Archives for July 2014

GPS Jamming could make aircraft, like this F-16 lose its heading. Photo by Raytheon

With all the potential risks of GPS jamming and spoofing, officials all around the world have been researching methods of boosting their GPS signals and making them more accurate with technology like the eDLoran and anti-jamming chips. Now, according to a press release by Raytheon, the U.S. Air Force has demonstrated successful operation of its Military-code (M-code) GPS signal in a jamming environment using a Raytheon Company receiver.

In a recent test, the Miniaturized Airborne GPS Receiver 2000 (MAGR2K) maintained GPS satellite tracking and provided accurate navigation despite GPS jamming attempts. The MAGR2K was integrated with the Raytheon Advanced Digital Antenna Production (ADAP) system and equipped with a specialized M-code receiver card. read more

When most people think of farming, there a lot of images that immediately come to mind—animals, tractors, farm equipment—but what about drones and GPS? Precision farming has been rising in popularity over the last few years and is way  more tech-savvy than most people would expect. read more

The current GPS Satellite constellation is run by the US and features around 30 satellites.

Yesterday, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced they plan to launch their own version of satellite GPS and end Europe’s reliance on America’s GPS system. The ESA has been developing the Galileo system for several years and currently have four satellites in orbit with plans to launch the remaining 26 over the next few years. An article on the International Business Times says that the Galileo system will be nearly twice as accurate as the current GPS system in use and will be able to provide accurate location (within 100 meters) anywhere in the world in as little as 30 minutes, claiming that the current GPS system can take a minimum of 45 minutes (usually longer) to establish a similar location. The ESA website claims Galileo will be accurate within a few meters once fully operational. read more

A study released by Michelin/Harris Interactive shows that more drivers are led astray by GPS than not. Conducted in 2013, the study stated that 63% of U.S. drivers who have used GPS say the technology has led them astray at least once by pointing them in the wrong direction or by creating complex, confusing or incorrect routes. Of the 2,200 individuals surveyed, the average times that GPS took them off track was 4.4 times. According to the survey, nearly 7% of all U.S. drivers who use GPS have been misdirected more than ten times.

So how do you avoid getting lost using GPS? And why does it happen? Great questions. Let’s take a look. read more