GPS System at Risk

A sobering story that should be of interest to boaters. Still got your Loran working? Alfred GPS System Could Begin To Fail Within a Year The Global Positioning System faces the possibility of failures and blackouts, a federal watchdog agency has warned the U.S. Congress. Mismanagement by and underinvestment by the U.S. Air Force places the GPS at risk of failure in 2010 and beyond. The problem: Delays in launching replacement satellites, among other things. According to the Government Accountability Office report, "In recent years, the Air Force has struggled to successfully build GPS satellites within cost and schedule goals" as part of a $2 billion modernization program. [full story at http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/blogs/bizfeed/165126/gps_system_could_ begin_to_fail_within_a_year.html]

Doesn't matter if you do have Loran working, that system's being turned off (again, for the last time, finally). Got a sextant? On May 19, 2009, at 7:33 AM, Alfred Poor wrote: > > > A sobering story that should be of interest to boaters. Still got > your Loran working? > > Alfred > > > GPS System Could Begin To Fail Within a Year > > The Global Positioning System faces the possibility of failures and > blackouts, a federal watchdog agency has warned the U.S. Congress. > Mismanagement by and underinvestment by the U.S. Air Force places > the GPS at risk of failure in 2010 and beyond. The problem: Delays > in launching replacement satellites, among other things. > > According to the Government Accountability Office report, "In recent > years, the Air Force has struggled to successfully build GPS > satellites within cost and schedule goals" as part of a $2 billion > modernization program. > > [full story at http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/blogs/bizfeed/165126/gps_system_could_begin_to_fail_within_a_year.html > ] > > > > -- Matt Beland ma… [at] rearviewmirror.org

I've always wanted a sextant and to learn celestial. A friend was selling a Simex at a nautical swap meet saturday and I was tempted. Now I read this. Maybe it's not too late? Wilkie On May 19, 2009, at 9:17 AM, Matt Beland wrote: > > > Doesn't matter if you do have Loran working, that system's being > turned off (again, for the last time, finally). > > Got a sextant? > > On May 19, 2009, at 7:33 AM, Alfred Poor wrote: > > > > > > > A sobering story that should be of interest to boaters. Still got > > your Loran working? > > > > Alfred > > > > > > GPS System Could Begin To Fail Within a Year > > > > The Global Positioning System faces the possibility of failures and > > blackouts, a federal watchdog agency has warned the U.S. Congress. > > Mismanagement by and underinvestment by the U.S. Air Force places > > the GPS at risk of failure in 2010 and beyond. The problem: Delays > > in launching replacement satellites, among other things. > > > > According to the Government Accountability Office report, "In recent > > years, the Air Force has struggled to successfully build GPS > > satellites within cost and schedule goals" as part of a $2 billion > > modernization program. > > > > [full story at http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/blogs/bizfeed/165126/gps_system_could_begin_to_fail_within_a_year.html > > ] > > > > > > > > > > -- > Matt Beland > ma… [at] rearviewmirror.org > > >

On Tuesday 19 May 2009 12:21:24 DavidOwen wrote: > I've always wanted a sextant and to learn celestial. A friend was > selling a Simex at a nautical swap meet saturday and I was tempted. > Now I read this. Maybe it's not too late? Just to add some humour to this. Met the lad next door only recently as he came home to take care of his aging mom who is adorable. Turns out he spend the last 30 years at sea of which 10 years were spend as a Captain of his own Tall Ship. So we started to chat about about sailing and stuff as we walk the dogs together and he asked me pointedly, 'how's your navigation skills?'. Being the techno nerd wannabe that I am I started in on GPS systems tied to the plotter and autopilot system via the home brew network that I have build and a bunch of other stuff rather proudly. He looked at me an in his patient and wise manner said, 'I have just the book for you'. The next day he showed up with A.C Gardner's "Navigation". 3rd printing 1974. I just looked at it dumbfounded a bit and he picked up on it and said, "so what happens when the white mans magic dies (his term for technology) and the batteries are flooded" I got the point. Lesson learned. Signed up for a basic navigation course to get back to first principles. Next course is navigation by sextant. The book is rather good as well as it starts out with rudimentary first principles and works it way through all the navigation techniques prior too GPS plotters and such. Interesting read. He keeps reminding me that seamanship is a learned art that comes with its own rights of passage. Really nice chap whom I'm glad I met. -- /ch

I have that book and still have my Tables for Air Navigation that got me to Hawaii in 1981. Plus HO 229. There are a few issues worth knowing about. Mexican races were always in winter so the sun was low. Since the course was largely south, the latitude is what you used. You could see the shoreline about half the time. LOngitude was not difficult although the time, before digital watches, was the problem. I used a digital watch as a chronometer going to Hawaii. Going to Hawaii, it was mid-summer, the race used to start on July 4, and the sun was close to its zenith. That made noon sights difficult as it was almost at 90 degrees. Hawaii is 20 degrees north. As a result, longitude was pretty simple. I would do a series of sun lines every morning about 10 and every afternoon about 3. That gave us our course made good. Latitude was much more difficult. As soon as the sun got low and dusk approached, the sky would cloud over. The overcast would not burn off until well after dawn so stars were much harder to get. I finally got a couple of stars as we got close and we came in right about where we wanted to. The last two days, we could have done more squall chasing if I had been more certain of my latitude. Mike Kennedy Conquest Cal 40 # 96 On May 19, 2009, at 1:26 PM, chris h wrote: > > > snipped > > He looked at me an in his patient and wise manner said, 'I > have just the book for you'. > > The next day he showed up with A.C Gardner's "Navigation". 3rd > printing 1974. > I just looked at it dumbfounded a bit and he picked up on it and > said, "so > what happens when the white mans magic dies (his term for > technology) and the > batteries are flooded" I got the point. Lesson learned. Signed up > for a basic > navigation course to get back to first principles. Next course is > navigation > by sextant. The book is rather good as well as it starts out with > rudimentary > first principles and works it way through all the navigation > techniques prior > too GPS plotters and such. Interesting read. He keeps reminding me > that > seamanship is a learned art that comes with its own rights of > passage. Really > nice chap whom I'm glad I met. > > -- > > /ch > >

They are not going to let GPS go, it has become the primary means of navigation for air navigation, and a key replacement for most radio navigation aids. Most recently, GPS with WAAS was certified for precision instrument approaches. -David From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Michael Kennedy Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 2:10 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] GPS System at Risk I have that book and still have my Tables for Air Navigation that got me to Hawaii in 1981. Plus HO 229. There are a few issues worth knowing about. Mexican races were always in winter so the sun was low. Since the course was largely south, the latitude is what you used. You could see the shoreline about half the time. LOngitude was not difficult although the time, before digital watches, was the problem. I used a digital watch as a chronometer going to Hawaii. Going to Hawaii, it was mid-summer, the race used to start on July 4, and the sun was close to its zenith. That made noon sights difficult as it was almost at 90 degrees. Hawaii is 20 degrees north. As a result, longitude was pretty simple. I would do a series of sun lines every morning about 10 and every afternoon about 3. That gave us our course made good. Latitude was much more difficult. As soon as the sun got low and dusk approached, the sky would cloud over. The overcast would not burn off until well after dawn so stars were much harder to get. I finally got a couple of stars as we got close and we came in right about where we wanted to. The last two days, we could have done more squall chasing if I had been more certain of my latitude. Mike Kennedy Conquest Cal 40 # 96 On May 19, 2009, at 1:26 PM, chris h wrote: > > > snipped > > He looked at me an in his patient and wise manner said, 'I > have just the book for you'. > > The next day he showed up with A.C Gardner's "Navigation". 3rd > printing 1974. > I just looked at it dumbfounded a bit and he picked up on it and > said, "so > what happens when the white mans magic dies (his term for > technology) and the > batteries are flooded" I got the point. Lesson learned. Signed up > for a basic > navigation course to get back to first principles. Next course is > navigation > by sextant. The book is rather good as well as it starts out with > rudimentary > first principles and works it way through all the navigation > techniques prior > too GPS plotters and such. Interesting read. He keeps reminding me > that > seamanship is a learned art that comes with its own rights of > passage. Really > nice chap whom I'm glad I met. > > -- > > /ch > > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links ****************************************************************** DemandTec Email Notice This email and any attachments may contain confidential and/or proprietary information and is intended solely for the use of the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient we request that you notify us via email or telephone and delete all copies of the message from your systems. Additionally, although DemandTec has taken reasonable precautions to ensure the security of this email and any attachments, we encourage you to take similar precautions and accept no liability for any loss or damage resulting from its use. DemandTec, 1 Circle Star Way, Suite 200, San Carlos, CA 94070, 650-226-4600

I can recommend the United States Power Squadrons courses in celestial navigation. Despite USPS’ irrational refusal (so far) to change their name to reflect what the organization is actually doing, sailors are welcome and many sailors are members. Harleigh Ewell Cal 31 From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of chris h Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 4:27 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] GPS System at Risk On Tuesday 19 May 2009 12:21:24 DavidOwen wrote: > I've always wanted a sextant and to learn celestial. A friend was > selling a Simex at a nautical swap meet saturday and I was tempted. > Now I read this. Maybe it's not too late? Just to add some humour to this. Met the lad next door only recently as he came home to take care of his aging mom who is adorable. Turns out he spend the last 30 years at sea of which 10 years were spend as a Captain of his own Tall Ship. So we started to chat about about sailing and stuff as we walk the dogs together and he asked me pointedly, 'how's your navigation skills?'. Being the techno nerd wannabe that I am I started in on GPS systems tied to the plotter and autopilot system via the home brew network that I have build and a bunch of other stuff rather proudly. He looked at me an in his patient and wise manner said, 'I have just the book for you'. The next day he showed up with A.C Gardner's "Navigation". 3rd printing 1974. I just looked at it dumbfounded a bit and he picked up on it and said, "so what happens when the white mans magic dies (his term for technology) and the batteries are flooded" I got the point. Lesson learned. Signed up for a basic navigation course to get back to first principles. Next course is navigation by sextant. The book is rather good as well as it starts out with rudimentary first principles and works it way through all the navigation techniques prior too GPS plotters and such. Interesting read. He keeps reminding me that seamanship is a learned art that comes with its own rights of passage. Really nice chap whom I'm glad I met. -- /ch