GPS drop out @KLNS

[orionflt]

I'M a little slow posting this and It really doesn't impact anything but I thought I would post about a GPS issue this weekend.

I flew out to Lancaster PA. (KLNS) a couple of times this weekend, both days I lost GPS Sat coverage while I was at the airport. I stopped and shut down both days and could not get my GPS to acquire the satellites until after I took off and was about a mile from the airport to the east. on the second day when I flew in I made a stop at S37 (Smoketown) just prior to going to Lancaster, I had no problem booting up with my GPS there,  but as I flew onto down wind for RWY 13 my GPS lost Sat coverage. 

I go into Lancaster on a regular Basis and have never had this issue before, I also looked to see if there were any coverage holes this weekend but didn't find any. 

Brian

[Marauder]

I'M a little slow posting this and It really doesn't impact anything but I thought I would post about a GPS issue this weekend.
I flew out to Lancaster PA. (KLNS) a couple of times this weekend, both days I lost GPS Sat coverage while I was at the airport. I stopped and shut down both days and could not get my GPS to acquire the satellites until after I took off and was about a mile from the airport to the east. on the second day when I flew in I made a stop at S37 (Smoketown) just prior to going to Lancaster, I had no problem booting up with my GPS there,  but as I flew onto down wind for RWY 13 my GPS lost Sat coverage. 
I go into Lancaster on a regular Basis and have never had this issue before, I also looked to see if there were any coverage holes this weekend but didn't find any. 
Brian

Brian - funny hearing you on the frequencies. Sorry I couldn’t stop at Lancaster on Sunday. Was too busy to do anything other than a checkout flight for the JPI.

As for KLNS. I have gotten LOI a few times at Lancaster. I was practicing RNAV approaches to 8 one day and lost the GPS on the approach. There is something in that area that causes this issue. It is the only place where I have lost GPS.


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[kortopates]

When this has happened to you both, what did you see on the satellite page? No satellites at all? If so I would suspect jamming when you otherwise always have great signal strength.


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[orionflt]

loss of all satellites, if it is Jamming, it is coming from the field. I was at the restaurant which is pretty much in the middle of the field, and once i was about a mile from the field everything came back.

Brian   

[MARZ]

KLNS ARTCC notams are callng out GPS testing - sounds like they are aware of something

[mooniacX]

I just read an article about Military testing the use of gps jammers over the next few weeks. AOPA called the Federal Aviation Administration's response to flight safety risk unacceptable.

Not sure if this is in your area or not.

[N201MKTurbo]

4 minutes ago, mooniacX said:

I just read an article about Military testing the use of gps jammers over the next few weeks. AOPA called the Federal Aviation Administration's response to flight safety risk unacceptable.

Not sure if this is in your area or not.

I still have a KX-155 and I know how to use it!

[steingar]

Had that happen in S. Carolina a few years back.  Always wondered.

[Marauder]

When this has happened to you both, what did you see on the satellite page? No satellites at all? If so I would suspect jamming when you otherwise always have great signal strength.

 

 

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I didn’t check the few times it happened. One time I was flying in actual when it happened so I didn’t look. The other couple of times, I didn’t look but did get the LOI message and the “approach unavailable” message. It wasn’t a degraded situation, it was clearly lost.

 

Every time it has happened to me I was southeast of the airport.

 

 

 

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[kortopates]

55 minutes ago, Marauder said:

 

I didn’t check the few times it happened. One time I was flying in actual when it happened so I didn’t look. The other couple of times, I didn’t look but did get the LOI message and the “approach unavailable” message. It wasn’t a degraded situation, it was clearly lost.

 

Every time it has happened to me I was southeast of the airport.

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I would bet on interference or jamming but at look at the satellite page would show if you just don't have an unobstructed view of the sky or your not getting any signal at all. 

Here is the article about military testing that is expected to shutdown GPS for many in the south east (but I assume to far south to effect KLNS) starting today: 

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/february/05/gps-adsb-may-be-unavailable-in-southeast-during-interference-tests?fbclid=IwAR3bg-geSQOBNKqeASez_KrrsAfddnUZQ-iZj62elkkMCNKNWfd3VtSgy0Y

 

[Danb]

1 hour ago, Marauder said:

 

I didn’t check the few times it happened. One time I was flying in actual when it happened so I didn’t look. The other couple of times, I didn’t look but did get the LOI message and the “approach unavailable” message. It wasn’t a degraded situation, it was clearly lost.

 

Every time it has happened to me I was southeast of the airport.

 

 

 

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Chris how did you get a depiction in yellow of the outage 

[kortopates]

There is always the possibility of losing GPS when in the vicinity of a GPS jamming device such as these devices: https://www.perfectjammer.com/gps-blockers-jammers.html 

Its been a few years, but there was one very sensationalized case of when a delivery truck driver was parked  at Newark International with such a device in his truck to disable his employer's tracking device. The jammer brought down all the GPS approaches in use for several hours till they located the source of the jamming. As I recall it was an IFR day and it caused real havoc with approach traffic. Don't recall if the driver got prosecuted or to what extent. The above website implies its not illegal (so they can sell them) but it is most definitely is illegal to intentionally block, jam, or interfere with lawful communications, such as cell phone calls, text messages, GPS systems, and Wi-Fi networks (see https://www.gps.gov/spectrum/jamming/ )

[Marauder]

Chris how did you get a depiction in yellow of the outage 

I used an app called PhotoEditor. Same one I use when people post aerobatic pictures of themselves.


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