The rumor is out that The Boeing Co. is behind a massive upgrade of the Global Positioning System so near and dear to the hearts of all wilderness wanderers – whether on land, sea, or air. New satellites will allow GPS users to chart their positions with much more precision. The improved system will use a new civil signal called L-5, and will “complement the existing system.”
Current technology gets geocachers to within spitting distance of the cache, the fun ensues trying to figure out where it’s hidden. If new technology will put ’em right on top of their quarry, wouldn’t that take all the fun out of it? Just wondering.
Here’s a news item about what Boeing’s up to:
The new satellites will allow civilian mariners to determine their positions within a few meters, instead of the tens of meters possible with the current system, said Boeing spokesman Dave Garlick. “It’s going to make an order of magnitude difference,” he said.
Hmm … well, it at the very least oblige people to be even more clever about where they stow the caches.
The new satellites required for this technology don’t go aloft until next year, so who knows how long till it’s available to consumers.