Solutions

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has determined that 15 of the 16 Critical Infrastructure / Key Resource Sectors in the United States use GPS for timing, and that timing is essential for eleven of those sectors. eLoran is one of only two Stratum-1E sources of time and frequency; the other is GPS. eLoran signals are available indoors and underground, in urban canyons, and under foliage. An eLoran antenna can often be located in places where GPS signals could never reach. eLoran provides the timing accuracy needed for today’s 4G solutions, as well as tomorrow’s 5G solutions. Remember, eLoran is not a hold-over solution, like cesium, rubidium, and quartz oscillators. It provides continuous, real-time timing/phase and frequency synchronized to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified eLoran for use in non-precision aircraft approaches, where pilots use less vertical guidance and rely more heavily on visual beacons. eLoran’s integrity and reliability make it ideal for improving safety in these aviation applications. The major benefits of eLoran convey to the General Aviation (GA) community, and to the provision of alternative timing for the FAA’s ground-based navigation aids. The advent of H-field antennas counters the effects of precipitation static (aka “p-static”) on the received eLoran signal. Additionally, retrofitting existing GA aircraft with eLoran technology may be made more cost effective by using existing antennas on the fuselage, such as the Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) antenna or those already used for storm scopes.

eLoran can be used in various phases of a maritime voyage, especially harbor approaches and departures that involve narrow channels. The accuracy of the system also makes it applicable to coastal maritime routes in shallow waters, often traveled by commercial shipping vessels moving goods between domestic ports. eLoran meets International Maritime Organization (IMO) Harbor Entrance and Approach (HEA) requirements, and has been recommended by International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) as a component of eNavigation.

The eLoran system is used to maintain accuracy on a large scale in electrical grids and telecommunications platforms. It is also used in financial trading networks, where integrity and reliability are important for real-time updates and transactions. eLoran’s independence from other solutions, including GPS, makes it particularly well-suited for the provision of reliable and resilient PNT for all 16 Critical Infrastructure / Key Resource sectors.

From navigating off road to a new camp site or taking the family on an extended road trip to driving an up-armored Humvee in a GPS denied environment, eLoran can provide navigation, positioning, and location accuracy to within a few tens of feet. The advantage of eLoran is that it is very difficult to jam or spoof, can provide location to some extent indoors and underground, provides continuity of operations in places where GPS is not available or untrustworthy. This makes eLoran useful for tracking high value goods and for finding felons who are trying to hide their location. Other useful eLoran applications include Positive Train Control, and with additional security features available with UrsaNav’s technology: Proof of Position and Proof of Time.