On Fri, 8 May 2009 07:17:36 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:

Tom, I think you are thinking of "e-LORAN". It was a proposed major
upgrade to the LORAN system, but never got off the ground to the best of my
knowledge.

That's it - I tried looking it up. I couldn't remember what it was
called. Back in the early '80s there were some experiments that the
amateur radio community were asked to participate in - we used to run
around in our spare time cheking signal strengths and timing signals -
I guess it was dropped because by that time, GPS was just cranking up
big time.

"Tom Francis - SWSports" wrote in
message ...
On Fri, 8 May 2009 07:17:36 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:

Tom, I think you are thinking of "e-LORAN". It was a proposed major
upgrade to the LORAN system, but never got off the ground to the best of
my
knowledge.

That's it - I tried looking it up. I couldn't remember what it was
called. Back in the early '80s there were some experiments that the
amateur radio community were asked to participate in - we used to run
around in our spare time cheking signal strengths and timing signals -
I guess it was dropped because by that time, GPS was just cranking up
big time.


Meaningless info:

Back in 1970 or thereabouts the ship I was on was retrofitted with a big,
George Jetson looking spiral antenna and a bunch of new electronics. A
team of civilian contractors came aboard and we
steamed around while they did tests. I was able to find out it was called
"SATNAV" and it was one of the first, if not the first, GPS systems to be
installed and tested on a Navy warship.

Also, the Russians were really the inspiration behind the concept for
satellite navigation, although they didn't realize it at the time. When
they launched Sputnik in 1957, American scientists monitored the radio
beacon signal that it transmitted and realized that the frequency shift due
to the Doppler effect allowed them to precisely determine it's position in
the sky. An idea was born.

Eisboch

On Fri, 8 May 2009 07:53:10 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Tom Francis - SWSports" wrote in
message ...
On Fri, 8 May 2009 07:17:36 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:

Tom, I think you are thinking of "e-LORAN". It was a proposed major
upgrade to the LORAN system, but never got off the ground to the best of
my
knowledge.

That's it - I tried looking it up. I couldn't remember what it was
called. Back in the early '80s there were some experiments that the
amateur radio community were asked to participate in - we used to run
around in our spare time cheking signal strengths and timing signals -
I guess it was dropped because by that time, GPS was just cranking up
big time.

Meaningless info:

Back in 1970 or thereabouts the ship I was on was retrofitted with a big,
George Jetson looking spiral antenna and a bunch of new electronics. A
team of civilian contractors came aboard and we
steamed around while they did tests. I was able to find out it was called
"SATNAV" and it was one of the first, if not the first, GPS systems to be
installed and tested on a Navy warship.

More meaningless info:

1971 and it was inbetween survival classes at Kessler AFB. I was
friendly with a AF Master Sergeant who controlled the flight line and
occasionally I used to hang out with him on the flight line when I had
nothing else to do - former Marine who transferred to the AF. Anyway,
one day there were a bunch of civilians, AF captains and majors and
one full bird AF colonel working on a couple of T-38s with NASA
emblems on them. I asked the MS what was going on and he said it was
some kind of fancy nav system that went haywire in testing so they
brought the birds down at Kessler and brought in the big guns. He
wasn't sure but it had something to do with satellites. :)

Also, the Russians were really the inspiration behind the concept for
satellite navigation, although they didn't realize it at the time. When
they launched Sputnik in 1957, American scientists monitored the radio
beacon signal that it transmitted and realized that the frequency shift due
to the Doppler effect allowed them to precisely determine it's position in
the sky. An idea was born.

Oh gosh - this had to be in the late '50s, very early '60s. There was
a short story in a scifi anthology - I think it was an Omni magazine
anthology now that I think about it - titled "The East is Red" and it
detailed, almost down to the minutia, the comminications satellite and
GPS system as we know it today. The story was about the Chinese
launching this satellite system that not only took over the commercial
airwaves, but allowed for precise missile control and thus the Chinese
began to conquer the world - very cold war imagery, but the startling
thing was the details which actually came to be true in terms of
communications and positioning satellites. It was written by Sir
Arthur Clarke. :)

On Fri, 08 May 2009 09:02:27 -0400, Tom Francis - SWSports
wrote:



Oh gosh - this had to be in the late '50s, very early '60s. There was
a short story in a scifi anthology - I think it was an Omni magazine
anthology now that I think about it - titled "The East is Red" and it
detailed, almost down to the minutia, the comminications satellite and
GPS system as we know it today. The story was about the Chinese
launching this satellite system that not only took over the commercial
airwaves, but allowed for precise missile control and thus the Chinese
began to conquer the world - very cold war imagery, but the startling
thing was the details which actually came to be true in terms of
communications and positioning satellites. It was written by Sir
Arthur Clarke. :)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. BFD.
I want my transporter.

--Vic

On Fri, 08 May 2009 08:52:06 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Fri, 08 May 2009 09:02:27 -0400, Tom Francis - SWSports
wrote:



Oh gosh - this had to be in the late '50s, very early '60s. There was
a short story in a scifi anthology - I think it was an Omni magazine
anthology now that I think about it - titled "The East is Red" and it
detailed, almost down to the minutia, the comminications satellite and
GPS system as we know it today. The story was about the Chinese
launching this satellite system that not only took over the commercial
airwaves, but allowed for precise missile control and thus the Chinese
began to conquer the world - very cold war imagery, but the startling
thing was the details which actually came to be true in terms of
communications and positioning satellites. It was written by Sir
Arthur Clarke. :)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. BFD.
I want my transporter.

Screw the transporter - I want my flying cars.

They promised flying cars by the year 2000 and it's nine years later.

WHERE IS MY FLYING CAR?!?!?!?!?

PS: Nasa thinks that warp drive is physically possible.

I'd take that over transporters or flying cars to tell the truth. :)

On Fri, 08 May 2009 10:03:29 -0400, Wizard of Woodstock
wrote:



PS: Nasa thinks that warp drive is physically possible.

Faster than the speed of light. News to me.

I'd take that over transporters or flying cars to tell the truth. :)

Depends. Does it have ABS?
Really, since I won't fly, I might have trouble stepping into/onto a
transporter. Do I get transported at 10,000 feet, underground, line
of sight?
I'm thinking just getting me transported into a UPS package car a few
feet away might do. Then let the Teamsters do the rest.

--Vic

On Fri, 08 May 2009 09:28:37 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Fri, 08 May 2009 10:03:29 -0400, Wizard of Woodstock
wrote:



PS: Nasa thinks that warp drive is physically possible.

Faster than the speed of light. News to me.

I'd take that over transporters or flying cars to tell the truth. :)

Depends. Does it have ABS?
Really, since I won't fly, I might have trouble stepping into/onto a
transporter. Do I get transported at 10,000 feet, underground, line
of sight?

ROTFL!!!

You and Dr. McCoy. :)

I'm thinking just getting me transported into a UPS package car a few
feet away might do. Then let the Teamsters do the rest.

Funny you should mention UPS. I just bought some lenses from the
National Camera Exchange to fill in some gaps in my OM glass and they
had some Vivitar Series 1 long lenses that I don't have. Two of them
could be shipped USPS, the other had to be shipped UPS. I had all
three of them shipped Priority and paid extra for it. Funny thing -
went down to the post office and there were the two 28 mm lenses - one
a macro zoom and the other a straight 28 mm lens. One day from
Minneapolis. The 600 mm telephoto lens by UPS won't be here until
Monday at the earliest - both were shipped Wednesday at about the same
time.

Curious because it used to be the other way around. :)

On Fri, 08 May 2009 11:38:08 -0400, Wizard of Woodstock
wrote:



Funny you should mention UPS. I just bought some lenses from the
National Camera Exchange to fill in some gaps in my OM glass and they
had some Vivitar Series 1 long lenses that I don't have. Two of them
could be shipped USPS, the other had to be shipped UPS. I had all
three of them shipped Priority and paid extra for it. Funny thing -
went down to the post office and there were the two 28 mm lenses - one
a macro zoom and the other a straight 28 mm lens. One day from
Minneapolis. The 600 mm telephoto lens by UPS won't be here until
Monday at the earliest - both were shipped Wednesday at about the same
time.

Curious because it used to be the other way around. :)

I've noticed similar, and get good service from USPS. Ever see
a post office semi speeding like a maniac?
Maybe that's it. The UPS guys pretty much adhere to the speed limit.
I just got some DVD burners from Newegg shipped UPS, from California.
Ordered them Monday night and they came on Friday.
I clicked on the tracking link Thursday and saw they were in Des
Moines. Checked again early Friday morning and they were in
Northbrook, IL at 6:30 AM so I knew the package car would show up, and
it did. Worked at the Northbrook UPS for about 3 1/2 years
washing/fueling tractors and trailers when I was in college, and know
a bit about it from talking to the drivers.
They have hubs all over, and at least when I was there the max a road
driver would drive was 9-11 hours, but that's round trip. They have a
normal home life.
They do pull overnight, but don't work weekends. At least when I was
there. Dump a load, bring a load home.
Mostly older guys who came up through the package car ranks.
The unloaders/loaders and package car washers worked the midnight
shifts - two, since they were part-time, 4-hour shifts.
Mostly youngsters.
The package car drivers were pretty young too, and all hustle.
Smooth operation. Neat how you can track your package now.
Don't know how the post office works. I think they have a tracking
site too. But every time I've started to click on the link the
doorbell rings and the postman has delivered the package.
So they must be doing something right.

--Vic