What is indicated when 'ACQ' is the mode displayed on the GPS MONITOR page?

What is indicated when 'ACQ' is the mode displayed on the GPS MONITOR page?

• A. GPS is in NAV mode
• B. The GPS is attempting to locate sufficient satellites for the NAV mode.
• C. GPS is off
• D. GPS has failed

Answer: (B)

ACQ indicates the acquisition phase. The GPS receiver is actively searching for satellite signals and building a position solution, but it hasn’t achieved a valid navigation fix yet. NAV mode requires a sufficient number of healthy satellites to compute a reliable position (typically four for a 3D fix), so the monitor shows ACQ until that solution is obtained. It isn’t off or failed—the latter would show different indicators—and it isn’t currently in NAV because a valid fix hasn’t been established.

ACQ indicates the acquisition phase. The GPS receiver is actively searching for satellite signals and building a position solution, but it hasn’t achieved a valid navigation fix yet. NAV mode requires a sufficient number of healthy satellites to compute a reliable position (typically four for a 3D fix), so the monitor shows ACQ until that solution is obtained. It isn’t off or failed—the latter would show different indicators—and it isn’t currently in NAV because a valid fix hasn’t been established.