LightSquared GPS Interference Testing Underway in Nevada

By Doug Lung
published


The Federal Aviation Administrator has issued a Flight Advisory for LightSquared Testing at LAS (Las Vegas) and Flight Advisory for LightSquared Testing at BVU (Boulder City) from May 16 to May 27, 2011.

The Advisory notes testing will be conducted in 6 hour blocks and that "During testing the GPS signal may be unreliable or unavailable" within the affected areas. The FAA said, "Pilots are strongly encouraged to report anomalies during testing to the appropriate ARTCC to assist in the determination of the extent of GPS degradation during tests. Pilots reading this should check NOTAMs for specific areas and times of the tests."

Fierce Cable has more about the testing in Jim Barthold's article FAA's LightSquared tests have Nevadians worrying that the sky is falling. The article quotes Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell saying that while Vegas public safety "might be a little inconvenienced... all of our officers know how to read a map."

The article Rep Raps LightSquared, FAA To Begin Interference Tests by Andrew Wood in AINonline reports Representative Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chair of the House Armed Services Committee on Strategic Forces, "included a requirement in the forthcoming National Defense Authorization Act that Congress be notified of any widespread interference to GPS caused by a commercial communications service." Turner stated, "When it comes to GPS spectrum, government agencies must consult with the Defense Department on any effects."

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.