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Recent Loss of GPS Signal...

TomVal

Well Known Member
Just a few reflections on reliance on GPS navigation: Last week I helped my friend, Jim, fly his newly painted Baron from Eloy, AZ (south of PHX) back to Charleston, SC. Heading eastbound out of El Paso on our IFR filed GPS route, we lost GPS signal (not unusual in that area due to military activities). Reported the loss of signal and was cleared direct to Salt Flats VOR. Our routing after that was about a 300 nm GPS direct leg to Waco, TX. I told Jim that we should most likely get the signal back about 100 miles east of Salt Flats and we did. It was nice to have the VOR capability (while it lasts).

On day two of our travel, for most of the route, both i-pads went to no-data from Waco to Charleston. Jim is with AT&T and I’m with Verizon.

Of course having center available for course guidance is comforting, assuming you are on frequency and high enough to communicate with them. Having a GPS signal is anything but reliable. With all the GPS only panels going into planes…keep those dead reckoning skills current!
 
I lost GPS lock for about 2 hours out here in west Texas between KMAF and KSJT yesterday afternoon, KLN94 certified install in a 172.
 
It was nice to have the VOR capability (while it lasts).

As it stands now, less than half of all VORs will be decomissioned by 2025. That's a long time, and even after that there will still be a significant number of VORs available. Knowing de'd reckoning is useful - knowing how to navigate via a VOR will remain just as useful for the foreseeable future.
 
So...

does this military diddling with GPS reception affect ground-based units as well, or is it a jamming signal that's beamed upwards in a cone-shaped pattern and not very widespread on the surface?

Wondering how it affects the millions of users on the nation's highways with their smartphones and Nuvi's... and if it's possible for a GPS-dependent pilot like myself (no VOR capability in my plane at present) to under-fly the zone of exclusion if necessary.

There's always ded-reckoning, but there's not always VOR capability :eek:
 
does this military diddling with GPS reception affect ground-based units as well, or is it a jamming signal that's beamed upwards in a cone-shaped pattern and not very widespread on the surface?

If you pull one of the notices, you'll find that the range of the outage will be different dependent on altitude. But, even at the surface they normally claim possible outages up to 50-100 miles.
 
Tom,
I don't understand your comment about carriers AT&T and Verizon. Unless I'm missing something, GPS should have nothing to do with the carrier.
 
Agree there!

Some of us don't venture on top or into IMC if we can ever help it (but will one day when equipped & trained to do so).
 
Tom,
I don't understand your comment about carriers AT&T and Verizon. Unless I'm missing something, GPS should have nothing to do with the carrier.

You are correct, I just wanted to point out on the second day of our trip both I-pads stopped receiving data. No radar coverage or wx updates but had moving map and gps position. Don't know why but that's what happened.
 
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Rock Island RI

Anyone ever experienced GPS outage in the eastern Long Island sound area? I did a couple of years ago. Very unnerving. It started working again 10 minutes later but I was glad that I'd drawn a line on a sectional for the trip.

Jim Sharkey
 
I've actually never tried it

but ***-u-me the course line and sectional display on a GPS-795 remain as-plotted and scrollable/pab-able even after the *?* replaces the airplane icon when satellite lock is lost for whatever reason. It would be all kinds of bad for my pilotage if it didn't, as I rarely carry sectionals anymore for day VFR flying but rely on the electronic version in the Garmin.

( ^^ True confessions).
 
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