Easing the transition 



(Continued from page 1) 



While several A models can be adapted for C use, the 

 majority cannot. And there is some question as to the 

 accuracy of converted models over long distances. 



Currently Sea Grant and the Coast Guard are look- 

 ing into ways to help make the transition as smooth 

 as possible. Studies are being conducted at Oregon 

 State University to see what kind of tax breaks, in- 

 vestment credits and capital improvement loans can 

 be extended to mariners forced to buy new equipment 

 as a result of the conversion. The Coast Guard is ex- 

 ploring the possibility of buying outmoded A systems 

 from mariners who will not be able to use the equip- 

 ment once the A chains are shut down. 



In North Carolina, Jim Bahen is gathering infor- 

 mation for a series of workshops he plans next year to 

 help mariners learn about the new system, select the 

 proper equipment and convert their navigation 

 charts. To help with the conversion, the Coast Guard 

 is developing a canned computer program which will 

 enable marine operators to plug their old LORAN-A 

 and C log coordinates into a desk-top calculator and 

 automatically obtain the new C coordinates. 



To further soften the impact of the switch over, 

 most areas will be given a two-year transition period, 

 during which both A and C will be available. Because 

 of the way the transmission station network is set up, 

 only the area including South Carolina, Georgia and 

 northern Florida will be given one year, from 1979 to 

 1980, to make the conversion. 



Currently the new LORAN-C coverage is available 

 along the West Coast. Under the Coast Guard's im- 

 plementation plan, the reconfigured Northeast chain 

 will go into effect this summer, providing new C 

 coverage from Canada south through North Carolina. 

 Next fall a Southeast chain will be turned on and will 

 cover the Gulf Coast and waters off southeastern 

 Florida. 



Once the LORAN-C chains are in operation, the 

 Coast Guard will begin termination of LORAN-A 

 transmissions. Carter emphasizes that the termina- 

 tion dates were carefully selected in an effort to 

 minimize possible disruption of marine operations. 

 Along the East and Gulf Coasts and the Caribbean, 

 the shut off date is scheduled for December 31, 1980, 

 coinciding with a relatively inactive season for boat 

 use. 



Although the A cutoff doesn't affect North 

 Carolina for another two and a half years, Bahen is 

 anxious for mariners to start thinking about the con- 

 version now. He warns them against rushing out and 

 buying a new C receiver if they already own a reliable 

 A system which can be used in the interim. But, he 

 emphasizes, mariners should be studying the market 

 now to find out what is available and at what prices. 



Sea Grant and the Coast Guard have prepared 

 several booklets to help explain LORAN and the con- 

 version timetable. For more information, write: 

 LORAN-C Information Project, U.S. Coast Guard (G- 

 WAN/73), Washington, D.C. 20590. Or write UNC 

 Sea Grant for a free copy of "What You Should Know 

 About LORAN-C Receivers." 



From stars 

 To satellites 



Navigation hasn't always been the precision 

 science that it is today. In earlier eras it was more an 

 art than a science as sailors used landmarks, stars 

 and intuition to grope their way around the coast, 

 from one port to the next. Rarely did a ship venture 

 beyond the sight of land. When it did, it was only 

 through luck that it returned safely. 



Celestial orientation has always played an impor- 

 tant role in navigation. But through the centuries the 

 overpowering desire to explore and chart the vast ex- 

 panses of the oceans has given rise to more 

 sophisticated tools of navigation. Though primitive 

 by today's standards, poles and lines enabled ancient 

 mariners to measure water depth. Later, the 

 magnetic compass made it possible to measure direc- 

 tion day or night. 



With the development of the sextant during the 

 17th century, the location of a ship could be even 

 more precisely pinpointed. Eventually timepieces 

 enabled navigators to plot longitudinal and 

 latitudinal courses. Maps of the world, elaborately 

 decorated with sea demons and monsters, were 

 replaced with more detailed navigational charts, 

 complete with degrees of longitude and latitude. Any 

 gaps that existed were soon filled in as explorers con- 

 tinued to traverse the seas in search of adventure. 



But it was not until the early 20th century that the 

 science of navigation began to mushroom. Spawned 

 by technology developed during World Wars I and II, 

 radionavigation soon became a reality. Today radar 

 and LORAN are as basic to ocean navigation as the 

 compass and sextant once were. 



What next? 



Satellite navigation is already commonplace 

 aboard most military vessels. And according to many 

 navigation experts, it is simply a matter of time 

 before the technology of satellite navigation is 

 transferred to civilian use. Of course the cost of the 

 system will have to be substantially reduced. And an 

 expanded network of satellites providing continuous 

 signal readout will also have to be developed. But 

 these are the kinds of problems that technology could 

 conceivably overcome in a matter of years. 



If satellite navigation is the system of the future, 

 what, then, will happen to LORAN-C? According to 

 David Carter with the U.S. Coast Guard's LORAN 

 Information Project, there's still plenty of time to 

 worry about that. "LORAN-C," he states, "won't 

 become obsolete before the year 2000." 



