Is a running fix less reliable than a standard fix?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not enough information
• D. Depends on conditions

Answer: (A)

A running fix is generally less reliable because it is an extrapolation of your position between observations, so errors in speed, heading, or drift accumulate over time. A standard fix, by contrast, uses two or more independent lines of position to intersect and define your location, which cancels out some of those individual errors and bounds your actual position more tightly. So while you can update your position with a running fix between measurements, the standard fix provides a stronger, more trustworthy determination.