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Even with Selective Availability turned off, there is still the problem of ionospheric interference, which can affect the accuracy of the solution. As it currently stands, both civ units and the PSN-11 PLGR are single channel units, so they use a 'best guess' model to take interference into account in their respective algorithms. Once the dual-channel DAGR (Defense Advanced GPS Receiver) is fielded, however, it will provided a much greater degree of accuracy than civ units will be capable of providing.
One advantage of using a PLGR is its compatibility with the Viper laser rangefinder for quickly finding the position and elevation of a distant point, which comes in handy while calling for fire or CAS. AFAIK, no civ receiver is currently compatible with the Viper. The keypad on the PLGR is also useful for quickly entering grids or performing conversions; most civ receivers use a scrolling menu/entry method for data entry.
The WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) does indeed add several degrees of accuracy, however its unlikely our soldiers will need to call for fire in the US, Canada or Mexico anytime soon (the only place WAAS is currently established is North America). One method of overcoming the problem of ionospheric interference, low signal strength and the lack of WAAS is through the use of manually emplaced pseudolites or other antennas/repeaters in an AOR. We'll just have to wait and see how this concept develops.
The good news is that the degree of error one usually gets when using a civ receiver (1 to 15 meters) is often moot when requesting scunion on the bad guys, unless you're trying to put a PGM through a window. Regardless of the advances of technology, a 2000lb HE 'dumb bomb' can still get someone's attention rather quickly.
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