Is it worth to put solar panels where I live in South America?

[Sunking]

I gotta get an atlas. LOL

Nah just download Google Earth. Great tool. Punch in the OP coordinates and you can zoom in and see his house or yours. That is how I knew he had shade issues and his roof facer NW. It is extremely accurate to within a bout 1 foot.

For some reason I am unaware of the DOD allowed Google to use the military version of the GPS not available to the public, not even the FAA can access it.

[SunEagle]

Nah just download Google Earth. Great tool. Punch in the OP coordinates and you can zoom in and see his house or yours. That is how I knew he had shade issues and his roof facer NW. It is extremely accurate to within a bout 1 foot.

For some reason I am unaware of the DOD allowed Google to use the military version of the GPS not available to the public, not even the FAA can access it.

Already have Google Earth. I was just too lazy to fire it up when I posted. I use to have a nice atlas on my desk for years which made it real easy to glance over and find something. Old ways are hard to break.

Most public GPS equipment is good within 3m radius which is close enough for most people.

[megalo]

GPS accuracy has been largely the same for military and civilian for quite a while now (other than the quality of equipment): http://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/modernization/sa/

There are tricks you can use to get even better accuracy from civilian stuff, like the stuff they use for surveying.

[SunEagle]

GPS accuracy has been largely the same for military and civilian for quite a while now (other than the quality of equipment): http://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/modernization/sa/

There are tricks you can use to get even better accuracy from civilian stuff, like the stuff they use for surveying.

I agree that licensed Surveyors have equipment that is very accurate but it is also very expensive compared to the hand held GPS units that can be purchased commercially. I own an old etrex which was fine for walking around the country side.

My Droid phone app is more accurate than the etrex but is still off by a few meters which again works for me.

[megalo]

Smartphones tend to be more accurate than handhelds due to the cell tower augmentation. A WAAS handheld can get pretty good accuracy with strong signal, though.

[Sunking]

GPS accuracy has been largely the same for military and civilian for quite a while now (other than the quality of equipment): http://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/modernization/sa/

No Sir is not an accurate statement. GPS satellites transmit 2 separate CDMA codes. One is coarse/acquisition (CA) that is accessible to the public and all government agencies. The 2nd code is P Code (Precision Code) which is only available to the military. P-Code has an accuracy of 10 centimeters or about 4 inches in a 3D plane.

There are augmentation systems to improve accuracy and those are supplied by public, private, and government agencies. One such system WASS used by the FAA. FWIW Cellular telephone companies do not send out augmentation codes. Every cell phone made today has a built in GPS radio which is used for personal map services and E-911 Phase 2 location services. What most folks do not know Big Brother can access your cell phone and locate you in a second or two without your knowledge.

Also keep in mind the DOD operates and controls the GPS system and can turn on/off and control the accuracy without notifying the public. That is why other countries are deploying their own location systems.

[megalo]

Yes, P code is there, but CA can be pretty damn good.

In September 2007, the U.S. government announced its decision to procure the future generation of GPS satellites, known as GPS III, without the SA feature. Doing this will make the policy decision of 2000 permanent and eliminate a source of uncertainty in GPS performance that had been of concern to civil GPS users worldwide.

[rba13]

Make sure the panels face North instead of South.

[hgrimberg]

Make sure the panels face North instead of South.

Yes, sure, on the southern hemisphere, the panels have to face north. My question was if the panels will have to be tilted 34º considering I am located at Latitude -34º. Am I correct?

[russ]

Yes, sure, on the southern hemisphere, the panels have to face north. My question was if the panels will have to be tilted 34º considering I am located at Latitude -34º. Am I correct?

Approximate inclination - yes