Seabreeze-
Another thing I'd point out is that satellite
radio, XM and
Sirius, are both subscription based, where the broadcast television, both ATSC-HD and NTSC-SD, as well as
radio, AM/FM, are free. The companies that run broadcast television and
radio stations are using
public airwaves and provide a service which they are paid for via advertising revenues. This really isn't a valid comparison in any sense. LORAN and
GPS are both paid for out of our taxes, and
GPS is far more cost-effective.
Also, LORAN has its own share of issues, the first and foremost being a lack of receivers that are reasonably priced for non-commercial use. Another is a lack of training in using LORAN, which is not "off-the-shelf" user friendly, as
GPS is. While setting up LORAN land stations doesn't require the costs of a space shot, they do require building a LORAN station, and that is just as expensive, if not more so than a satellite and space shot, given the number of people it serves. A
GPS satellite is relatively far more cost-effective. Thirty satellites serve the entire world... which is far more efficient and wider coverage than building the same amount of LORAN stations—either in quantity or dollars.
Linear Mode
