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Yikes - GPS system in disrepair


Extra260

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And the scary thing is... as a cost saving measure in FSX, Microsoft decided to use the genuine GPS signals rather than design in-game code, so when the orbiting system crashes, GPS will no longer be usable in FSX.  FS9 users will still be able to access the Russian equivalent, GLONASS, through the usual menu options.  There was a fix that had been uploaded to Avsim that converted stored historical GPS data to any dat through to 2013 but obviously it is no longer avalailable.

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It's unlikely that the US government will allow the GPS system to fail. Below is a link to the original report on which the newspaper reports were based. It's a wakeup call that the management of the system shouldn't be left entirely in the hands of the US military.

  US Government Accountability Office - Global Positioning System: Significant Challenges in Sustaining and Upgrading Widely Used Capabilities

The ADS-B system being deployed in Australia is heavily dependent on the availability of a GNSS system, and in particular GPS, at least until Galileo becomes operational. ADS-B is intended to provide enhanced enroute radar coverage across the continent, and will avoid the need to replace some ageing ground radars.

  Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B)

I agree with Mozz that dead reckoning for VFR is a basic skill that all pilots should have, whether real-life or simulated, but it's not practical for every FSX flight, particularly outside Australia. The cost of WAC charts has been mentioned here many times as a major drawback.

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Flying outside Oz in the Sim isn't a problem I use a standard Websters Atlas and believe it or not as far as sim flying goes it is surprisingly accurate.

The equivalent ERSA information is available on the net free from many sites too.

Do I need to try to run some sort of course to assist in learning navigation.

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And the scary thing is... as a cost saving measure in FSX, Microsoft decided to use the genuine GPS signals rather than design in-game code, so when the orbiting system crashes, GPS will no longer be usable in FSX. [snip]

Eh? What do you mean here? Are you saying FSX uses the actual signals from the satellites in space? How does it do that?

Can you please clarify?

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And the scary thing is... as a cost saving measure in FSX, Microsoft decided to use the genuine GPS signals rather than design in-game code, so when the orbiting system crashes, GPS will no longer be usable in FSX.

LOL  ;D Yep FSX turned my PC into a GPS receiver and to boot it makes coffee too because I installed Java.. ::)

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