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USNO Master Clocks

To be frank the topic of eLoran, an upgrade of Loran-C that promises to add redundancy to to GPS systems, is a topic gCaptain has discussed passionately on numerous occasions but i feel that we are loosing headway… fast.

Our friends at Panbo, the marine electronics blog, tell us;

When I last reported on this issue in February, 2008, it seemed evident that the Coast Guard’s efforts to shed its Loran financial obligations were just that, and that many responsible parties wanted to see Loran perfected into an eLoran backup to GPS for all sorts of purposes besides marine navigation.  And it’s been going like that ever since.  Heck, here’s what the Independent Assessment Team (IAT) from the Institute for Defense Analyses reported to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last January (pdf here):

IAT Conclusions and Major Recommendation:

• Reasonable assurance of national PNT {Position, Navigation, Timing} availability is prudent and responsible policy, needed for ubiquitous, critical safety of life and national and economic security, as well as quality of life, applications dependent upon GPS-based PNT.

• eLoran is the only cost-effective backup for national needs; it is completely interoperable with and independent of GPS, with different propagation and failure mechanisms, plus significantly superior robustness to radio frequency interference and jamming. It is a seamless backup, and its use will deter threats to US national and economic security by disrupting (jamming) GPS reception.

• The US Government policy decision is needed to motivate users to equip and to demonstrate continued leadership internationally.  Thus, the IAT unanimously recommends that the U.S. Government complete the eLoran upgrade and commit to eLoran as the national backup to GPS for 20 years.

Thus, the IAT unanimously recommends that the U.S. Government complete the eLoran upgrade and commit to eLoran as the national backup to GPS for 20 years.

So if you believe, like me, in the importance of this upgrade to marine safety please CLICK HERE to read more then contact your representative, the Coast Guard Commandant and the Department of Homeland Security.

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