Geodetic accuracy of the Macrometer model V-1000

Abstract

The Macrometer Model V-1000 is a geodetic positioning instrument that uses the radio signals broadcast by the GPS satellites. The Macrometer is the only GPS user equipment commercially available that does not require any of the GPS codes. The Model V-1000 receives only the 19-cm wavelength signals from GPS although similar instruments, built for the U.S. Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, receive both the 19-and the 24-cm wavelengths. In this paper we summarize the results of two years of field testing of the V-1000. This instrument, observing four or five satellites fof a few hours, yields a point position accurate within several meters in each coordinate: latitude, longitude and ellipsoidal height. All three components of the relative position vector between a pair of points can be determined within 2 parts per million of the distance, given a similar schedule of observations. This accuracy has been obtained for intersite distances from one kilometer to several thousand kilometers.