Gps Signals Dead For 25 Min On 4/23/2004 6:15pmedt

[DARC]

I was driving home on a business trip Friday evening (4/23/2004) with my StreetPilot III providing a fast route through an unfamiliar highway in the back roads of Connecticut. At about 6:15pm Eastern Daylight Time I suddenly lost all sat reception. After doing the usual antenna check, and signal check, and power cycle, I gave up and pronounced the unit defective.

 

I pulled the Vista out of the suitcase, let it power up and discovered that it could not find any signals either.

 

During a period from 6:15pm through 6:40pm over a 20 mile streatch of Highway, I could not receive GPS signals. Eventually the SP3 woke-up and started picking up satilites but by then I had already missed my exit and had to recalculate my route.

 

Anyone else experience a disturbance in the force that friday ?

[+Stunod]

That was the day with all the UFO sightings, right?

[+SnowLeopard]

Sun spots???

[Wild T2]

You can report outages to the Coast Guard here...

 

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/gps/gpsuserinput.htm

[Kerry.]

I don't believe this was an outage as recording ground stations in and around Connecticut were receiving data during that period so would more than likely be some sort of "local anomaly" and not anything that relates to the actual GPS signalsm proper, they appear to have been normal.

 

Just out of interest what would be some rough coords?

 

Cheers, Kerry.

Edited April 28, 2004 by Kerry.

[+GOT GPS?]

Is there a way to recall what the satellite positions were in Conn, at that Day and time? Im curious

 

Is there software that can do this?

[Kerry.]

Is there a way to recall what the satellite positions were in Conn, at that Day and time? Im curious

 

Is there software that can do this?

For sure almost like clockwork, one can forecast/predict what should occur, including taking into account planned outages (if known and available at the time) but barring unplanned satellite outages that occur from time to time.

 

After the event then based on actual recorded data one can actually recall what did occur and the longer one wants to wait the better the actual data becomes. Precise Ephemeris is available after 14 days or so but to the use of this is generally only practical for high order results.

 

But basically what the receiver is using at any time is predicted satellite positions (emphemeris), otherwise the whole system really wouldn't work in real-time if it didn't have/know the actual positions of the sats.

 

Cheers, Kerry.

[+Timpat]

I work with GPS surveying, and it is possible that local GPS signals were intentionally scrambled, or blocked, due to a high level governmental person flying along that corridor in your area. This was done once while I (GPS) surveyed and President Clinton was flying into the area on Air Force One. Maybe Hillary was flying to a book signing? She still gets Secret Service protection and lives around there somewhere by NYC. The Iraqis blocked our GPS signals at first and were the first of our targets.

[Neo_Geo]

What can the Subservient Chicken do for you??

"Kinky" means using a feather

 

"Perverted" is using the whole chicken!

[+Couparangus]

I work with GPS surveying, and it is possible that local GPS signals were intentionally scrambled, or blocked, due to a high level governmental person flying along that corridor in your area. This was done once while I (GPS) surveyed and President Clinton was flying into the area on Air Force One. Maybe Hillary was flying to a book signing? She still gets Secret Service protection and lives around there somewhere by NYC. The Iraqis blocked our GPS signals at first and were the first of our targets.

 

I suspect it was something a lot less cloak & dagger than this. I've discovered that one of my UHF receivers will wipe out my GPS receiver when within a few feet. Any secondary emissions from this receiver must be profoundly low, yet strong enough to wipe out the GPS. In short, GPS signals are VERY weak and it doesn't take much - perhaps even the ignition computer in your own car...

 

C-A