPS is for measuring time and distance when comparing quads! That was as bad as "Octane"-LOL-
By the way, how accurate is is for where you are and how accurate will this make it?

 

"As bad as 'Octane?'"

NOTHING is as bad as "Octane," TxDoc2!

Even with the random positional error, the old GPS gave quite accurate speed readings, because, while the position provided was absolute, the speed indication was relative to immediately previous transmissions and . . . oh, never mind!

Tree Farmer

 

GPS's have always been 99% accurate in Speed since speed didn't threaten the military but with position and altitude they were way way off.. At sea level mine counted down to-240 ft then up to 3,000 feet then back down. It also pinpointed me about 200 yards off the road that I was on I hope I can get a better lock after tomorrow I own the garmen GPSIII and Eagel explorer

 

On the news this morning I heard 30 to 40 feet of accuracy. THis is just what I heard. I don't use a GPS since youo can pretty much navigate by sun or stars where I ride. If you get lost in my riding areas, you shouldn't be there any way.

 

Checked my GPS this morning and it's displaying accuracy around 30 feet. Zoomed in on my map, which often shows me a little off the road and found that my location cursor was dead on! Heard this would happen eventually. I'm betting the automotive lobbyists pushed hard for this to enhance their on-board navigation systems.

 

I hope this is true, we have been riding on some DNR land that somebody has "cut" some new trails, we don't want to get lost now do we

 

I checked my GPS today and the estimated position error was 16 feet. The Altitude change was only only a 9 foot swing between extremes. This is quite a change from the past. By the way I Live in Idaho and use the GPS quite extensively to map roads as the forest service wishes to close about 8 million acres of Idaho forest. They claim there are no roads in most places, but if there are roads and we can document it, then they say they will have to investigate further. So, with enhanced accuracy maybe the Interior Dept will start listening. HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL....

 

minehunter, I'm getting involved in a similar effort to "document" roads and trails. As you probably know, proving/documenting a road/trail exists is a lot easier than getting goverment agencies to acknowledge existence. We use an alternative "Adopt-A -Trail" tactic involving the mapping and "adoption" of un-documented trails by various sponsors, making it hard to deny their existence despite delays or lack of agency acknowledgment. Don't know if you're already on to this; thought I'd let you know.

 

Minehunter and Goat, we have thousends of miles of logging roads on the west side of oregon and the USFS has already closed most of them with a 20 foot trench on each. My Microsoft streets 2000 shows all the roads around my house (MT Hood Nationl Forest). Even one my Granpa built in 1922 that was closed in 1979! I will personly join and donate to any group that will try to keep these roads open.