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Home »FCC & Ligado – Thoughts & recent reference material
Image: Federal Communications Commission Blog Editor's Note: We are at an interesting place in this very long saga. One that has been going on for nearly 20 years. It is a complex and intricate tale. It is a story of conflict. One with virtue and no real villains on...
Ligado Scraps 5G Network Launch Amid Interference Flap – Location Business News
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Interesting development. Read carefully. They are not giving up their claim on the frequencies. They are just not deploying equipment. Ligado Scraps 5G Network Launch Amid Interference Flap Announcement comes days...
GPS Interference Getting Worse? – More reports from more places & an aviation mystery
Image: Shutterstock The Maritime Administration issued one of its periodic advisories the other day about GPS and AIS jamming and spoofing. It included a note, as usual, about repeated reports from the eastern and central Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf, and the Red...
Ligado network will jam Iridium’s receivers used by DoD: National Academies – Breaking Defense
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: We have been off the grid for several days, so we are only posting this now. The National Academies said a lot more than what is in this headline, of course. Read the whole article at the link below. Importantly, the report...
National Academies to reveal FCC-Ligado study results Friday – GPS World
Image: National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Blog Editor's Note: The author of the below piece is President of the RNT Foundation. National Academies to reveal FCC-Ligado study results Friday September 6, 2022 - By Dana A. Goward The...
Can smart grids be protected from PNT cyberattacks? – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: We like that folks are talking about PNT as a cyber issue. One that should very much be considered in "zero trust" considerations. While this might not be universally accepted yet by those in the cyber world, it is certainly...
High Seas Deception: How Shady Ships Use GPS to Evade International Law – New York Times
Ship locations from around the world have been spoofed to show them circling off of Pt. Reyes, California. Image courtesy of Skytruth Blog Editor's Note: We are seeing more of these kinds of articles in major outlet as the world "discovers" the problem again and...
Civil GPS Service Interface Committee – September 19-20, 2022 – Denver
Image: Red Rock Park near Denver - Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Open to the public and free to attend. Your chance to talk to the government! 62nd Meeting of the Civil GPS Service Interface Committee At the Institute of Navigation GNSS+ 2022 Conference Hyatt...
Sun to Earth – “You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.”
Blog Editor's Note - A couple of items from Space.com that should be of interest to everyone who thinks about space. Should also of interest to anyone who relies upon space-based services. Which would be... just about everyone. The first item is about recent solar...
A Smile from Patriot Chapter, Assoc of Old Crows
Image: Shutterstock Most of our readers are familiar with the Association of Old Crows. It is the world's largest organization of folks interested in Electronic Warfare (EW), Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO), Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA),...
Russian aggression shows the West’s GNSS weakness – Army Technology
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: A good general info article from a UK defense (or defence) perspective. The interviewee, NextNav CEO Ganesh Pattabiraman, does a pretty good job of addressing the policy issues without making the piece an all out advertisement...
Belt and Suspenders – Former FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond’s Safety First
We were privileged to be able to attend a memorial service yesterday for our late friend and colleague Langhorne Bond. Long-time RNTF members will remember Langhorne as an early supporter of our efforts and host of our first couple annual meeting/dinners at the...
Military exercise to test detection of GNSS disruption – GPS World
Image: RNTF Blog Editor's Note: This article reports on the latest chapter in DIU's detection efforts. We are encouraged by the statement in the article, which we assume is near to a quote from DOD/DIU, to the effect that: "...information and insight can be broadly...
What? LORAN may be back? Why? How? – Microcontroller Tips
Image: US Coast Guard Blog Editor's Note: This series of articles is not only a good primer on Loran/eLoran, but also provides some good background on GPS, GNSS, and PNT. And for the record, we at RNT Foundation aren't "the eLoran people." True, when the government...
GAO discusses DOD PNT management and leadership — again – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: The author is President of the RNT Foundation. GAO discusses DOD PNT management and leadership — again August 18, 2022 - By Dana Goward Est. reading time: 3 minutes In early August, the U.S. Government Accountability...
Inhofe, Reed urge FCC to stay and reconsider Ligado order – GPS World
Image: RNT Foundation Blog Editor's Note: After a seemingly long hiatus, several more chapters of this saga are unfolding. This is a bit of a "last chance" for Senator Inhofe. He has been particularly vociferous on this issue. His term of office ends in January and he...
Using ADS-B to Detect GPS/GNSS Interference – Inside GNSS
Image: Eurocontrol Blog Editor's Note: We first heard the idea of using ADS-B as a way to detect GNSS disruption from an Aireon presentation at the Stanford PNT Symposium in 2020. Makes a lot of sense. If it can be detected using maritime AIS data, why not with...
Hobbyists show aviation GPS jamming
Image: Screenshot 12 Aug 2022 from GPSJam.org Blog Editor's Note: Our colleague Ramsey Faragher posted about this site on Linkedin the other day. It is all based on ADS-B reports collected by enthusiasts. The data for the previous 24 hours is displayed on a rotatable...
GAO: Pentagon Lacks Business Case for GPS Alternatives – Location Business News
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: No surprise to see another GAO report saying DOD has been focusing more on GPS than developing alternatives. Going with what you know and shunning "the new" is just part of human nature. It is an especially potent phenomenon in...
DOT Complementary PNT Industry Roundtable
Image: RNT Foundation Blog Editor's Note: Last Thursday, the 4th of August, the Department of Transportation held a round table to discuss various issues related to complementary PNT. RNT Foundation was represented by our board member the Hon. Greg Winfree, Director...
Buy Wholesale China 18 Bands Portable 5g Jammer Signal Blocking Up To 25m & Handheld Signal Jammer at USD 1 – Global Sources
Image: Global Sources Blog Editor's Note: Happy Saturday! Periodically we share some of the advertisements we and our members receive of devices like this. As you will note, this one is targeted at 5G. Upon closer inspection you will see that, yes, GPS is one of the...
Time For Action: We Must Fail Before We Can Succeed – Inside GNSS
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Great OpEd by Logan Scott. We agree completely with his assertion that the US just needs to do something. And if whatever that is fails, well we have learned something and have a better idea what will work. But as things are...
OneWeb-Eutelsat Merger Dims Hopes of GNSS Buildout – Location Business News
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: To reinforce the point made in the article below, whether space-based or terrestrial, wide area PNT is not a profit making enterprise. It is a utility and infrastructure provided by government. Yes, it enables lots of...
Resilient PNT for a Self-Reliant India – Geospatial World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: A good overview article by an senior officer in India's Army. Lots of good themes including "self reliant" and "resilient." It is also clear that jamming in the Ukraine are making some military folks think seriously about GNSS...
National Guard timing backup for GPS in House FY-2023 NDAA – GPS World
Image: RNT Foundation Blog Editor's Note: The author is President of the RNT Foundation. National Guard timing backup for GPS in House FY-2023 NDAA July 27, 2022 - By Dana Goward Est. reading time: 4 minutes On July 14, the U.S. House passed its version of the...
Why One Critical Second Can Wreak Havoc on the Internet – CNET
Image: RNT Foundation Blog Editor's Note: There are some who still say the internet is asynchronous so timing isn't a critical factor. But networks do require synchronization and so do apps. This piece is a good reminder that time is foundational and that we need to...
With 10,000+ aviation events in 2021, ITU issues GNSS interference warning – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: The author is RNTF President Dana A. Goward. With 10,000+ aviation events in 2021, ITU issues GNSS interference warning Est. reading time: 2 minutes July 25, 2022 - By Dana Goward By Dana A. Goward Earlier this month,...
S. Korea to hold full scale Civil Defense drill, incl GPS jamming – Yonhap News
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: South Korea has one dangerous adversary on its borders and two very nearby. Their government is very conscious of the need for resilience - the ability to withstand attack and, if needed, recover quickly. This has spurred them...
GPS Tracker Vulnerability – Most recent gift from Chinese Communist Party?
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: This item in Location Business News also received a lot of other press last week. While it isn't exactly in the center of our normal lane, it is a great reminder that GPS receivers are also computers with their own potential...
Why Isn’t Russia jamming GPS harder in Ukraine? – C4IRSNET
Image: Hawkeye 360 Blog Editor's Note: The author of the below is president of the RNT Foundation. Opinion Why Isn’t Russia jamming GPS harder in Ukraine? By Dana Goward Jul 22, 06:52 AM Russian forces have been regularly jamming signals from the U.S. Global...
New Site For GPS Disruption Reports – USCG NAVCEN
Blog Editor's Note: The U.S. Government collects reports of GPS problems in several different places. One of the most interesting and accessible is at the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center. It is the reporting point for the general public around the world. The...
Complementary PNT Takes Center Stage – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: A great report from JNC by GPS World Editor, Matteo Luccio. And it is an affirmation that, if there is interest by government, industry is eager to respond and provide. Now, if we can move along from talking about it to actually...
“Direct Hit” from Sun Tomorrow – Dr. Tamitha Skov
We have seen a lot of these predictions and rarely report on them. Most of the time not much happens so we tend to wait until after the storm arrives and, if there were noticeable impacts, report on those. In this case, though, we thought it would be a good idea to...
In Memoriam – PNT Leader, Dr. Patricia Doherty
We were saddened to learn of Pat's passing. Her leadership within the PNT community included serving on the National Space-based PNT Advisory Board, and as president of the Institute of Navigation. Obituary: Patricia Helen Doherty, 72 May 23, 1950 – July...
Russia Jamming Norway GPS – Coordinated with Computer Attack?
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Most people think about the eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, or Baltic when they thing about regular and persistent GPS/GNSS jamming. And they are not wrong. But Norway's northern Finnmark region is right up there among the...
Op-ed | U.S. Antisatellite Test Ban Reveals a New Approach for Security and Sustainability in Space – SpaceNews
Image: DOD Blog Editor's Note: We are all for preventing problems rather than waiting for them to crop up and then running around figuring out how to recover. Think about how much easier it would have been to fix the levees in New Orleans BEFORE Hurricane Katrina. ...
“Strong incentives” for Maritime Jamming & Spoofing – Maritime Executive
Image: Maritime Safety and Security Alliance Blog Editor's Note: The below article from February is still current and informative. GNSS disruption in maritime is an everyday and widespread occurrence. And there are more incentives to maliciously disrupt GNSS signals...
Weather & Comms more important than GPS/Satnav – Inmarsat Poll
Image: Inmarsat Blog Editor's Note: Interesting poll by Inmarsat of the general public about individuals' perceived self-knowledge of and attitudes toward space. 20,000 people across 11 different countries participated. We took a couple courses about how to do surveys...
FCC’s Receiver Standards Inquiry Sparks Concerns About Impact on Innovation, Agency’s Legal Authority – Navigation Outlook
Image: FCC Blog Editor's Note: Any wireless system has multiple legs. GPS, for example, is described has having space, control, and user segments. Authorities in the European Union have already begun steps toward regulating receivers. It will be interesting to see...
Surprise geomagnetic storm opens ‘crack’ in Earth’s magnetosphere – Sky News
Image: NASA Blog Editor's Note: We continue to learn about all the ways the sun threatens technology, and even civilization as we know it. From this article about a newly observed type of solar weather, it appears that scientists are still learning as well. Good thing...
U.S. Telecom Behind South Korea, China Due Timing Infrastructure Shortfall
Image: South Korea Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Blog Editor's Note: While China still leads the world in its comprehensive approach to providing its industry and populous a reliable and resilient PNT infrastructure, South Korea is closing fast. The nation is...
Why Precise PNT Matters to Businesses? – GW Prime
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Our faithful readers probably know most or all of this already. But it is sometimes good to see things all in one place. The below article is a good reminder that the need for resilient PNT goes way beyond critical...
Lithuania’s GPSPATRON Examining New Jamming & Spoofing
Image: GPS Patron Blog Editor's Note: Located in Vilnius, near the epicenter of a lot of reported GPS/GNSS jamming and spoofing, GPSPATRON has a uniquely closeup view of such activity. And they frequently post what they find on LINKEDIN. Here are a couple recent finds...
Why You Should Care There’s No “Plan B” For Space-Based PNT – The Downlink Podcast
Image: The Downlink Blog Editor's Note: You can listen to this interview using your web browser or as a podcast. https://defaeroreport.com/2022/06/21/the-downlink-jun-19-22-why-you-should-care-that-theres-no-plan-b-for-space-based-pnt-part-1/#prettyPhoto...
“Receivers? Not a problem”: Hexagon | NovAtel joins Xona on assured PNT LEO constellation – GPS World
Image: Xona Space Systems Blog Editor's Note: You have likely already seen this by now in GPS World, a press release from one of the companies, or other media outlet. A nice partnership, but some might think it is not that worthy of note. - Full disclosure, both...
Rep. Wexton working behind the scenes to secure GPS and backups – GPS World
Image: US Dept of Transportation Blog Editor's Note: The author is President of the RNT Foundation. Rep. Wexton working behind the scenes to secure GPS and backups June 21, 2022 - By Dana Goward Rep. Jennifer Wexton Reading her biography, you might not think...
GPS jammers – what they are and why they are needed – GISuser
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editors' Note: This is the kind of thing we wouldn't ordinarily spread further around cyberspace. But our readers are pretty savvy PNTers. And it is always good to remind ourselves that there are folks out there banging this kind of "privacy...
UK-based sat-nav trial to augment GPS performance – BBC
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Several media outlets have described this as a 'UK sovereign PNT capability" or used similar language. Well, kinda, but it is a augment for GPS, not a stand alone PNT capability. It's important to convey these kinds of things...
Magnetic Navigation 2022 – Freedom from GNSS? – GPS World
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: The Author is President of the RNT Foundation. Magnetic Navigation 2022 – Freedom from GNSS? June 9, 2022 - By Dana Goward Imagine being able to locate yourself within a couple of centimeters with just your...
DOT is Crafting A System to Find GNSS Interference; Its First Test May Be Ligado’s New Network – Navigation Outlook
Image: Shutterstock Blog Editor's Note: Good to see US DOT moving forward on this. Accidental and intentional disruption of GPS/GNSS is rampant. For example, we have heard about a January event in Denver that disrupted air traffic, the train to the airport, hospital...