Machine Control

I have just read your piece on 3D machine control [Survey & Construction e-newsletter, January 16, by Eric Gakstatter]. I can guarantee you that the same surveyor, engineer, construction company argument has been raging here in Australia for the past number of years. It is nice to see that it is a worldwide problem. I used to work for one of the 3D system manufacturers in Australia and have listened to and argued with all the concerned parties on this for years.

Fortunately the more savvy survey companies have adjusted their way of thinking and now embrace the opportunities available for data management and design instead of just peg bashing. I enjoy your magazine.

— James French
Sydney, Australia

eLORAN

I just read the February 9 article on LORAN [Navigate! daily e-newsletter]. I realize it was a short article, but I did not see a reference to a couple of communities that are interested in LORAN and I believe depend on its continued availability. Specifically, civil aviation and time users, mostly telecommunications. My interest developed in the mid-’90s when I was chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) committee concerned with precise time.

The civil aviation community is well organized and actively working to keep LORAN alive.

The telecom folks are a bit of mystery. An under secretary in the Commerce Department asked if I could help ID the extent of the telecom industry usage of LORAN. I called a meeting of the major players in the U.S. telecom industry. The result of which, we all threw up our hands and said we had no idea how much use the industry made of LORAN. The logic of that statement is the four major players at the time all knew what they were doing, moving from LORAN to GPS. The unknown was, what were the hundreds, or more, small telecoms doing? There was no easy way to find out.

I believe the Coast Guard will complete modernization of LORAN, additional funding or not. I base this statement on a meeting I had at the Coast Guard engineering center responsible for LORAN. It is using maintenance dollars to modernize the LORAN stations. A modernized station does not require an on-site maintenance staff to care and feed it.

Also, the 50–60-year-old technology does not have to be re-manufactured when it fails. These great Coast Guard men and women are using common sense to do their jobs without a lot of arm waving and chatter

— Ed Butterline
North Brunswick, New Jersey

Military Review

Really liked your discussion of GPS in the review of “Global Positioning System — Systems Engineering Case Study” and have downloaded the case study [Military & Government PNT e-newsletter, January 23, by Don Jewell]. I always get  a kick out of your piece in the magazine which I receive by  digits. As an “old pilot” having flown  ARDF missions in Viet Nam using Doppler navigation (aided by visual reference) and hand-plotting LOB’s  we certainly have come a long way. Thanks for your  continuing work.

— Ted Cryblskey 
Director, Army Programs, General Dynamics, Arlington, Virginia

Multi-Source PNT

I just read your column in the January issue [“Opportunities Abound,” Out in Front].  Your message is spot on. That is also one of the most significant outcomes of the national architecture effort that was briefed at the ION National Technical Meeting in San Diego. GPS will continue to provide the foundation, but there is a rich array of possibilities to augment and complement GPS through which we will be sorting for several years to come as we work our way toward the PNT architecture of the future.

— Jules McNeff
Alexandria, Virginia