On Jan. 20 a web-based magazine, engadget.com, stoked the conspiracy fires by starting a paragraph with "Don't panic, but anyone planning on using GPS in the southeastern U.S. for the next month or so will likely want to make sure they have a fallback option."
They continued to talk about an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) press release to pilots that the Department of Defense (DOD) would be testing the GPS system between Jan. 20 and Feb. 11, so they should check before they take off for outages.
According to the actual release, the GPS system may be tested between 0000 and 0245 UTC (coordinated universal time, which translates to between 5 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. EST) off of the coast of Brunswick, Ga. The tests will be for 45 minutes and then a 15-minute blackout time, and pilots should contact control towers for further assistance.
Well, conspiracy theory chat rooms blazed with rumors of the DOD hiding something — war games off the coast of the U.S., speculation of scientific experiments in the Bermuda Triangle, attempts to make the system more precise in finding us or our cars for government tracking. Come on.
In actuality, the DOD developed the GPS concept after the launch of Sputnik in the 1960s and under an executive order in 1983 released it for public use. Ever since then, the DOD has been charged with stewardship including software upgrades and satellite maintenance. In January 2010, after an upgrade, the Air Force lost upwards of 10,000 signals. The testing in the Atlantic may just be a measure to ensure no long-term disruptions in anticipation of another upgrade.
An additional concern could be the ability for GPS units to work well over large expanses of water. In 2010 Coast Guard crews from District 7 launched 235 searches in the waters off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and the Virgin Islands, 20 percent ending in suspension because distressed parties and crafts couldn't be located.
Whatever their reason, the DOD owns and operates the GPS system for the common good, and if they need to test it to ensure the safety of pilots, military personnel and helping grandma search for her doctor's office, they shouldn't have to deal with people inherently accusing them of wrongdoing. This is just a test.
They continued to talk about an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) press release to pilots that the Department of Defense (DOD) would be testing the GPS system between Jan. 20 and Feb. 11, so they should check before they take off for outages.
According to the actual release, the GPS system may be tested between 0000 and 0245 UTC (coordinated universal time, which translates to between 5 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. EST) off of the coast of Brunswick, Ga. The tests will be for 45 minutes and then a 15-minute blackout time, and pilots should contact control towers for further assistance.
Well, conspiracy theory chat rooms blazed with rumors of the DOD hiding something — war games off the coast of the U.S., speculation of scientific experiments in the Bermuda Triangle, attempts to make the system more precise in finding us or our cars for government tracking. Come on.
In actuality, the DOD developed the GPS concept after the launch of Sputnik in the 1960s and under an executive order in 1983 released it for public use. Ever since then, the DOD has been charged with stewardship including software upgrades and satellite maintenance. In January 2010, after an upgrade, the Air Force lost upwards of 10,000 signals. The testing in the Atlantic may just be a measure to ensure no long-term disruptions in anticipation of another upgrade.
An additional concern could be the ability for GPS units to work well over large expanses of water. In 2010 Coast Guard crews from District 7 launched 235 searches in the waters off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and the Virgin Islands, 20 percent ending in suspension because distressed parties and crafts couldn't be located.
Whatever their reason, the DOD owns and operates the GPS system for the common good, and if they need to test it to ensure the safety of pilots, military personnel and helping grandma search for her doctor's office, they shouldn't have to deal with people inherently accusing them of wrongdoing. This is just a test.
Courtesy of Mandie Rainwater
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