Welcome to the NavList Message Boards.

NavList:

A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding

Compose Your Message

Message:αβγ
Message:abc
Add Images & Files
    Name or NavList Code:
    Email:
       
    Reply
    Re: Role of CN at sea
    From: Jared Sherman
    Date: 2004 Oct 13, 12:35 -0400

    Dan-
     I don't know the mortality of the GPS birds, offhand I hadn't heard of ANY
    failures in them. And, there are spare birds kept in orbit so that even if
    one or two failed "now" they could be replaced as soon as the spares shifted
    orbit, no need for launching anything.
     It is, after all, a hardened military system designed for combat
    performance--not a consumer device allowed to casually fail.
    
     On the flip side, i.e. "What if the GPS unit fails" I think that's a poor
    question, best answered by the reply "What if you drop your sextant?" The
    sextant is instantly trashed, the GPS usually continues to work.
    www.bestbuy.com has been clearancing Garmin eTrex units for $49.95. At that
    price, you can buy 4 GPSes, two solar battery charger sets, cushioned afloat
    pouches, and a couple of hundred premium AA cells for the price of one
    lowest-price metal sextant.
    
     Then of course, there is the other problem with a sextant: What if the
    navigator fails?! Gets sick, hit in the head, is thrown overboard by the
    cook? The sextant is useless without a trained operator. The GPS can often
    be coaxed into providing some useful information in a few minutes, by anyone
    else on board.
    
    
    

       
    Reply
    Browse Files

    Drop Files

    NavList

    What is NavList?

    Get a NavList ID Code

    Name:
    (please, no nicknames or handles)
    Email:
    Do you want to receive all group messages by email?
    Yes No

    A NavList ID Code guarantees your identity in NavList posts and allows faster posting of messages.

    Retrieve a NavList ID Code

    Enter the email address associated with your NavList messages. Your NavList code will be emailed to you immediately.
    Email:

    Email Settings

    NavList ID Code:

    Custom Index

    Subject:
    Author:
    Start date: (yyyymm dd)
    End date: (yyyymm dd)

    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site