NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: David Pike
Date: 2018 Sep 3, 15:26 -0700
Gene Vialle you wrote: I thought the US Naval academy brought back their celestial navigation program in case there is a gps cyberattack. So how will they get accurate time without WWV?
Did the US Naval Academy introduce a few hours celestial study into their syllabus purely to allow for the sudden loss of GNSS, or might there also have been an element of bolstering a particular maritime ethos? There are other, more likely to be available, methods of navigation than celestial, but if celestial was all that was available, aren’t naval vessels likely to have more than one rated chronometers on board. If not, what’s wrong with going out and buying half a dozen $10 quartz watches or clocks, rating them, mounting them side by side, and continually monitoring them against GNSS while available and against each other. Wayward ones soon show up, but most will be unbelievably stable. I know this because I like to organise raffles and usually have four or five quartz clocks, all with those little black plastic movements about 2"x2", bought from charity shops for £2-£3, and cleaned up ready to be used for prizes. Some are remarkably accurate. These I tend to become attached to and am reluctant to part with. DaveP
