- 1). Turn on your GPS receiver and allow the unit sufficient time to acquire the satellite signals. If the receiver has been turned off for a long period of time or has been moved a significant geographical distance, it may take the receiver up to 15 minutes to acquire the correct position and time information. Consider leaving the unit on and exposed to satellite reception while not being directly used.
- 2). Ensure the WAAS function on your GPS is turned on. To reduce the number of time, position and distance errors GPS receivers were prone to, the Federal Aviation Administration developed the Wide Area Augmentation Service. The system includes two satellites that broadcast corrections for satellite positions and clock times, and 25 ground stations that monitor errors in their given areas and correct for ionosphere effects.
Turning on the WAAS function on your GPS is one of the most effective ways to improve the receiver's accuracy. Even the least expensive GPS receivers available today have WAAS capability; however, many of the factory defaults have the WAAS turned off. - 3). Hold your GPS receiver according to the type of antenna you have. Hand-held GPS receivers use two types of antennas, the patch antenna and the quadrifilar helix antenna. Determine which antenna you have by reading the specifications list in the receiver's user manual. If this is unavailable, most manufacturers list the GPS receiver's specifications on their websites.
Each of these antennas operate more effectively if held correctly. A receiver with a patch receiver's should be held "flat" or level with the ground when in use. A receiver with a quadrifilar helix antenna should be held upright, with the top of the GPS pointing at the sky when being used. - 4). Use the position averaging function of your GPS receiver to eliminate random, short-term receiver processes, such as fluctuations in signal strength. If you are geocaching in dense tree cover, along side buildings or cliffs, or in other situations where GPS signal strength or other variations may be a factor, the position averaging feature of your GPS receiver will improve the accuracy of the unit.
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