December 20, 2007
To CGSIC Registered Members email
distribution:
At 2004 GMT today the Delta II
rocket holding the newest GPS satellite, IIR-18(M) was launched successfully
from
Cape Canaveral
,
FL.
IIR-18(M) is planned to be
stationed in GPS orbital slot C1.
IIR-18(M) is PRN 29 and SVN
57.
This new GPS satellite is
expected to be set healthy for use in early January 2008.
Best Regards,
CGSIC Executive Secretariat
(acting)
Gene Schlechte, Systems Management Division,
USCG
Navigation
Center
October 19, 2007
The deadline for submitting
comments on the decommissioning of inland NDGPS
CORS sites has been extended.
Over 40% of inland NPS units will
be effected by turning off both the
real-time signal and any opportunity to post-process your GPS data. If you
are concerned about the future of the NDGPS, please take time to submit your
comments electronically.
How to Submit your comment
Electronically:
1)
Go to Regulations.gov site:
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main
2) Click on "Search for Dockets" on the top line
of the page.
On the "Advanced Search-Docket" page, in the "Docket ID"
field enter this number: 28836 , then press Submit.
3) Click on RITA-2007-28836. The next page will list all the comments to
date on this issue. There are now 73 comments. It is
interesting to read the comments.
4) To submit your own comments: On the first page of comments, row 1 is the
Federal Register. Look to the far right and click on the yellow balloon in
the "Add Comments" column. From the "Public Comment and
Submission Form", fill in your personal and corporate info, type comments
in the text box or alternatively attach a document, then press the "Next
Step" button at the bottom right of the page. Review your comments,
the press "Submit".
Links:
See comments from one of the
foremost experts on GPS - Charles Trimble.
http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=450854#NDGPS
Graphics showing the Effect on National Park
Units
http://home.nps.gov/gis/gps/gpsbase.html
Thanks to Joel Cusick of the National Park
Service for the above information.
September 18, 2007
DoD
Permanently Discontinues Procurement Of Global Positioning System Selective
Availability
August 2, 2007
The
Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Research and Innovative Technology
Administration (RITA) today published a notice in the Federal
Register assessing the current user requirements for the inland
(terrestrial) component of the Nationwide Differential GPS (NDGPS) system. This
assessment is in preparation for making a recommendation to the National
Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee on the
need to continue to operate inland NDGPS, and to make a decision on funding the
NDGPS. If no transportation requirements or other federal user requirements are
identified as a result of the needs assessment, and if there are no other
Federal or other funding sources willing to sponsor or partner in sponsoring
NDGPS, DOT will develop a decommissioning plan for NDGPS.
To
keep on track for a decision by the National Space-Based Positioning,
Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee, comments are due by October
1, 2007. Please distribute to all in the community whom you believe
would have an interest, so we can get the most complete assessment possible.
Click
here for a copy of the notice.
November 7, 2006
We are accepting nominations for the Oregon GPS User
Group President Elect for 2007 until November 31, 2007. Please forward
your nominations by email to Lisa Lee, at map@coid.org
July 19, 2006
Cracking
the Secret Codes of the European Galileo Satellite Network
January 13, 2006
Important L2C Notice
You may not want to activate
L2C capability yet! Users with L2C enabled rovers and base units of any
manufacture must note that while the sat launched has been given a healthy
status it has not been given IOC (Initial Operational Capability) status. Below
is a note from Trimble Support concerning this matter:
On
16 December 2005
, SV17 was set to healthy, with the exception
of the L2-Band Civil Signal (L2C). Trimble® NetRS®, R series, and SPS series
receivers now receive this signal, if it is activated. However, the
US
Air Force does not guarantee the availability
or quality of L2C signals until Initial Operational Capability (IOC) so Trimble
strongly recommends that you do not use the signal until L2C IOC is declared.
The US Coast Guard Navigation Center update cautions that the new signal is
under development and may be used by the US Government for a variety of test
applications before IOC. During this time, the quality and availability of the
L2C signal may change without prior notice.
If you have enabled your
NetRS device to receive the L2C signal, please disable this option in your
NetRS:
a. Go to the NetRS web interface and then select Receiver Configuration / L2C
Tracking.
b. Select the Disabled check
box and then click OK.
c. To apply this setting,
restart the receiver.
Also, if you are using a
Trimble 'R' or 'SPS' receiver, please be advised you will need Firmware
version 2.26 for initialization.
Shea Griffin
GPS Infrastructure Applications Engineer
Trimble Navigation Ltd.
P: 720.887.4213
M: 303.589.5311
www.trimble.com
January 12, 2006
Author: W. Gurtner
RINEX Version 2.11
******************
In order to have a quick solution to account for the new GPS L2C pseudorange
observable a new code (C2) has been defined to be used in RINEX observation
files.
We took the opportunity to also clarify a few items in the SBAS GEO Navigation
Message file, to introduce four new observables into the Met Data Files (wind
speed and direction, rain and hail indicator) and to define codes for the
Galileo System (E), Galileo System Time (GAL) and frequency numbers for the
various Galileo frequency bands, L5 for GPS and SBAS, and to include the
IGS-recommended file names for high-rate tracking data.
These modifications have been collected in a new RINEX Version 2.11.
Affected files are:
- Observations files (if they contain L2C pseudoranges or Galileo observations)
- Met data files (if they contain the newly defined data items)
- SBAS GEO Navigation Message Files
All other RINEX file types are unaffected by these modifications.
The RINEX Version 2.11 documentation is, as usual, available at the IGS ftp
server ftp://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/igscb/data/format/rinex211.txt
The limitations in the current two-character RINEX observation codes make it
impossible, however, to clearly distinguish between the various tracking modes
of the new GPS and Galileo signals. An extension to more general codes is
therefore imperative.
First ideas about a RINEX Version 3 have already been circulated among
interested parties. A first draft documentation is currently under discussion
and will be announced shortly.
Werner Gurtner
Astronomical Institute
University of Bern
gurtner@aiub.unibe.ch
Louis H. Estey
UNAVCO/GST/UCAR
Boulder, CO
lou@unavco.ucar.edu
UNAVCO
November 25, 2005
The Department of Transportation's Nationwide
Differential GPS (NDGPS) expansion is underway. The NDGPS plan calls for the
conversion of a number of U.S. Air Force Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN)
sites in their current location and relocation of the remaining sites into
desired regions.
These sites use 300 foot towers to provide signal ranges of approximately
250 miles.
The Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) in Appleton and
Spokane, Washington, Seneca and Klamath Falls, Oregon, and in Chico, California
are operational and broadcasting GPS differential corrections.
