Posted on 05/15/2011 1:12:19 PM PDT by NewHampshireDuo
A warning for night drivers: If your GPS navigator gives out on you this week, don’t despair. What you’re experiencing is only a test of the emerging broadband system.
Starting Monday, broadband developer LightSquared will start testing its planned 4G speed wireless network in the Las Vegas area. The test will run after midnight for several hours for 10 days, and if it works, Las Vegas could become one of the first U.S. cities to get on a super-high speed Internet grid that’s independent of any particular service provider.
But if it fails, government agencies warn that it could compromise or even black out the GPS systems in the area, rendering temporarily useless everything from your car’s navigator to the systems that allow airplanes to come in for a safe landing.
(Excerpt) Read more at lasvegassun.com ...
"LightSquared, which didn’t return calls for comment Saturday, says on its website that it is simply taking steps to fulfill President Barack Obama’s dream of a country where wireless Internet can reach every city, county and farm."
If you are in the area of Boulder City, where the test transmitter will be located and have a GPS, please monitor the operation of your GPS.
Test times are 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time daily from Monday May 16 to May 27
So Obama’s Lightsquared will fix the problem of Obama using cell phones to track us via GPS! Neat solution.
Wow - there’s always a bright side!
Gee, and here I am trying to get the phone company to run DSL to my house, so I can get off this stupid dial up modem at 48 kbps. I can’t count the number of youtube videos I’ve downloaded on one hand.
Did your Daddy teach you how to read a map? Stash the Lightsquared GPS and your cell phone under the seat of a city bus and go about your business.
“Did your Daddy teach you how to read a map?”
GPS has its uses, but yes, I usually prefer a map.
I may be one step closer than you are -- Frontier is bringing DSL down my street, scheduled for deployment in September.
Just one problem: it looks like scrappers stole the brand new DSLAM they installed last week. Bastards.
I wonder why THEIR service potentially compromises GPS, while other provider’s wireless services apparently do not.
Me too. I guess it’s because being able to see the entire system of roads you have more options. Thanks Dad.
Here's the satellite part: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/16/lightsquared_skyterra_1/
Because they are not just using terrestrial frequencies (e.g. LTE) but also L-band satellite frequencies so they can have coverage everywhere (even though latency will make that mostly useless)
I have maps but when the GPS can get me door to door at the push of a button, why bother?
Now, when the SHTF, I know how to read a map. I used a map long before I had a GPS.
Now, my wife on the other hand...that’s a different story.
The issue is that the frequency band that they have chosen abuts the GPS band.
Interesting. Thanks for the link.
The only legitimate function of the FCC is to allocate radio-frequency bands to avoid interference, and that’s the only thing they seem to not want to do.
Good cover story for the pulsevectorscreamer test , out at area 51:
da wut now?
Just something for the conspiracy crowd. Everytime they test that UFO things go haywire.
Thieves screw up everything for everyone. We have DSL at the junction box on my street, but getting it to my house is proving to be a real task.
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