Phase 2 of Chinese WAAS program begins.

NovAtel Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, delivered an additional 12 WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) receivers to Shenzhen Shenyuan Trading Company for use in the Chinese Satellite Navigation Augmentation System (SNAS). This order represents the first lot of receivers for Phase 2 of the Chinese SNAS program, and includes upgrades to mini-WAAS receivers previously delivered under Phase 1 in 2000.

The first 11 Phase 1 Chinese SNAS reference sites have been installed in and around Beijing, and these latest receivers will be used to expand that existing ground network. These WAAS receivers are functionally identical to those used in the U.S. FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) WAAS and Japanese MSAS (MTSAT Satellite-based Augmentation System). The Multipath Estimating Delay Lock Loop (MEDLL) function, which minimizes multipath effects in the broadcast reference corrections, remains disabled in the majority of the fielded Phase 1 mini-WAAS receivers, but will be progressively activated as Phase 2 of the Chinese SNAS project continues to move forward. Further WAAS receiver sales are also anticipated as the ground network expands to cover all of China.