GPS/LORAN-C: AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM MIX FOR VEHICULAR NAVIGATION IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS

Gerard Lachapelle and Bryan Townsend

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	The main characteristics ofboth GPS (1.5 GHz) and Loran-C (1OOkHz) navigation systems are reviewed, with emphasis on vehicular navigation applications. The effects of the GPS line-of-sight requirement and of Loran-C signal attenuation in mountainous areas are illustrated using signal availability statistics collected for major roads located in British Columbia, Canada. The advantages of an integrated GPS/Loran-C system are demonstrated using GPS and multichain digital Loran-C receiver data collected along a 230 km road section. Signals sufficient for horizontal navigation (HDOP < 5) are available approximately 60 percent of the distance in the case of GPS, 75 percent in the case of Loran-C, and some 95 percent in the case of GPS/Loran-C. The advantages of multichain versus single-chain Loran-C receiver operations in mountainous areas are also demonstrated. A performance analysis of the digital Loran-C receivers used for the tests is presented.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 40, Number 1
Pages:	19 - 34
Cite this article:	Lachapelle, Gerard, Townsend, Bryan, "GPS/LORAN-C: AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM MIX FOR VEHICULAR NAVIGATION IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 40, No. 1, Spring 1993, pp. 19-34.
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