NORTH CAROLINA STATE LIBRARY N. C 



RALEIGH DOC 



UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 



wmmm 



MAR 



May, 1978 



Getting ready 

 For LORAN-C 



Here today, gone tomorrow. The saying doesn't ap- 

 ply to fashion design or pocket computers alone. It 

 holds true for just about any product of technology. 

 Take navigation. How many systems have been 

 developed during your lifetime? Probably a lot more 

 than you think. And while these changes have been 

 for the better, they have created some problems for 

 those caught in the transition. 



That's one reason Sea Grant is working with the 

 U.S. Coast Guard to help ease the burden of con- 

 verting to the new LORAN-C system of navigation. 

 Currently several systems of radionavigation are 

 available along the United States. In addition to such 

 private systems as Omega and Decca, the govern- 

 ment sponsors LORAN-A and an older LORAN-C 

 system. But by December 31, 1980, the new LORAN- 

 C will be the only government-provided radionaviga- 

 tion system in the U.S. At that time all LORAN-A 

 and older C services will be discontinued. 



Converting to a new navigation system isn't as 

 easy as pulling one plug and turning another one on. 

 It means changes for everyone, and lots of them. 

 From purchasing new equipment and navigational 

 charts, to replotting and converting obstruction or 

 "hang" locations, mariners throughout the U.S. will 

 be affected by the switch over. 



According to Lt. Commander David Carter, chief of 

 the Coast Guard's LORAN-C Information Project, 

 the decision to convert to a single system was made to 

 avoid duplication and unnecessary expense. 

 Navigational systems such as LORAN A and C, 

 Omega and Decca were compared in detail on the 

 basis of accuracy, efficiency of operation and cost to 

 the mariner. And in 1974, the Department of 

 Transportation selected LORAN-C as the govern- 

 ment sponsored system of navigation. 



Reaction to the selection was predictable. UNC Sea 

 Grant Marine Advisory Agent Jim Bahen notes that 

 many mariners, particularly commercial fishermen, 



105 1911 Building 

 NCSU, Raleigh, N.C. 27607 Tel: (919) 737-2U5U 



were already making the switch to C because of its 

 greater accuracy and range. And while some objected 

 to the costs associated with the conversion, most saw 

 the switch to the more sophisticated system as 

 inevitable. 



Still, the actual transition will create some 

 problems for mariners. Along the East Coast, ex- 

 isting "chains" or areas of LORAN-C coverage will be 

 reconfigured once the new system is turned on this 

 summer and next fall. That means marine operators 

 already using LORAN-C will still have to convert 

 their navigation charts and logbooks to the new 

 system. 



For LORAN-A owners, the conversion to C will re- 

 quire substantial investment in new equipment. 



(See "Easing, " page 2) 



