Bye bye, Loran

[dougpine]

USCG – Loran-C termination
The US Coast Guard released an internal message advising of the imminent termination of the long range aid to navigation Loran-C. Current plans call for the termination process to commence on 4 January 2010. The process is expected to take several months. ALCOAST 675/09 (11/25/09). Note: This will mark the end of an era that started during World War II. The Loran system has improved greatly over the years and was on the edge of yet another advance: to enhanced Loran (eLoran). It is unclear how other nations, which operate their own independent Loran-C systems, will react to this development.
Courtesy: Bryant’s Maritime Blog – 1 December 2009

[CaptAndrew]

Some will be sad, but I haven't used it in years. Even though I still have to teach Loran plotting for licensing classes. The charts will look cleaner now.

[Mr 100-ton]

I thought that last year or the years before the U.S government approve 45 million dollars to update the Loran system for several reasons mostly worried about terrorist taking out the GPS system,,, I seam to recall and article about that in 2008 but maybe in never passed

http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...y/4266972.html


The 2009 DHS budget allocates $34.5 million for the Coast Guard to start upgrading the LORAN system with modern electronics and solid-state transmitters. Users of the enhanced system, called eLORAN, will acquire and track signals from ground stations in much the same way they triangulate signals from multiple satellite feeds.


Antisatellite Weapons
Threat: Future ground-based missiles could target and knock out GPS satellites.
eLORAN Fix:Ground stations can be more easily guarded from attacks, including those by missiles.

[Kay9]

I sure do miss interpolating loran chains.



K9

[dougpine]

The thing that really bothers me about this isn't nostalgia for an obsolete system, it is the implication contained within that e-Loran (Loran e?) is also a goner. I was looking forward to that highly accurate, precision land-based positioning system as a backup to DGPS. I'm bummed.

[Mr 100-ton]

I think what might be happening is that a "FLASHING LIGHT " system might be put in. with every mariner having to know that light system it might make since to use an infrared light with a special adapter that can be picked up night vision goggles,,, it would make some use of the FLASHING LIGHTS that mariners have to learn

could even be used by pilots flying planes

[Anabasis]

My ship's LORAN antenna broke about 4 years ago and the captain didn't dare order a new one. Last year we canabalized the power supply for the LRIT. We won't miss LORAN on my ship, but I'm sure a lot of East Coast fishermen will.

JCA

[dougpine]

RTCM Asserts Loran Key to Navigation and GPS

December 4, 2009
The Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services on December 2 sent the following letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and the head of the U.S. Coast Guard in support of the Loran service.
The letter strongly supports completion and operation of the North American Enhanced Loran (eLoran) system, as well as continuation of the Loran‐C signal in the interim; Secretary Napolitano is weighing termination of both programs. The letter asserts that It can not be accurately certified that termination of the operation of the Loran‐C signal will not adversely impact the safety of maritime navigation — counter to opinions recently issued by the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant. Finally, the letter affirms that the Loran‐C infrastructure is needed to complete the eLoran system to serve as a backup to the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS).
The RTCM is an international non-profit scientific, professional and educational organization, consisting of more than 120 government and non-government organizations actively engaged in the development of international standards for maritime radionavigation and radiocommunication systems.

[stevefoster]

My ship's LORAN antenna broke about 4 years ago and the captain didn't dare order a new one. Last year we canabalized the power supply for the LRIT. We won't miss LORAN on my ship, but I'm sure a lot of East Coast fishermen will.

JCA

I believe a lot of GOM shrimpers will miss it too...............

[dougpine]

So the USCG will dismantle LORAN, but they won't tell the desk drivers at NMC about it. How much you wanna bet the LORAN questions will linger on the license exams for decades, like the OMEGA questions did (or still do?) on the celestial exams.

[stevefoster]

So the USCG will dismantle LORAN, but they won't tell the desk drivers at NMC about it. How much you wanna bet the LORAN questions will linger on the license exams for decades, like the OMEGA questions did (or still do?) on the celestial exams.

They were already gone in my 3rd M AGT. They used bearings off of lights and points........

[jdcavo]

So the USCG will dismantle LORAN, but they won't tell the desk drivers at NMC about it. How much you wanna bet the LORAN questions will linger on the license exams for decades, like the OMEGA questions did (or still do?) on the celestial exams.

My turn to call horseshit on you. We've been prepared fort the switch for several years.

[Robert]

Some will be sad, but I haven't used it in years. Even though I still have to teach Loran plotting for licensing classes. The charts will look cleaner now.

I just wonder for how many years the Coast Guard will continue to require us to teach it!

[jdcavo]

I just wonder for how many years the Coast Guard will continue to require us to teach it!

If it's already part of your course(s) you have to teach it at least until you ask approval not to. If you never ask approval to revise your curriculum by deleting it, you will have to teach it forever. All chnages to the approved curriculum have to be approved by NMC.

[dougpine]

My turn to call horseshit on you. We've been prepared fort the switch for several years.

Touche! I love it when the feng-shui returns to a balanced place.

[dougpine]

If it's already part of your course(s) you have to teach it at least until you ask approval not to. If you never ask approval to revise your curriculum by deleting it, you will have to teach it forever. All chnages to the approved curriculum have to be approved by NMC.

How long are the LORAN questions going to remain in the exam pool? It wouldn't behoove our students to remove LORAN from our course approvals if they're still being tested on it, would it?

[seadawg]

How long are the LORAN questions going to remain in the exam pool? It wouldn't behoove our students to remove LORAN from our course approvals if they're still being tested on it, would it?

**just learned of something similar..the terms "coal passer" and "water tender" are still referenced in the cfrs..go figure.."by the mark twain"!!

[jdcavo]

How long are the LORAN questions going to remain in the exam pool? It wouldn't behoove our students to remove LORAN from our course approvals if they're still being tested on it, would it?

I don't know if they wioll be removed from the ppol. They won't appear on tests, but I don't know if that will be accomplished by deleting the questions from the ppol, or changing the ..subject code criteria used to generate the exams (every question has a subject code, and exams have generation criteria directing what codes and how many questions with that code go on a test. Using that criteria, the exam is randomly generated).