US Coast Guard Intends To Kill LORAN-C

adaviel writes "LORAN (Long Range Aids to Navigation) is an electronic navigation system using low-frequency radio, used by many boaters (including me) before GPS. It has an approximately 200m accuracy and is a functional replacement in case GPS fails or the US implements selective availability in time of war. The US Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, intends to turn it off starting February 8." This is in spite of $160M spent on modernizing LORAN stations over the past 10 years.

Comments

hmm

[nomadic]

It has an approximately 200m accuracy

Wow, I didn't know it was that inaccurate.

and is a functional replacement in case GPS fails or the US implements selective availability in time of war.

If the US implements selective availability of GPS, they can certainly also just turn off Loran-C.

Re:hmm

[geekmux]

200m is good for what ?

- Retrieve a crab/lobstrer pot ? - Retrieve a Man Overboard ? - Fetch a gill net ? - Meet with a sister ship during a seine net operation ? ... No.. lemme tell you.. 200m is NOT good enough !

(No personal experience here - but my Old Man did !)

--Ivan

Sit in the middle of the ocean and turn off GPS. Perhaps you'll quickly see the value of "good enough". I'm all for a backup plan, and a backup plan to the backup plan, especially if we can avoid pissing away a $160M investment.

Costs and benefits

[MaXintosh]

This is in spite of $160M spent on modernizing LORAN stations over the past 10 years.

There's this thing called the Concorde Fallacy that is relevant here. It doesn't matter how much money you spent, all that should matter is anticipated future costs and benefits. And I think for a 200m redundant navigation system, future costs >> benefits.

Sunk cost

[Anonymous Coward]

This is in spite of $160M spent on modernizing LORAN stations over the past 10 years.

Econ 101: don't make decisions on the basis of sunk costs.

Re:Idiotic.

[jpmorgan]

No country wants to maintain them? What are you smoking?

The GPS system is launched and operated by the US Air Force, first and foremost for US military activities. It wasn't some magical pan-national committee that put the satellites into orbit and built the ground stations. And the USAF maintains them and modernizes them. If GPS goes offline, all those fancy GPS guided weapons go offline too.

As for redundancy... put two GPS receivers on your ship.

How about

[Ungrounded Lightning]

200m is good for what ?
- Retrieve a crab/lobstrer pot ?
- Retrieve a Man Overboard ?
- Fetch a gill net ?
- Meet with a sister ship during a seine net operation ? ... No.. lemme tell you.. 200m is NOT good enough !

How about:

- Find a port when you're somewhere random in an ocean?

I'd be HAPPY to live with a 200 meter error if I'm trying to, say, get the Golden Gate Bridge to show over the horizon in time to beat a squall line into San Francisco Bay. Or to know if I'm FAR ENOUGH OFF the west coast of North America that I won't be blown onto it before a storm I can't outrun blows by.