GPS Accuracy

[Twire]

A few of you will remember my first post regarding GPS and which model to choose. Well I ignored most of your advice and went for the CaddyAid. Reasons for this was that I wanted a PDA and the software was only 50 quid plus I like the look of it and it's functions.

Anyway, back to the accuracy question. Now I'm not talking about the mapping accuracy, but the GPS receivers accuracy. I bought a HP IPAC PDA which doesn't have inbuilt GPS, I did this for a reason, and the reason being I wanted to find an accurate receiver. After searching for an independant receiver, I found that they can vary from 2 meters up to 10 meters and beyond.

Looking on the websites for all the dedicated GPS systems, I couldn't find any which specified the accuracy of the receiver.

So what is the accuracy of the Sky Caddy etc?

 

[Dodger]

I was told that Skycaddie is never more than a yard out.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I was told that it uses the same software as the British Army and so is +/- 1 yard (unlike the US Army which is +/- 1 country)

 

[Leftie]

I've checked the SC2.5 against known measured distances (e.g. back garden), against the google earth distance measurement tool (which I have independantly checked against measured surveyed distances)and found it accurate to the yard each time. For complete accuracy you need to give it a few moments to settle at the point where you stop.

I think that I mentioned before that I have also used it and google earth to check the accuracy of our fairway markers and, yes, they are.

 

[theeaglehunter]

I was told that it uses the same software as the British Army and so is +/- 1 yard (unlike the US Army which is +/- 1 country)

I think being an American company it is their satellites etc that are used. And surprisingly they are accurate, as you rightly said guaranteed +/- 1 yard.

Unfortunately it is those operating the technology that cause the country wide blips you mention in their armed forces.

 

[Sam]

Searched SkyCaddie site and could not find a mention of which chip they use. Widely recognised that SiRF Star III LP is the best (most accurate) and it's the gps part (in this case the chip) which is sending the data to the software. So however good claims appear to be, it's the chip that matters.

But in answer to TwireGolf's post, I did a lot of research before I bought Nokia LD-3W GPS module to bluetooth to WinMob(a year ago so there may be better now)and there are many 'testing stations' showing that manufacturers claims of accuracy may well be right but in what circumstances? One can only be proved to be better than another if used in the same place at the same time.

 

[user202001]

Have used Skycaddie in tournaments with other players using same units, when two units are put together can be 5 or 6 yard difference in the distances given.