Satnav Jamming Notices

[Lyle Brotherton]

Operation Joint Warrior 14-1, Europe’s largest military exercise, will cause some disruption to civilian GPS.

Dates: 0700GMT 31032014 to ZULU (00:00hrs) 11042014

Times: There will be continuous, opportunity and pre-planned events during this period

Location: The jamming events will take place throughout the UK FIR/UIR north of 51 degrees North1.

Type: The jamming will include GPS/GALILEO/GLONASS jamming (denial of service only).

As in previous exercises, Safety of Life operations will at all times take precedence over exercise activities.

1.FIR = Flight Information Region. 
In the UK FIR is all airspace below 24,500 feet.  And sub divided into London FIR and Scottish FIR.  The boundary being the 55 deg N.
For the Republic of Ireland it’s called Shannon FIR.    Paris, Amsterdam, Brest, Brussels etc – you get the idea.

UIR = Upper Flight Information Region.
In the UK UIR is all airspace above 24,500 feet.

So in respect of the jamming exercise this will take place over all of the UK North of 51 deg N inc NI and be effective as blanket coverage from ground level to well beyond the stratosphere.

[Lyle Brotherton]

GPS/GALILEO/GLONASS Jamming Exercise: RAF SCULTHORPE AIRFIELD, EAST ANGLIA,

Dates: Between 16th and 20th June 2014 inclusive.

Times: 0700 -1900 BST.

Location of SINGLE jammer: Land based within 2km of   52° 50′ 54″ N, 0° 45′ 38″ E.

Frequency: A 20 MHz band centred around 1575.42MHz (GPS L1).

Total Power: Up to 0.3 Watts EIRP (300mW).

Jammers: Omni-directional jammers radiating CW.

[Hugh Westacott]

Lyle

This is important information! If I have understood correctly, then at various times between 0700-1900 virtually the whole of the UK will be jammed until 11th April. i wonder how many walkers, and others, who rely implicitly on their satnavs will be affected.

Can you supply a source for information about jamming, similar to that supplied by the Ministry of Defence about the closure of firing ranges on Salisbury Plain, Dartmoor and other places?

Hugh

I grow old...I grow old, I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled. T.S. Eliot

[Lyle Brotherton]

Hugh wrote: "at various times between 0700-1900 virtually the whole of the UK will be jammed until 11th April"

In theory yes Hugh. However, when major disruption for land based civilian GNSS (satnav) signals are planned, the Government, thru the offices of OFCOM, relay this information to the media, so that in the affected areas members of the public are made aware of this planned disruption. Hence, Oakleaf's posting in this topic March 15, 2014, 09:06:40 PM

Operation Warrior - in this instance I think that it highly unlikely that land based civilian GNSS (satnav) signals will be disrupted, because OFCOM have not relayed this information. More likely disruption will be above 5,000ft – maybe I should have stated this in my post, however it is only my assumption, based on my experience of these exercises and understanding of the way the MOD releases this information.


Hugh wrote: “Can you supply a source for information about jamming”

The only reliable public domain source Hugh, for planned GNSS disruption, is provided by OFCOM. My source is not available to the general public and only posted after consent has been obtained from the relevant authority.

[Hugh Westacott]

Thanks, Lyle, that's a useful piece of information.

Hugh

I grow old...I grow old, I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled. T.S. Eliot

[captain paranoia]

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/gps-jamming-exercises/feraid-head-and-loch-Ewe

[Paul Hitchen]

Hi

Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) declare sat nav jamming exercises, dates times, locations, and are shown on the NATs website.  (This is global, every country has their own  version of NATS and all show the same  global NOTAMS).

Whilst  the NOTAMS are intended for pilots, and you have to put in a pilot licence number in the NATS website details to register (not sure it is checked though), there are many apps on smartphones that interrogate the NATS site and display NOTAMS for you in the app.  Just look up NOTAMS on the app stores.  So you do not need a licence to get the App, anyone can.

That said - it's a bit of a faff to do so, you have to lookup for NOTAMS for a date range , then scan it for GPS jams, rather than they push the NOTAM to you.

Hope it helps,
Paul.

[ianj37]

Nice to know there's another option Paul.  I remember it used to be possible to go on a mailing list at Ofcom and get an email when new jamming notices were issued but I think the last one I got was in Decmeber 2012 so I guess that option's gone as part of cost cutting!