Don't Rely on GPS ?

[imagine2frolic]

You can't rely on any single tool. Well, except maybe the heavens. Even the heavens are subject to catastrophe. Who knows when the next big bang is going to be?.........i2f

[PamlicoTraveler]

We could reactivate LORAN-C in short order. Chartplotters would be developed based on LORAN instead of GPS. But hey, I'm more worried about a leaky thru-hull than I am a shutdown of the GPS system.

[Captain Bill]

What ever did we do before we had all these electronic wonders. I remember well as a young man going over the horizon in a boat, trolling all day and heading back for the inlet with only a cheap compass, and I'm still here. The inlet never showed up more than a couple of degrees from where I expected it to. Suddenly one day someone came along with a cheap Loran and then everyone had to have one. It was like we could turn off our brains. Before that we paid attention.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

. . . It was like we could turn off our brains. Before that we paid attention.

I like that and it seems to fit quite well with what is seen out in the coastal and island waterways these days.

[gcaptain]

You can read all you want about selective availability during the outbreak of the gulf war but I was in the Bay Of Bengal at the time and we lost 100% of the GPS signal. I called surrounding ships and they too lost the signal. I then called the USAF's GPS watchstander in Colorado and he claimed no knowledge of a shutdown... he emailed me back a few days later to say that 1 "rogue satellite" took down the constellation.

Beleive me, or not - your call.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

What ever did we do before we had all these electronic wonders.

Got lost?

But also comfortable with not knowing exactly where the boat was all the time - to the nearest foot / yard / mile (or so ). and not needing to know.

Yer not lost when you don't truly care

[Captain Bill]

I'm still comfortable not knowing where I am to the exact foot when I'm in the open ocean and I still don't trust the electronics enough to go in somewhere that I'm not familiar with when I can't see. I know this does not stop other people. I was off of St. Augustine inlet in Pea Soup fog a couple of years ago with Radar and and two working GPS's but I decided to wait for daylight and the fog to lift before trying to enter an inlet that I had only been through twice and was notorious for shoaling. However at the crack of dawn power boats started coming out of the inlet at full speed surely relying on their GPSs. Few, if any with Radar and all with idiots at the helm. One came as close as 20 feet at over 20 knots and I'm not sure they ever saw me or heard my horns over their roaring engines. Visibility was about 100 feet.


Am I lost? Never!!! At the very least I know which ocean I'm in and which way land is and I always know where I'm at, though the position of everything else may at times be in doubt.

[Jim Cate]

G'Day All,

When we bought our very first GPS, way back in 1990, Trimble included a pamphlet which they published (they were one of the original prime contractors in the GPS system). The Title was "GPS -- the next utility" or something like that. Boy, were they right!

A fascinating interaction between military R&D and society...

Cheers,

Jim

[feelsgood]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

Do you think its probably not a good time to rely on GPS at the moment. If the Nth Korean problem escalates, we could see a few satelites being shut down/adjusted prior to any retaliations Similar to Iraq 1 and 2.

One would assume the USA would shut hers down to give the South Korean allies a chance to pop a few salvos off.

(I dont want to start a political thread. Trying mainly to get an idea what other people think. Particularly, people who have been affected previously and to what level.)

Cheers
Oz

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont get into another panic just because the USA might poke her nose in somewhere she isnt wanted yet again they have other systems and dont need GPS

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

HUH??? It fails when under clouds and fog and every kind of inclement weather... probably mostly when you need it most.

Well thats when other 'traditional skills' come in handy.. you should have a 'fix' from your last sight so you use dead reckoning... if its cloudy you use the 'eyeball' to keep clear of coastal hazards, if its foggy you bear out to sea a bit to stay safe... in both cases a decent chart will provide you with enough info to allow you to use your depth sounder to follow contours, landmarks etc...
But... if you only had a CP.... your stuffed...

[feelsgood]

30 years ago I did a circum nav with a watch and a compass because I broke my sextant. I didnt always arrive in the exact place I wanted but I did find land within the day I wanted and I got back home. Here I am now 30 years older and still using the same system it keeps my mind in working order and what the hell if I land in the wrong port so I meet some new people great. Electronics were invented to keep you spending on things you dont need, cant repair, pay a fortune to someone else to repair and wait in ports paying loads of dosh waiting for the bloody parts. Yep they realy are helpfull. He He He He. Rember folks K.I.S.S. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID