Loran Gets 3 Month Reprieve

The Coast Guard-operated Long Range Navigation system (Loran) managed to survive the Obama administration's cancellation attempts until at least January thanks to language in the final version of the Homeland Security Department Appropriations bill, which awaits the president's signature.

The conference report on the bill, which the House and Senate approved on Oct. 20, provides $12 million to operate the Coast Guard's 24 Loran stations through Jan. 10, 2010.

The report said operations shall continue beyond that date unless Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen certifies that the termination of the Loran signal will not adversely impact the safety of maritime navigation and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano certifies Loran is not needed as a backup to GPS.

This, in my view, does not offer much hope for continued operation of Loran, and its enhanced version, eLoran, which provide a terrestrial jam and missile proof backup to GPS satellites.

eLoran provides position accuracy to between 8 feet and 65 feet, with availability measured at 99.9 percent and integrity at 99.99 percent, according to the International Loran Association. GPS offers position accuracy between 8 feet and 25 feet for civilian users, but its high-frequency, low-power signal can be jammed more easily than the low-frequency, high-power eLoran signals.

So why has the Obama administration decided to balance a $3.5 trillion federal budget by killing eLoran, which offers a GPS backup for just $40 million to $50 million a year?

Simple. The Coast Guard hates Loran, because it requires a lot of bodies to operate and maintain stations quite far from the sea, in places like Boise City, Okla., and Las Cruces, N.M.

Oh well, when GPS gets knocked out, there will be a lot of money to be made teaching folks how to use maps and compasses.