Clarification about the term "GPS Shutdown"

Not anywhere where I've lived. A cloud cover light enough to show the
position of the sun but still concealing it is very rare.

One of the reasons for GPS is to get around the problems with all the
archaic navigation methods that you've been suggesting. Too many people
were getting lost ... and they were trained people in the military.

 

The problem is not having them, it's that they often aren't used.

The Pentagon keeps these idling on taxiways with 50 km of every point in
the country?

Because you no longer know where you are going, or even whether or not
you're going in a straight line.

 

Like they had fighters available during 9/11?

 

They were the only vessel on the Atlantic at the time.

And they weren't travelling at 500 miles per hour.

 

During the last gulf war, the US Army found out the hard way that you
can't always depend on having enough batteries for all that new-fangled
gear...


Juergen Nieveler

 

No, actually there should be 2 or 3 of them up every our of every day -
at least they used to do that back in the old days, and after 9/11 the
sortie rate went up even more, which meant that NORAD had to borrow
the AWACS planes normally stationed in Europe (NATO E-3A component,
home-based in Geilenkirchen).

The compass stopped working just because GPS is down? That is, BOTH of
them (Gyro- AND Magnetic) stopped working?


Juergen Nieveler

 

There's a huge supply of second lieutenants, so having some of them got
lost isn't a problem. Properly trained soldiers (Sergeant or above)
don't have that problem.

And the US Army already found out the hard way that GPS, Night vision
and other toys have one major drawback: They require batteries. Lots of
batteries, actually - which can be a problem if the patrol you're on
takes a few days longer than expected. In such cases you'll be
gratefull if some of your people still can use those "archaic
navigation methods".


Juergen Nieveler

 

Outside of churches, any direction they want. But if you manage to find
a christian between Mecca and Medina, you can simply ask him for the
way...

You can still find out which way east and west are, because that's
where the sun will be at dawn and dusk.

So you'll have to wait - which isn't a big deal as you don't know where
to go yet anyway.

Know the constellation "Great Bear"? On the box-like part of it,
opposite from the tail, draw an imaginary line that extends 2.5 times
the length of that side. You'll see a not very bright single star.
That's the polar star.

You might have to do so when your batteries run out.

Why should one ever wake up in the wrong hemisphere? You're the one who
came up with silly examples, now accept that it's perfectly possible to
find your way without GPS.

This particular sub-thread is about your inability to grasp that people
will still be able to navigate quite effectively without the help of
GPS. Even if you obviously don't have a clue about this subject, most
people manage that quite well.

So you simply go where that little arrow on your GPS is pointing? Bad
idea, in many parts of the world...


Juergen Nieveler

 

You'll only have to wait for half a day, unless your definition of noon
is radically different from the rest of the world.

Not necessarily. If you plan your route in advance, you won't need to
double back for miles after discovering that the way you wanted to go
was a dead end.


Juergen Nieveler

 

There is no radar coverage over an ocean.

 

There's actually lots of fans of those old tractors in Germany, mostly
of the old Lanz-Bulldog tractors with their one-cylinder 2-stroke
diesels.

Impressive machines... but of course way off-topic, so F'up2p

Juergen Nieveler

 

And I get the feeling that our little maniac is still wondering what
those people in London thought when they discovered that the 0°
Meridian is running straight through the old observatory in
Greenwich... such a coincidence, and the people who built that
observatory couldn't have known, after all they didn't have
GPS!!1eleven!

SCNR

Juergen Nieveler

 

No. But over the ocean, the pilot knows which way he's heading (East or
West), and he can simply continue that way until he gets into radar
coverage again. He will have enough fuel for that - overwise he
wouldn't have made it back to an airport even WITH GPS.

And even without GPS, any airline pilot will still be able to tell
which direction he's flying - I hope we all agree on that


Juergen Nieveler

 

I said "know of", not "know". "know of" would have been a report in the press.

That depends on preparedness in the defense.

 

Lack of GPS for a few days won't harm this in a significant manner.

C/A is off or S/A'd to death. P/Y is fine. Television, Radar and Laser guided
munitions don't care. Where GPS affects guidance, it will be part of the
decision in any case.

This will hardly suffer a few days delay.

Less so.

Get a map.

Cheers,
Alan

 

The N/S you mean? Or the S/N is too low?

I agree and other than some parting slices, I'm outta here too!

Cheers,
Alan.

 

I wonder if Mxsmanic is wondering why everyone is disagreeing with him.

An old lady watching a parade commented that while the soldiers looked nice in
their uniforms, they could use marching practice because only her son was in step.

 

They used a compass.

Why would it be inconceivable? It's just more difficult, in most cases
today.

 

I've never said that.

I've never said that, either.

 

Or the frequent landing aircraft.

If visibility is zero, you need _something_, and it may as well be GPS,
preferably DGPS.