Article

2003-03-19 Middle East

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Posted by Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-19 02:22 pm|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 1. Margellan = Magellan
2. Should have included paragraph stating that, even if Iraqis attempt to jam GPS signals, they do not have the military's "P code" to do so, per the article.
3. (To self) Proofread before you post, dummy!

Posted by Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-19 14:28:21|| 2003-03-19 14:28:21|| Front Page Top

#2 1. The military P code is highly encripted, so that is not too much of a worry for us.

2. Enemy spoofing of GPS satellites with directed transmissions toward the satellites will put the enemy in HAARM's way, literally with the enemy getting an enema, so to speak.....

Posted by Alaska Paul 2003-03-19 14:41:45|| 2003-03-19 14:41:45|| Front Page Top

#3 One good thing: German drivers might get lost.

But while there are thousands of civil users of GPS worldwide, the system was designed for, and is operated by, the US military.

The German automobile club AvD said experts fear that just before military action against Iraq, which seems likely to start later this week, the signals will be encoded in order to make them less accurate.

The argument is that by doing so, the enemy -- in this case Iraq -- would not be able to exploit the system to pinpoint US-led forces sweeping into the country.

Currently, the GPS system has an accuracy to within around five metresfeet), but AvD said it could be reduced to more than 100 metres.

Not a big problem for a ship at sea, perhaps, but bad news for drivers in crowded cities.

"German drivers could potentially notice the start of the war quicker than the chancellor," AvD spokesman Jochen Hoevekenmeier quipped.

Posted by growler 2003-03-19 14:42:27|| 2003-03-19 14:42:27|| Front Page Top

#4 Read an article in GPS World recently about Europe's problems with agreements on details for the formation of their Gallileo GPS system. Like who gets the contracts to build what, etc etc. This article gives a brief background of the problem.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2003-03-19 14:56:57|| 2003-03-19 14:56:57|| Front Page Top

#5 I gave up on GPS powered navigation system in cars when it insisted that I should drive right into a canal in Amsterdam. Maps are safer.

Posted by Anonymous 2003-03-19 15:46:55|| 2003-03-19 15:46:55|| Front Page Top

#6 Well, I love and trust my Garmin StreetPilot III. Throwing me off by a football field would hork the address finder somewhat, but I could still manage on the highways and cross country.

I'd be willing to sacrifice that capability for a few weeks/months for our troops' sake, though!

Posted by Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-19 16:28:20|| 2003-03-19 16:28:20|| Front Page Top

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