Loran-C Is Gone (at least in southern CONUS)

The Loran-C navigational chain that has burned up 100 kHz on the US West Coast since the late 1950s is off the air. The switch was pulled soon after 2000 UTC today (Feb 8), a time that had been previously announced by the US Coast Guard.

The silence is a bit unsettling. Quiet out there. Too quiet.

A UDXF member reports that the Loran-C station in Jupiter Inlet, FL, has also left the air.

US Coast Guard Axes Loran-C

At 2000 UTC on 8 Feb, 2010, LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) is dead in the United States. It follows such other systems as Omega, DECCA, and Hyperfix into post-GPS oblivion.

This happened rather quickly, being published in the Federal Register only 10 days ago. It is not much of a surprise, though.

From USCG:

*** Special Notice Regarding LORAN Closure: ***

In accordance with the DHS Appropriations Act, the U.S. Coast Guard will terminate the transmission of all U.S. LORAN-C signals effective 2000Z 08 Feb 2010. At that time, the U.S. LORAN-C signal will be unusable and permanently discontinued. This termination does not affect U.S. participation in the Russian American or Canadian LORAN-C chains. U.S. participation in these chains will continue temporarily in accordance with international agreements. You may read more and download pertinent documents via our LORAN-C page.

More in the April Utility World.

Just In: LORAN-C Is Dead in the USA!

In a major policy reversal required by economic belt-tightening in this year's US government budget, the US Coast Guard has announced that the United States LORAN-C navigation system will shut down at a time to be determined.

It appears that LORAN was specifically defunded in the budget, which refers to it as "outdated."

Better hope GPS keeps working.

Here's the terse release at NAVCEN:

The Operating Status of LORAN-C

LORAN-C provides coverage for maritime navigation in U.S. coastal areas. It provides navigation, location, and timing services for both civil and military air, land and marine users. LORAN-C is approved as an en route supplemental air navigation system for both Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) and Visual Flight Rule (VFR) operations. The LORAN-C system serves the 48 continental states, their coastal areas, and parts of Alaska.

On February 26, 2009, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) publicly announced the President's Fiscal Year 2010 Budget. In the section for the Department of Homeland Security, the budget "supports the termination of outdated systems such as the terrestrial-based, long-range radionavigation (LOrAN-C) operated by the U.S. Coast Guard resulting in an offset of $36 million in 2010 and $190 million over five years." For more information on the proposed FY2010 Budget, visit the OMB website under President's Budget.

The Coast Guard will continue to operate the current Loran C system through the end of FY2009 and is preparing detailed plans for implementing the FY2010 Budget.