No problems reported with Y2K-like navigation tool glitch

9.17 p.m. ET (119 GMT) August 21, 1999

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP)  It appeared to be smooth sailing Saturday for boaters and aviators who rely on a satellite-based navigation system that reset itself, which was expected to confuse older locator units.

The U.S. Coast Guard here and the Federal Aviation Administration reported receiving no calls for stranded boats or airplanes having problems in determining their coordinates by using the Global Positioning System, or GPS.

"Just a regular weekend. It's actually been a very slow day,'' said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Danny Phee.

The FAA in Washington also had no reports of problems, said agency spokesman Les Dorr, noting that small, private plane pilots had been warned to check their systems.

Time clocks on the popular GPS receivers reset to zero at 5 p.m. PDT Saturday, which could possibly confuse units made before 1993. Those units may take longer to pinpoint a location, be off in their calculations, or be unable to find the location.

GPS receivers determine location by using signals of three to 24 satellites. To do this they need the exact time, which the system determines by counting the weeks since Jan. 5, 1980  up to 1,024. But GPS reached its maximum number of weeks on Saturday.

Manufacturers offer upgrades. Otherwise, some receivers may think it is 1980 when the clock reset, according to the Transportation Department.

GPS, originally designed for the military, is booming in the commercial market, often offered in luxury cars as a mapping device. Aviators and boaters have been using GPS for at least a decade and only in recent years have hikers begun to use hand-held units.

A nationwide, private tow boat agency, Vessel Assist Association of America, based in Newport Beach, reported no GPS-related problems Saturday.

"Definitely not. We haven't had any troubles at all,'' said Steve Ryan, a dispatcher for Vessel Assist.

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), August 21, 1999

Answers

http://www.foxnews.com/js_index.sml?content=/news/national/0821/d_ap_0 821_97.sml

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 21, 1999.

Good news Gayla. Not that any serious problems were expected anyway. There will be those who will say y2k will not be a problem as a result of this and that is just sad.

A little learning is a dangerous thing...

-- Mike Lang (webflier@erols.com), August 21, 1999.

Not every potential problem comes to pass, but not every problem that is only a potential, can be dismissed.

Reality bites.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), August 21, 1999.

Another "Big Date" bites the dust and all predictions that were made are all now nill and void. As seen in the above post, denial of any and all predictions made on the GPS has been made. Most people would never have associated the GPS rollover with Y2K. And never has a prediction of doom and gloom been made because of GPS.

Yours in denial...MrWayCool

-- MrWayCool (anotheronebitesthedust@predictions.com), August 21, 1999.

And at 11:28 pm CST looking at satellite pics of hurricane Bret, it sure is nice to know that those sats are still working. Have you seen the latest data Gayla? Within the next hour if the track doesn't turn west, the alert will be extended on up toward your area....you are in Houston, aren't you? My sister, mom and dad lived in Galveston for 10 years and we lived in Houston for a year during my husband's internship so we became avid hurricane watchers. My best to you and yours...hopefully it will turn and also decrease before hitting land.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), August 22, 1999.

Hi Shelia! Well, we needed rain desperately, but uh... this is not exactly how we wanted to get it! :-)

Brett has now been classified as a category 4 hurricane. They kept thinking it would turn and enter Mexico. (They thought the same thing with Alicia in August of 1983.)

As you can imagine, the store shelves just south of here are empty. I'm so glad that even if it comes my way, I won't be one of those standing in line for water and batteries! :-)

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), August 22, 1999.

MrWayCool,

Sorry, we haven't had any "Big Dates" yet. They call it the Y2K problem for a good reason, not the various dates in 1999 problem. We'll see in another 4 montha and 10 days if we have a "Big Date" or not. Stay tuned.

Tick... Tock... <:00=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), August 22, 1999.