On Again, Off Again!
 
A couple of years ago the U.S. announced that they were not going continue to finance Loran-C and as stations needed maintenance, they would be decommissioned.  GPS was able to do almost everything that Loran-C could do and GPS was world wide in scope. This resulted in strong complaints, mostly from commercial vessel operators who have a substantial investment in Loran-C.  Also, concerns were voiced about the security of GPS, because it is possible to jam GPS signals and satellites can be shot down.  It appeared that Loran-C would be replaced by e-Loran, a land based, upgraded version of Loran that would be a backup to GPS.  Now it appears that Loran-C will be fading from use and e-Loran will not take its place.  
 
The following information is based largely on a report created by Past Rear Commander Walter Fields of the United States Power Squadron and the extracts are being presented with his permission.  Walt attends the 6 day annual assembly and conference of the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services as the representative of USPS. There are over 300 attendees at the RTCMS from U.S. Government Agencies, the Canadian Coast Guard, the British General Lighthouse Authorities, manufacturers and industry representatives, and organizations with an interest in maritime radio navigation and radio communications systems. 
           
Loran-C and e-Loran. 
2007- 2009. Because of the vulnerability of GPS to jamming the Bush Administration and Congress decided in 2007 to continue the Loran system and provided $34.5 million in the FY2009 budget to start the conversion of the Loran-C system to Enhanced Loran (eLoran).  At the same time the responsibility for the Loran program was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security's National Protection and Programs Directorate.  
 
2009-2010.
Now it has been announced that the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has dropped Loran and eLoran from the budget for 2010.  The Obama Administration and the newly elected Congress changed the Bush Administration’s plans by refusing to fund Loran and eLoran starting in 2010, making GPS the sole electronic device for navigation and positioning information available in the US.  This could have repercussions at a later date if for some reason we should lose the GPS signal as our telephone systems, both terrestrial and cellular, as well as our air traffic control radar system depend upon the GPS signal for timing, with Loran used as the back-up.
 
On Again, Off Again and Possibly On Again
Recently a bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate to continue funding the Loran program but it is yet to be acted upon.  The bill is S.1194 and is the U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Act for 2010 and 1011. Section 603 of this bill says "The Secretary of Transportation shall maintain the LORAN_C navigation system until such time as the Secretary is authorized by statue, explicitly referencing this section, to cease operating the system but expedite modernization projects necessary for transition to eLORAN technology."  The bill further authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to transfer from the FAA and other agencies of the Department of Transportation $37,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for operation of LORAN-C and to modernize and upgrade the LORAN infrastructure to provide eLORAN services.
 
Of course, there is no guarantee that the provisions of this section will find its way into law.  Often, these kinds of bills are swept into authorization bills which in recent years have not been passed by the time Congress adjourned.  So, it is anyone’s guess if eLORAN will or will not come to be. 
 
GPS.
U.S.  In the meantime the U.S. GPS system has begun its own modernization program with a $1.5 billion budget in FY2010.  On March 24, 2009 the first GPS satellite transmitting the other new civilian signal, the L5 signal, was successfully launched.  At the present time the L5 signal is available for testing only.  When fully developed, the L5 signal is expected to dramatically increase the accuracy of GPS.
 
Europe. 
In addition the European GPS system, Galileo, has launched its third satellite with 11 more being prepared to launch in 2009 - 2010.  It seems the Europeans have solved their funding problem with the addition of 54 million dollars added by the European Union to the project in 2009.  In the not so distant future, we can anticipate a GPS receiver capable of receiving both the U.S. GPS and the European Galileo positioning signals. 
 
Automatic Identification System (AIS).  
Since the FCC approval of the Class B AIS in September 2008, this system has become the latest must-have electronic device for recreational boaters even though the Class B system is not required for pleasure craft. The Class A AIS is required equipment, however, for SOLAS vessels. The Class B system has a few less bells and whistles than the Class A system used by SOLAS vessels but will provide the recreational boater with a capability for collision avoidance and navigation superior to radar.  Like the Class A system, Class B operates on channels 87B and 88B of the VHF radio and can be integrated with a chart plotter, providing an overlay on an electronic chart.  This gives the recreational boater a complete picture of not only the navigation situation, but also what and where other boats or ships are within range of the VHF radio.
 
VHF-DSC. 
The Coast Guard announced that DSC reception has been implemented at most of the US coastline.  The entire East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico is completely covered.  The West Coast has been activated from Seattle to Portland, Oregon.  The San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego Sectors are programmed to be active in 2010 and the Great Lakes will be covered in 2011. (The Canadian side of the Great Lakes was activated by the Canadian Coast Guard in 2008).
 
MMSI Numbers.
USPS is now issuing free MMSIs to recreational boaters who only boat in the waters of the U.S.  The FCC reported that their data base had 37,000 MMSI registrations of voluntary vessels which also had station licenses.  The FCC also reported that roughly one million VHF/DSC radios have been purchased since June 1999.  This means that only about one quarter of those radios have MMSIs. 
The public should be made aware that radios do not work on DSC unless they have been programmed with a MMSI #.  This message should be included with the vessel safety check program.
 
New Equipment. 
Many of the manufacturers of marine products held exhibits of their latest electronic devices.  Of particular interest was a high visibility 19 inch radar display exhibited by JRC which used digital signal processing.  Thrane exhibited a Class D VHF/DSC marine radio that had a replay function.  This radio records the latest 90 seconds of incoming communication on the channel on which it is set.  If for some reason a message has been missed one could simply press the replay button and listen to it again.  From the many displays it was evident that the marine electronics world continues to expand exponentially while at the same time reducing the cost for these navigation and communications aids to the recreational boater.
 
Our thanks to Walt Fields for his contribution to this report.

Morton Biback is currently Assistant National Training Officer of Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons. He also heads up the national CPS Electronic Navigation Course committee. About three years ago he was appointed as liaison officer to the USPS Training Dept.