NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Invert it: GPS as backup to primary celestial navigation
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2018 Sep 27, 15:26 -0400
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2018 Sep 27, 15:26 -0400
Hi Frank
You wrote:
Use your sextant to conserve your batteries...
Battery banks are recharged and topped off continuously on board. Besides an obvious small generator powered by the boat's engine, we also have
Hydroelectric generation (example):
Wind turbine generation (example)
And naturally, solar. No example needed.
The daily consumption of energy will determine how large a generation facility you require. The chartplotter (GPS) is far from the only consumer of electricity. Turning it off does not result in enormous saving.
You also wrote: Consider this as yet another alternative way of "justifying" celestial navigation [by flipping the paradigm to CN primary with GPS as backup]
Most of us will have plenty to do when out on the water. When compared to the convenience of GPS, CN is cumbersome, error prone and time consuming. If, as Bob says, you do it because you enjoy it, than have at it. Otherwise, trying to convince folks to do more [unnecessary] work, for a poorer result isn't going to fly.
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If, we are "A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Position-Finding" than we must provide the raison d'etre for its preservation.
In recent discussions, the following reasons pass muster
1) [Frank] Because its a licensing requirement.
2) [Jeremy] Because I can do other things with it, like calibrating my compass
3) [Bob] Because a lightning strike generates an EMP which can fry even separate, battery powered GPS receivers.
4) [Bob] Because I like to do it, a hobbyist approach.
I do not consider systemic failure of the GNSS system to be a common sense, rational worry. Others may have opinions which differ on this point.
If there are other compelling reasons for CN, than this is the group that will provide it. Consider this a direct challenge to justify our existence. That is, unless we want to be a group of codgers, harping about how we navigated the real way in the old days, unlike today's wippersnappers.
Brad
