- Oct 22, 2014
- 24,709
Research findings discuss What, When, How, Why and possibly WHO is causing this discovered anomaly that is impacting the GPS signal over Europe.
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Something is jamming GPS over Europe. Here's what we found
- Thread starter jssailem
- Start date
Unfortunately predicted long ago (late 1990s), when the US made decision to go solely with GPS. The Clinton Admin was warned repeatedly NOT to put all the navigation eggs in the GPS basket. The warning was ignored, and all funding for alternatives was discontinued.
Fred W
Fred W
- Oct 22, 2014
- 24,709
GPS is easy. Compass, ADF coastal radio AM stations, charts with fathom data, and of course the sextant which enabled Captain George Vancouver discover much of the Pacific Northwest, all can help a competent boat skipper find home port.
I recall the USNA started requiring celestial navigation for midshipmen in 2016 precisely out of concern over GPS jamming. It was.stated that this was a fallback position, but I didn't understand exactly how that would work if one minute a group of ships is using GPS, then needed to switch to celestial. Is that practical, would they need to be doing both simultaneously if celestial is an emergency analog option?
Celestial navigation, under the best of circumstances, has nowhere near the accuracy of other systems. However, it is an emergency fall back provided reasonably clear skies and horizon. Understanding celestial sight reduction and using a sextant and clock is not trivial for the average person and requires practice to be proficient.
If electronic systems are removed, visual references, bearings, and accurate charts become much more important, just as they were in the days before GPS. Before GPS, I navigated to and through the northern Bahamas for 4 weeks using compass, handheld RDF, hand-drawn chartlets in the Yachtsman's Guide to the Bahamas, 2 small scale charts of the Gulf Stream and northern Bahamas, and my seaman's eye (for depths and visual references).
A guess on my part, but all the services probably occasionally practice navigation without electronics, just like you practice other emergencies.
Fred W
If electronic systems are removed, visual references, bearings, and accurate charts become much more important, just as they were in the days before GPS. Before GPS, I navigated to and through the northern Bahamas for 4 weeks using compass, handheld RDF, hand-drawn chartlets in the Yachtsman's Guide to the Bahamas, 2 small scale charts of the Gulf Stream and northern Bahamas, and my seaman's eye (for depths and visual references).
A guess on my part, but all the services probably occasionally practice navigation without electronics, just like you practice other emergencies.
Fred W