Marine: Boating, Sailing, PWC, GPS and Navigation - Does GPS ever go out of service
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : Does GPS ever go out of service
joed
09-01-05, 12:49 PM
I would doubt it but on Tuesday morning when I went out fishing there were NO satellites. I left it on and after about 1 hr they all came up and everything worked fine. It has been working fine since.
Does anyone think I might have a problem with my unit. Everything else on the unit(Garmin GPS76) was working fine.
Does anyone think I might have a problem with my unit. Everything else on the unit(Garmin GPS76) was working fine.
thezster
09-02-05, 07:27 AM
Never heard of "lack of satellites" being a problem. The design is such that there are always a few overhead. The only time I've ever had a problem acquiring a signal was when trudging through the woods on the way to a duck blind and the trees overhead blocked the signals.....
I would guess something "glitched" in your unit.... but if it's working now.... keep pathfinding till it dies.
Obviously I'm not an aerospace engineer (rocket scientist)... so this goes with a grain of salt..
I would guess something "glitched" in your unit.... but if it's working now.... keep pathfinding till it dies.
Obviously I'm not an aerospace engineer (rocket scientist)... so this goes with a grain of salt..
joed
09-02-05, 11:18 AM
It was a very cloudy but non rainy day before Katrina came though on the eastern end of lake Erie.
I thought it was very strange also. NO satellites. Unit just at there "acquiring Satellites".
I thought it was very strange also. NO satellites. Unit just at there "acquiring Satellites".
GregH
09-02-05, 11:43 AM
joed,
It could be possible the satellites were turned off but I doubt it.
I've owned a Garmin 76CS for three months or so and it hasn't skipped a beat. In fact I just got my $50.00 US rebate in the mail yesterday. :thumbup:
If you don't know the history of GPS signal accuracyI will offer my rendition:
When the US military was begging for funding to have the GPS system installed, it was done as a dual system.
The military had an encoded system that only their receivers could use and a totally seperate civlian system was established.
This civillian system was enabled with selective availibility. Selective availability was an intentional error that made it difficult for groups with evil motives to use the signals for guidance purposes.
I had a GPS unit during those days and the accuracy some days was within a hundred feet or so and other days it was only within hundreds of feet.
You could stay in one spot and your position would change constantly.
In 2000 the US government decided that the benefits of civillian use of GPS was a good thing and removed selective availability.
Since then they have enabled the WAAS system that most newer recivers have that can be accurate to 10 feet.
So, as far as I know with the civillian uses that are now being made of GPS, especially in air navigation, it is highly unlikely they would turn it off.
I haven't checked lately because I've been away from flying for awhile but GPS is either going to be or will be approved as a sole means of instrument flying. (Got to check up on this later.)
(Anyone, feel free to expand or correct.)
It could be possible the satellites were turned off but I doubt it.
I've owned a Garmin 76CS for three months or so and it hasn't skipped a beat. In fact I just got my $50.00 US rebate in the mail yesterday. :thumbup:
If you don't know the history of GPS signal accuracyI will offer my rendition:
When the US military was begging for funding to have the GPS system installed, it was done as a dual system.
The military had an encoded system that only their receivers could use and a totally seperate civlian system was established.
This civillian system was enabled with selective availibility. Selective availability was an intentional error that made it difficult for groups with evil motives to use the signals for guidance purposes.
I had a GPS unit during those days and the accuracy some days was within a hundred feet or so and other days it was only within hundreds of feet.
You could stay in one spot and your position would change constantly.
In 2000 the US government decided that the benefits of civillian use of GPS was a good thing and removed selective availability.
Since then they have enabled the WAAS system that most newer recivers have that can be accurate to 10 feet.
So, as far as I know with the civillian uses that are now being made of GPS, especially in air navigation, it is highly unlikely they would turn it off.
I haven't checked lately because I've been away from flying for awhile but GPS is either going to be or will be approved as a sole means of instrument flying. (Got to check up on this later.)
(Anyone, feel free to expand or correct.)
thezster
09-03-05, 07:27 PM
Heavy clouds will interfere with satellite signals, especially very "wet" ones... such as Katrina brought with her. This much I know from firsthand experience - every time we get a monster t-storm I lose satellite signal on my TV set.. Whether or not GPS can be affected??? Your guess is as good as mine.
The system doesn't get turned off.... to many things rely on GPS today, from bulldozer excavation to airline navigation..........
The system doesn't get turned off.... to many things rely on GPS today, from bulldozer excavation to airline navigation..........
joed
09-05-05, 05:25 PM
The system doesn't get turned off.... to many things rely on GPS today, from bulldozer excavation to airline navigation..........
That is what I thought but you never know. I doubt it was the clouds as they weren't that heavy and I doubt they would block ALL the satellites. Must have been a glitch with my unit. It has been OK since that day.
That is what I thought but you never know. I doubt it was the clouds as they weren't that heavy and I doubt they would block ALL the satellites. Must have been a glitch with my unit. It has been OK since that day.