USCG Tender Deployable Differential Reference Station

D. B. Wolfe, D. J. Godfrey and R. W. James

Abstract:	The U.S. Coast Guard’s Short Range Aids to Navigation Program has an operational requirement for a portable Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) reference station. This requirement arose because the new 225’ Juniper and 175’ Keeper Class buoytenders require a DGPS signal as their primary input sensor to the Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) and Automated Aid Positioning System (AAPS). The DPS is used for vessel maneuvering and AAPS is used for positioning Aids to Navigation (AtoN). Many areas in Alaska, the Caribbean and the Pacific where the U. S. Coast Guard has AtoN responsibilities do not have DGPS coverage. A deployable system would allow buoytenders to use DGPS in these areas for the positioning of fixed and floating aids, resulting in more efficient use of Coast Guard buoytenders and better service to maritime customers. Engineers at the Coast Guard Command and Control Engineering Center (C2CEN) were provided the minimum operational requirements for the deployable system. After researching commercially available equipment, C2CEN engineers identified a system that would meet these requirements and tested the system on several operational units. This paper reviews the Coast Guard’s initial requirements for a deployable DGPS reference station, engineering development, test procedures and results, the current project status and steps remaining to fully implement the system.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2001) June 11 - 13, 2001 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	364 - 369
Cite this article:	Wolfe, D. B., Godfrey, D. J., James, R. W., "USCG Tender Deployable Differential Reference Station," Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2001), Albuquerque, NM, June 2001, pp. 364-369.
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