GPS reliability warning?

[Hartley18]

If the scientists are right, now's about the time to brush up on your sextant skills...

The sun sends a charged cloud hurtling our way - space - 02 August 2010 - New Scientist

"The sun is currently rousing from an unusually extended period of quiet"

[Boasun]

I was making my way across the Oceans before they had GPS. So I'm not really worried about this. Just wish I was in a high latitude in order to enjoy the Auroas.

[cb32863]

Though as the article says... satellites COULD be affected. Didn't say anything about them being taken out.....

[rmeador]

This sort of thing happens all the time. It's usually not a big deal, but every rare once in a while a satellite will get taken out. Still, you'd have to take out several GPS satellites before we'd have a problem, since you only need 3 for a fix and generally can get a fix from 5+ at any given location with a good receiver. I hear that back in the old days of over-the-air TV, TV sales would spike during solar storms because the signal would get interference and people would assume it was their TV acting up. So maybe that means VHF or SSB will be more limited in their useful range than normal?

[DwayneSpeer]

Worry about something far more important. You pick!

[tdw]

Originally Posted by Hartley18

If the scientists are right, now's about the time to brush up on your sextant skills...

The sun sends a charged cloud hurtling our way - space - 02 August 2010 - New Scientist

"The sun is currently rousing from an unusually extended period of quiet"

I've heard that sun spots cause the fastenings in timber boats to dissolve.

[ShockValue]

The show is expected to even make an appearance as far south as "Northern Continental US."

I know what I'll be doing tonight! Beer on the deck staring north!

[Hartley18]

Originally Posted by tdw

I've heard that sun spots cause the fastenings in timber boats to dissolve.

Is that so?? I've heard they make steel rust faster due to molecular interactions..

[lydanynom]

Originally Posted by rmeador

So maybe that means VHF or SSB will be more limited in their useful range than normal?

High solar activity ionizes the atmosphere and dramatically increases the phenomenon known as "skip", so you might easily find yourself contacting a station on the other side of the earth via HF SSB.

[emoney]

I don't know about all this 'skipping' stuff so that's why I try to sail
North to South to North inside the sight of land range, lol. We don't
need no stinkin' GPS