AOPA ePilot wrote:GPS testing could interrupt signals in Nevada
The FAA has issued a flight advisory for potentially unreliable GPS signals in areas around Mina, Nev., Dec. 10 through 20. See the flight advisory for details on location, duration, and size of the affected areas. Pilots are encouraged to report anomalies to the appropriate air route traffic control center to help determine the extent of signal degradation. Please share your reports with AOPA. Notams will be published at least 24 hours in advance of any GPS test, but may change with little or no notice.

Not sure of the radius on this one, but there was a test earlier this near Wendover with like a 400 mile radius. WTF, over...

Shit... Hope I can find the Desert Lobster in Mina without my GPS.

Gump

And they aren't kidding... Interrupt. When they do whatever it is they do, that GPS just quits cold. My 396 turns into an expensive XM radio.

Gump

GumpAir wrote:And they aren't kidding... Interrupt. When they do whatever it is they do, that GPS just quits cold. My 396 turns into an expensive XM radio.

Gump

Yeah I know; good thing there is nobody living in the this god forsaken state for them to have to worry about. And of course you can't get lost out here either, just follow the valleys... Oh yeah, its not like there is any restricted airspace out here either that might cause a friendly F-16 intercept or anything like that...

GPS is one of the lowest power easily jamed signals out there. Always has been always will. Its not just NV that gets unreliable GPS signals. Planes can still navigate and fly without GPS.

buzzlatka wrote:GPS is one of the lowest power easily jamed signals out there. Always has been always will. Its not just NV that gets unreliable GPS signals. Planes can still navigate and fly without GPS.

That's not the point. The signals are being intentionally messed with - very frequently out here; it is becoming ridiculous. I know most of the western US very well and can navigate easily without GPS, when the weather is good. Add low visability, wind, etc and it can be a different story. I've had multiple system failures over the years, sometimes multiple failures at the same time and it is no big deal in good weather, but quickly becomes challenging in marginal conditions. Murphy is alive and well and doing just fine without the g'ment screwing with the navigation systems. By the way, the weather is crap here today and even though I know this area like the back of my hand, I'd really like to have my GPS working, thank you very much!

I don't want to argue here. I just have a different perspective having been on the military side directly involved in the use of GPS and involved in things that resulted in distruption of GPS signals.
Your GPS signal is not being intentionally messed with . GPS was first and mostly a military application. I have always cringed seeing how people want to move towards 100% reliance on GPS in the civilian world. In my military applications we always had backup plans for lost signals, because we expected it, and it happened regularily. It the civilian world lack of reliability is an afterthought.
The things going on at military sites that mess with the GPS are sometimes just that. Tests of GPS related stuff. A lot of times it has nothing to do with GPS, it just happens to adversely affect it(remember lightsquared).

I guess I relate it to military airspace. Sure it would be great to go direct anywhere in the US but those pesky Restricted areas get in the way. Are they neccesary? Absolutely. When I flew in the military I wouldn't like it when somebody would get in my way inside a MOA or I would try to activate a restricted area and have to wait for the commercial traffic to clear.
Now I get to listen to the bitching when we can't take a shortcut across a restricted area.

Same with GPS. Its great to have but I fully expect disruption.

My 2 cents.

Tim I did not spell check this reply

Actually the primary user of the GPS system is the banking industry that relies on GPS time stamps on transactions where a few seconds mean a million bucks. There are other constellations out there, GLONASS from the Russians, Galileo from the Europeans that still haven't figured out what to do with it. I think all the iPhones from the 4S onward receive GLONASS as well as the American GPS, so there's a reasonable back up for you. Eventually the Chinese will have yet another independent GPS system, so even more backup. Multi-constellation receivers cost just a few cents on a chip, which is why the iPhone has them but your Universal or Honeywell FMS doesn't. Dust off the books, if you are on a westerly heading and turn north, will your wet compass lead or lag? I hated those days of crawling around with my finger on the map on my lap.

buzzlatka wrote:I don't want to argue here.

Me either, as you point out, just different perspectives. First cold one's on me when we get a chance to meet up.

Welcome back Tim. By the way, I use a spell checker all the time because I need to.

Mike

Karmutzen wrote: Dust off the books, if you are on a westerly heading and turn north, will your wet compass lead or lag? I hated those days of crawling around with my finger on the map on my lap.

Took care of that issue, good thing because I could never remember. The Bearhawk only has an electronic compass so if Buzz's friends with the jamming/interference gizmo's get too close, I may be completely SOL. I'm usually not high enough for the VOR to be much help.

The only TFR for NV, no GPS SIGNAL TFR.

Issue Date : December 08, 2012 at 0106 UTC
Location : MT IRISH NV NEAR WILSON CREEK VORTAC., Nevada
Beginning Date and Time : Effective Immediately
Ending Date and Time : Until further notice
Reason for NOTAM : DUE TO AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT
Type : Hazards
Replaced NOTAM(s) : N/A
Pilots May Contact : LOS ANGELES (ZLA) Center, 661-265-8205
Jump To: Affected Areas
Operating Restrictions and Requirements
Other Information

I was counting noses of our backcountry community until I realized it was last week's expensive drone that could "emit toxic fumes" while it burns. Nudge, wink. http://www.lvrj.com/news/reaper-crashes-in-lincoln-county-no-injuries-182400331.html

This degradation has been going on for the last couple of years, throughout the southern tier of states, so it's nothing new. You just have to be ready to use other forms of navigation, from pilotage and ded reckoning to VORs and ADFs. GPSs are marvelous things, but they have their limitations, not the least of which is that they can be shut off or degraded with very little effort--and with no warning at all, if that's deemed necessary "for national security". Back in the Selective Availability days, being within 100 meters was rare, and it wasn't unusual to be off by a quarter mile or more. Now we get upset if it's off more than a couple meters. But it's still not a guaranteed thingy, for sure.

Cary

Wet compass, pencil and a sectional still work and used in my routine. In fact I like raw navigating still.

Have Davis sextant and would use it given a chance, surface only. The air sight reduction tables are available along with all the primitive paraphernalia.

Even have Micronesian stick charts (just joking).