Quote:
|
Originally Posted by camaraderie
Seabreeze..OK understand your position on Loran but still don't get the music/tv/satellite analogy. Having used loran extensively in the 70's and 80's I am aware of the function and limitations. Not much sense in carrying backup Lorans as they were not battery powered, were not cheap and were coastal systems and good coastal navigation skills were considered "the backup" at that time.
My point is that systems and infrastructure are put in place for USE by a client...whether it be GPS or Loran or the National Weather Service. In this country...very often the customer is the military when it isn't the general public. When the CUSTOMER no longer uses the system having made a choice to use something else...taxpayer money shouldn't continue to be spent on it. This has clearly happened with LORAN.
When you buy a sextant...I don't have to pay for it. When you want to have Loran...I do. That's the difference between my extra GPS's and your GPS/LORAN choice as well. So I guess we'll just have to disagree on this one.
|
I've never used public transportation, but I pay taxes that support it. I don't have kids, but I pay school tax. Tylenol tablets don't cost $8 each, but if I get them in the hospital, that's what I get billed...to pay for the free care someone else gets (our version of socialized medicine). If you get lost when GPS goes down (or for some other reason, you are in distress), and the Coast Guard rescues you......Need I go on?
P.S. I have a battery-powered portable Loran receiver.
Interesting point to ponder. What if the military said, "Hey, this GPS thing is really catching on." Maybe we should change to a subscriber service. Hmmm, I guess it'd depend on the monthly fee they charged for access (keep in mind, $4,000 toilets, $1,200 hammers). I wonder how many would embrace a "free" Loran system, just like some defend FM radio over satellite radio?