10
However, there are some fringe areas of the U.S., including parts of
Alaska, that do not yet receive robust WAAS coverage. Continued WAAS
development is planned to extend WAAS coverage in the years to come.
WAAS boosts the accuracy of land GPS navigation, but the system is
designed for aircraft. The satellites are in a fixed orbit around the
Equator, so they appear very low in the sky to someone on the ground
in North America. Aircraft and vessels on open water can get consis-
tently good WAAS reception, but terrain, foliage or even large man-made
structures can sometimes block the WAAS signal from ground receivers.
You'll find that using your GPS receiver is both easy and amazingly
accurate. It’s easily the most accurate method of electronic navigation
available to the general public today. Remember, however, that this
receiver is only a tool. Always have another method of navigation avail-
able, such as a map or chart and a compass.
Also remember that this unit will always show navigation information
in the shortest line from your present position to a waypoint, regardless
of terrain! It only calculates position, it can’t know what’s between you
and your destination, for example. It’s up to you to safely navigate
around obstacles, no matter how you’re using this product.
Free Training Aids Available
Now that you know something about the technology that makes this
unit possible, you're ready to start learning how to use that technology!
This manual will guide you through the process of setting up and run-
ning your unit, but that's only one of many resources available.
If you or a friend has Internet access, visit our web site! Find us at
WWW.LOWRANCE.COM. The site is packed with additional information
on using our products. For instance, you can learn more about inter-
preting what you see on your sonar screen with our free Sonar Tutorial.
The tutorial includes animated illustrations and more pictures of actual
sonar returns, all described in detail. There's even a "printer friendly"
version of the tutorial available on our web …it makes a great supple-
ment to this operation manual.
Sonar Viewer
You can also download a free copy of our Sonar Viewer software. This
PC-based software application plays back any sonar chart log recorded
with a Lowrance sonar product. Features include:
• Adjustable range, zoom, sensitivity, ColorLine, noise rejection,
surface clarity, etc. of the recorded file.
• Color interpretation of sonar signals can be user defined.
