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I have experienced an increase in interest for more functions in my Palm
program. Over the past 5 years there has been an increase in the use of
celestial by the Navy. Some of my customers have requested the ability
to correct their Gyro compasses by sights. I have added these features
and through the conversations with many of them I get the feeling that
they take many sights a day. They also asked for the ability to
determine a fix based on multiple sights. So it appears that the Navy is
prepared for a GPS reduction in service. The ships that I have been
dealing with are all out of port. Before 911 it seemed that if they did
one sight a day that was a bonus. Anyone else hear about an increase in
Training on Celestial with the Navy?
John

-----Original Message-----
From: Navigation Mailing List
[mailto:NAVIGATION-L@LISTSERV.WEBKAHUNA.COM] On Behalf Of Gordon Talge
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 10:10 AM
To: NAVIGATION-L@LISTSERV.WEBKAHUNA.COM
Subject: Re: Turning Off the GPS


Well, I don't know. Who would have thought that "they" could bring down
the World Trade Center. Moreover, Russia and China could help turn off
the GPS as a kind of "sticking it to the man" act.

The Soviets had massive air superiority in Afghanistan in the '80s and
we, the US gave the Afghans "Stingers" as a way of a kind of payback for
Vietnam. The Afghans could have never come up with the Stingers
themselves. BTW, there are no doubt unused Stingers floating around.
Wonder where they are, and who has got them.

Welcome to the 21st Century where some guy in a cave 10,000 miles away
with an AK has a nation of almost 300 million people freaked out.

The whole point was though, that for most people, saying that they have
Celestial Navigation as a backup to GPS, is really not valid, because to
be good at Celestial Nav you have to practice a lot. Most people don't.
I met a guy that sailed from Gib to Barbados with only GPS. Didn't even
know or carry any Cel Nav stuff. I asked him what brand of sextant he
had, and he told me he didn't even own one! The time to learn it is not
at sea when your GPS dies.

-- Gordon

PS: Kind of like my high school students trying to learn Geometry while
taking the Semester Final.

> With all respect, Gordon, it would take a lot more technology than the

> terrorists have to turn off GPS much less to make it give incorrect
> positions.   GPS uses satellites.  One would need satellite-killer
> missiles to "turn off" GPS.  Only two or three countries (USA, Russia,
> China?) have the technology (which, BTW, includes the technology and
> infrastructure to track and identify the target before saying to the
> missile "go get 'em").  To make GPS give the wrong position would
> require taking over the US's GPS control centers and I'm sure the US
> military has put a lot of thought and effort into preventing that.
>

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