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GPS Outage And Jamming

Thanks for the heads-up!

I usually keep the heading bug on the current track heading just in case. It is good for deviations around build-ups too. If outage affects approaches, then that is trouble. The jammers are usually an inverted cone.
 
Glonass

Though I haven’t got one yet so I can’t comment on how well it work, Garmin sells a device for picking up the Russian satellite navigation system. It’s called a Garmin Glo2 which picks up both gps and glonass and can be connected via Bluetooth to iPads. As long as both US and Russia doesn’t jam at the same time, we should be good.
 
If they are jamming one they are almost certainly jamming all gps signals including glonass since the point of the jamming is for the military to practice operations with GOS inop.
 
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Jamming

Possibly but I think there could be rules regarding signal jamming. Maybe they can jam the signal so it only effects US airspace but with other countries so close it may not be allowed, maybe someone with military experience would know the answer
 
Possibly but I think there could be rules regarding signal jamming. Maybe they can jam the signal so it only effects US airspace but with other countries so close it may not be allowed, maybe someone with military experience would know the answer

The US government owns the GPS system. They can do with it what they want. There are at least 5 other countries with satellite based navigation systems, but the US has authority to jam those signals over US air space.
 
The US government owns the GPS system. They can do with it what they want. There are at least 5 other countries with satellite based navigation systems, but the US has authority to jam those signals over US air space.

We jam GPS signals in non US airspace also. We would lose GPS almost every flight as we passed west of Syria out of Tel Aviv. Sometimes it would drop off within 5 minutes of getting airborne. There was normally a notam out to expect to lose GPS in that region due to jamming. GPS signals are so weak and the bands they all use so close I am not sure you could selectively jam just one system anyway.
The good news in the US is they are not going to be jamming in poor weather conditions when it’s really needed.
 
I'd argue it's "needed" every flight. I have a full-IFR avionics suite that has never once, in the year I've been flying it so far, had the VOR portion of the Avidyne turned on to see if it even works. I'll get around to that later, if I ever start my IA training. GPS is so pervasive and convenient, the magenta line has become my 100% navigational go-to. It's a safe bet many of us here roll this way.

The most effective pushback against diddling with GPS, which is a mil / gov system we've all grown utterly dependent on in many aspects of smartphone life, will come from soccer moms trying to navigate somewhere on the southern SC seaboard in their Lincoln SUV's when Siri can't get a sat lock while the fleet trains offshore. Their protests will be heard. And then ignored. "Nav for me but not for thee, peasant. Pick up that can!"
 
I'd argue it's "needed" every flight. I have a full-IFR avionics suite that has never once, in the year I've been flying it so far, had the VOR portion of the Avidyne turned on to see if it even works. I'll get around to that later, if I ever start my IA training. GPS is so pervasive and convenient, the magenta line has become my 100% navigational go-to. It's a safe bet many of us here roll this way.

The most effective pushback against diddling with GPS, which is a mil / gov system we've all grown utterly dependent on in many aspects of smartphone life, will come from soccer moms trying to navigate somewhere on the southern SC seaboard in their Lincoln SUV's when Siri can't get a sat lock while the fleet trains offshore. Their protests will be heard. And then ignored. "Nav for me but not for thee, peasant. Pick up that can!"

These guys are selling a GPS/INS system for handling GPS "failures" for cars. We've had INS in aviation for a long time, but not at a price point that most of us want to pay.

https://www.u-blox.com/en/technologies/automotive-dead-reckoning-technology
 
Not just jamming, but large solar flares can interfere with the ionosphere and cause accuracy issues with GPS. Sure enroute accuracy might remain available, but approach level might not work.

I wouldn't consider an airplane safe for IFR without a nav radio. Never know when that trusty old vectored ILS approach will be what finds the runway for you.
 
The whole move away from ILS to RNAV approaches has always made me somewhat nervous for this very reason. Jamming is common, RAIM reports are there for a reason.

Happily I'll be retired and flying my own wings with a backup sectional in the glovebox if the system shuts down.

Not a Luddite mind you, I just enjoy looking out the window.

“None of the modern machines, none of the modern paraphernalia. . . have any power except over the people who choose to use them.” – Daily News, July 21, 1906 G. K. Chesterton
 
GPS

I can't see this being a problem in light of the fact that all modern airliners are GPS based with DME/IRS backup. Imagine the mess it would make of the system if the military made a habit of shutting down the signals! Personally I think we are safe for now. However I did change my proposed panel to include VOR/ILS. Not a huge expense in the big scheme of things...:cool:
 
I may be a simpleton in my thinking on this, but can't the military turn off their GPS receivers if they need to simulate combat under conditions of GPS denial? Is an OFF switch that difficult to implement?

The truth is, their little toy has become so ubiquitously relied upon nowadays that denying access to GPS places an unconscionable hardship on the citizens the military exists to protect. Sat nav has wormed its way that far into the fabric of 21st century life.
 
I had a good friend who flew pipeline that hit the only high mountain near MacGregor Range east of White Sands. The weather deteriorated and at the same time the military was jamming GPS. Very poor timing our their part with the deteriorating weather. And no NOTAM issued (which should be illegal). Not a lot of options for alternates between Pecos and El Paso. There is no question a pilot should be able to continue safely without GPS. Many of us learned to fly and plan cross-countries before GPS existed. But in a rickety old pipeline airplane with half inop panel and reliance on portable GPS with weather coming in unannounced it can suddenly make things tricky when they flip off the switch. That same day I heard airline pilots on center complaining to ATC about the GPS outage issue making it hard to navigate and you could almost hear the controllers laughing under their breath on frequency since professional pilots with modern equipment should know where they are at all times with or without GPS. But it still sucked when Waldo hit the mountain. Locals call it Mt. Waldo now. He was the best.
 
The US government owns the GPS system. They can do with it what they want. There are at least 5 other countries with satellite based navigation systems, but the US has authority to jam those signals over US air space.
^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

And under certain circumstances the military can and will jam the entire GPS band anywhere in the world. Heck they have the ability to jam ATC radars, VOR's, ILS, cell phones and more. Civilians can use these system based on needs determined by the military. As a former USAF ECCM officer (think E3 AWACS) I know.

No different than if an ILS, VOR or even your engine fails while you are flying. You should know basic airmanship and have a reasonable backup plan. Either that or don't fly.

"A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skill." - Frank Borman

:cool:
 
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I may be a simpleton in my thinking on this, but can't the military turn off their GPS receivers if they need to simulate combat under conditions of GPS denial? Is an OFF switch that difficult to implement?

GPS denied environment isn't the same as turning off GPS. The GPS signals are still available but access to GPS guidance is intermittent and you can't simulated by turning off the GPS. In the west coast, we have MOA and restricted airspace everywhere. As geopolitical conflicts start to flare up, and the military starts to experience a lot more GPS jamming, you can be sure all military exercises will involve operating without the aid of GPS (jamming), and this also means civilians GPS isn't reliable when we fly during these ops.
 
GPS denied environment isn't the same as turning off GPS.

And GPS jamming isn't limited to turning it completely off. It also includes injecting false data so receivers thinks they are somewhere else. Purposely meant to disrupt and deny the use of navigation data to everybody in the area. Here in NE Florida we get GPS jamming off shore quite often. Sometimes they are even NOTAMED. :rolleyes:
 
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Since there entire ATC system is or will soon be GPS dependent ADSB vice radar, I wouldn't "get my knickers in a twist". Also, see the following reference from AOPA.....

Advising ATC of a GPS-jamming emergency
Pilots who encounter an interruption of GPS navigation that affects flight safety or who have related flight-control issues can say the phrase “Stop buzzer” to air traffic control. That phraseology should initiate the process of interrupting the testing to restore navigation signal reception.
During previous GPS-interference events, pilots declared emergencies, but the jamming continued because ATC did not understand that the emergency was related to the GPS interference. According to the Pilot/Controller Glossary, “Stop buzzer” is a term used by ATC to request suspension of “electronic attack activity.” Pilots should only use the phrase when communicating with ATC, or over the emergency frequency 121.5 MHz, if a safety-of-flight issue is encountered during a known GPS interference event. They should make ATC understand that they face a GPS-related emergency, and that halting the GPS interference will resolve it.
 
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