Abner Ravenwood US

So by that same logic, the Internet started out as a DARPA project and I am quite sure that many of the net's backbones run through quasi-defense/civilian facilities. If "W" says shutdown the Internet because terrorists are using it to communicate about an imminent attack, don't you think we just might experience a mysterious network outage? You guys need to stop drinking the Red State Kool-Aid and wise up before you wake up one morning and everything you've come to enjoy is gone.

First the GPS system ...next the Internet. Just you wait and see.

Bush Prepares for Possible GPS Shutdown WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the U.S. network of global positioning satellites during a national crisis to prevent terrorists from using the navigational technology, the White House said Wednesday. Any shutdown of the network inside the United States would come under only the most remarkable circumstances, said a Bush administration official who spoke to a small group of reporters at the White House on condition of anonymity. The GPS system is vital to commercial aviation and marine shipping. The president also instructed the Defense Department to develop plans to disable, in certain areas, an enemy's access to the U.S. navigational satellites and to similar systems operated by others. The European Union is developing a $4.8 billion program, called Galileo. The military increasingly uses GPS technology to move troops across large areas and direct bombs and missiles. Any government-ordered shutdown or jamming of the GPS satellites would be done in ways to limit disruptions to navigation and related systems outside the affected area, the White House said. ``This is not something you would do lightly,'' said James A. Lewis, director of technology policy for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. ``It's clearly a big deal. You have to give them credit for being so open about what they're going to do.'' President Clinton abandoned the practice in May 2000 of deliberately degrading the accuracy of civilian navigation signals, a technique known as ``selective availability.'' The White House said it will not reinstate that practice, but said the president could decide to disable parts of the network for national security purposes. The directives to the Defense Department and the Homeland Security Department were part of a space policy that Bush signed this month. It designates the GPS network as a critical infrastructure for the U.S. government. Part of the new policy is classified; other parts were disclosed Wednesday. The White House said the policies were aimed at improving the stability and performance of the U.S. navigation system, which Bush pledged will continue to be made available for free. The U.S. network is comprised of more than two dozen satellites that act as beacons, sending location-specific radio signals that are recognized by devices popular with motorists, hikers, pilots and sailors. Bush also said the government will make the network signals more resistant to deliberate or inadvertent jamming. On the Net: Office of Science & Technology Policy: www.ostp.gov © Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. 12/15/2004 21:29 APO

Bush Prepares for Possible GPS Shutdown WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the U.S. network of global positioning satellites during a national crisis to prevent terrorists from using the navigational technology, the White House said Wednesday. Any shutdown of the network inside the United States would come under only the most remarkable circumstances, said a Bush administration official who spoke to a small group of reporters at the White House on condition of anonymity. The GPS system is vital to commercial aviation and marine shipping. The president also instructed the Defense Department to develop plans to disable, in certain areas, an enemy's access to the U.S. navigational satellites and to similar systems operated by others. The European Union is developing a $4.8 billion program, called Galileo. The military increasingly uses GPS technology to move troops across large areas and direct bombs and missiles. Any government-ordered shutdown or jamming of the GPS satellites would be done in ways to limit disruptions to navigation and related systems outside the affected area, the White House said. ``This is not something you would do lightly,'' said James A. Lewis, director of technology policy for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. ``It's clearly a big deal. You have to give them credit for being so open about what they're going to do.'' President Clinton abandoned the practice in May 2000 of deliberately degrading the accuracy of civilian navigation signals, a technique known as ``selective availability.'' The White House said it will not reinstate that practice, but said the president could decide to disable parts of the network for national security purposes. The directives to the Defense Department and the Homeland Security Department were part of a space policy that Bush signed this month. It designates the GPS network as a critical infrastructure for the U.S. government. Part of the new policy is classified; other parts were disclosed Wednesday. The White House said the policies were aimed at improving the stability and performance of the U.S. navigation system, which Bush pledged will continue to be made available for free. The U.S. network is comprised of more than two dozen satellites that act as beacons, sending location-specific radio signals that are recognized by devices popular with motorists, hikers, pilots and sailors. Bush also said the government will make the network signals more resistant to deliberate or inadvertent jamming. On the Net: Office of Science & Technology Policy: www.ostp.gov © Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. 12/15/2004 21:29 APO

I just bought a Holux GM-270U CF GPS receiver for use in my Dell Axim X5. It supports WAAS. Unfortunately, based on alot of reading and calculating the look angle to the Pacific WAAS satellite (Inmarsat 3F3, aka GPS Satellite #47 at W178° lon), the look angle from Seattle to the satellite is: azimuth 246°, elevation 11°. Eleven stinkin degrees above the horizon!!! Is ANYONE in Seattle successfully getting WAAS fixes with this pathetic view of the WAAS satellite? Abner_Ravenwood_US