Calling all Sailors after warning over GPS glitch
If you’re cruising anywhere on or after April 6, you might want to check your GPS ? especially if it’s an older one as it might be giving you the wrong position. We’ve issued a special safety bulletin to explain what you need to do to avoid the problem! On April 6 navigation data from some older GPS systems might become inaccurate due to the ‘week number’ rollover event. This could cause stand-alone GPS receivers and systems using GPS chips, to produce data that is 19.7 years either in the past or future, therefore generating errors in both the GPS position and time. However, if onboard equipment has been installed after August 1999, or has regular firmware updates from the manufacturer, there should be minimal risk of an error occurring. Luke Hallett Radio Spectrum Policy Co-ordinator for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency said: ‘If your GPS is more than 10 years old or it’s had no firmware updates then you’re definitely at higher risk. If your GPS falls into either of those categories you need to check with the manufacturer before April 6, otherwise time and position data used for navigation could become inaccurate.’ The MCA’s safety bulletin is intended to help operators understand the implications of the week-number rollover and to take action to ensure all GPS updates are completed. For more information on the rollover event please visit: http://ow.ly/othy30o9cbH
