Question 917Navigation General

70% to pass

With regard to GPS, a civilian receiver may be capable of achieving the same accuracy as a military receiver if _______________.

A the horizontal dilution of precision is high
B the satellites are all below 15° in elevation
C selective availability is set to zero
D your vessel is equipped with a Doppler receiver
AI Explanation

The correct answer is C) selective availability is set to zero. Explanation: Selective Availability (SA) is a technique used by the U.S. military to intentionally degrade the accuracy of GPS signals available to civilian users. When SA is set to zero, this intentional degradation is removed, allowing civilian GPS receivers to achieve the same level of accuracy as military receivers. This is the key reason why a civilian GPS receiver can match the accuracy of a military receiver when SA is set to zero. The other options are incorrect because they do not directly impact the ability of a civilian GPS receiver to match the accuracy of a military receiver. High horizontal dilution of precision (A) and satellites below 15° elevation (B) can degrade GPS accuracy, but do not relate to the SA setting. Having a Doppler receiver (D) can improve position accuracy, but is not necessary for a civilian receiver to match a military one when SA is disabled.

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