What Happens If GPS Fails?

[jimLE]

What Happens If GPS Fails?
Despite massive reliance on the system’s clocks, there’s still no longterm backup.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/486824/

 

[Maverick]

Good article Jim. A lot of us been say that for years and for years a lot of us have been ignored, people are lazy and wanting the conveniences of the GPS refusing to learn the compass and map. A compass is a true navigational aid. A GPS should be backed up with a paper map and if on foot a compass, a GPS should never be used by itself.

 

[jontte]

we go back to map and compass..if you now how..

 

[jimLE]

There's a article and/or a blog called 90% will die.or similar to that.there's also just over 4000 satellites orbiting earth.but yet if just 2 or 3 of the gps satellites were to go out. then the other's will fall out of sink.or what ever.then life as we know it will go belly up.

 

[BillMasen]

GPS should surely only ever be an assistant to an up to date fully annotated high quality map, and a good compass. To fully rely on electronic gadgets is a sure way to end up in trouble. I replace my maps about every five years as up to date versions are published.

Even planes fitted with GPS have inertial nav systems and compasses as back up. Even fully operational GPS in the Uk see's trucks, buses, RVs that are 8 to 10 ft wide try to go down lanes 6ft 6 inches wide, through deep fords and even onto railway lines.

 

[Brent S]

All I know is in my business we drive all over the state. If Gps goes down I’m screwed. Honestly though, if something major happens I don’t see us continuing to service customers all over Ga. anymore. I think traveling during emergencies is probably a bad idea anyways. Also, anything taking out Gps is probably going to knock out most gas stations and credit transactions too.

 

[jimLE]

That's just it.SO MANY things rely on the atomic clocks in the gps satellites.they'll fail when the gps satellites fail.including the military. buiesness.fishing boats.to what ever.the atomic clock is there.in some way or another.even the power grids rely on them.

 

[tmttactical]

Ah, my times were so much simpler. Contractors had a map book (forgot the name and publisher) and we could find any place. Of course you had to be able to read a map. Almost all business was handled with cash and GPS was not needed. Simpler but safer times. Students were taught to add and subtract and could make change, without a machine telling them what amount of change was needed.

 

[BillMasen]

That's just it.SO MANY things rely on the atomic clocks in the gps satellites.they'll fail when the gps satellites fail.including the military. buiesness.fishing boats.to what ever.the atomic clock is there.in some way or another.even the power grids rely on them.

So long as WE do not rely on them then we will get by.

 

[grayghost668]

when all else fails,,,I get a map out,and a magnifying glass,,,,,,

where I live I know the area well so I don't carry a compass ,,,now if I was somewhere new to me I would have one

 

[BillMasen]

Not only should our primary navigation tools be map and Compass only assisted by GPS, but you should be intimately familiar with most of your local roads, trails, tracks, cycle routes, footpaths, topwpaths , alleys. etcetera so that you can have multiple alternative routes to and from your residence.

 

[Brent S]

I figure if gps does fail then I’m pretty much staying put to secure the homestead. The shock from the system going down would disrupt everything so much that it would probably be unsafe to travel anyways.

 

[BillMasen]

I figure if gps does fail then I’m pretty much staying put to secure the homestead. The shock from the system going down would disrupt everything so much that it would probably be unsafe to travel anyways.

That is quite likely at the moment but hopefully in the near future GPS will be supplimented by the planned British system and the new EU system and perhaps even the proposed Russian system and then no doubt multi band Sat Navs systems will come about.

 

[Maverick]

That is quite likely at the moment but hopefully in the near future GPS will be supplimented by the planned British system and the new EU system and perhaps even the proposed Russian system and then no doubt multi band Sat Navs systems will come about.

The problem is LBS positioning sensor, one satellite running all services is not likely, we can only fit so many satellites in a small area, we already have mobile units that can receive all services but very LBS dependent, each government wants it's own control of military navigational system like GPS, GLONASS etc..

 

[Arcticdude]

It won't have any impact on my life. For me GPS is just a minor convenience that I could easily do without. I prefer maps anyway.

 

[VenomJockey]

Do what you did before there was a GPS......break out the compass, topographic maps, and go back to basics.

 

[Brent S]

That is quite likely at the moment but hopefully in the near future GPS will be supplimented by the planned British system and the new EU system and perhaps even the proposed Russian system and then no doubt multi band Sat Navs systems will come about.

I haven’t even heard of any other systems but I love having backups and alternatives. I had read that Russia has figured out a way to warp our gps system allready. Some ships systems are saying they are 100miles from where they are. I suppose it is to throw off our missile accuracy.

 

[Kevin L]

I had to learn map reading in paramedic school, and we got around very well with a Rand McNally map book.

Palm Beach County is especially confusing, as we had: the town of Palm Beach Shores, North Palm Beach, South Palm Beach, The Island of Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Estates, The Villiage of Palm Springs, and so on.

All in the same county and all almost next door to each other . . . and we had to find the address lights and sirens . . . and, of course, someone could die if we got the city or town even slightly wrong.

I am quite comfortable with a mapbook, and the big irony is that I haven't been able to find a recent one for my area.

All this time and energy that I devoted to learning map navigation has made me the equivalent of a steam-engine repair mechanic.

That having been said, I am also an amateur astronomer, and am competent at using the stars for navigation.

You can also use a vertical stick to determine an east-west line with the sun (and, therefore, north and south) by planting it in the ground and waiting 15 minutes (if you know how to do it) and marking the tips of the stick's shadow.

Forget about the old saw about moss growing only on the north side of a tree. That's mostly unreliable.

 

[Brent S]

I had to learn map reading in paramedic school, and we got around very well with a Rand McNally map book.

Palm Beach County is especially confusing, as we had: the town of Palm Beach Shores, North Palm Beach, South Palm Beach, The Island of Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Estates, The Villiage of Palm Springs, and so on.

All in the same county and all almost next door to each other . . . and we had to find the address lights and sirens . . . and, of course, someone could die if we got the city or town even slightly wrong.

I am quite comfortable with a mapbook, and the big irony is that I haven't been able to find a recent one for my area.

All this time and energy that I devoted to learning map navigation has made me the equivalent of a steam-engine repair mechanic.

That having been said, I am also an amateur astronomer, and am competent at using the stars for navigation.

You can also use a vertical stick to determine an east-west line with the sun (and, therefore, north and south) by planting it in the ground and waiting 15 minutes (if you know how to do it) and marking the tips of the stick's shadow.

Forget about the old saw about moss growing only on the north side of a tree. That's mostly unreliable.

I’ve also noticed that there aren’t many maps to choose from in retail stores anymore. I’m guessing that now is not a good time to buy stock in Rand McNally!

 

[BillMasen]

I’ve also noticed that there aren’t many maps to choose from in retail stores anymore. I’m guessing that now is not a good time to buy stock in Rand McNally!

in the Uk the government is responsible for much our our map making, the semi government quango the Ordnance Survery produce most of our maps mainly the Explorer series and Land Ranger series