Don't throw away your old GPS yet...
- Thread starter beancounter
- Start date
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Re: Don\'t throw away your old GPS yet...
Galileo has always seemed like a solution to a problem that no longer exists.
Or maybe, a way for the EU to pump money into defence contractors without being accused of underhand government funding by their US competitors.
BTW - how is any of this going to make commercial sense, unless users are charged a fee? And who'd pay a fee if they can get the same info from the US constellation for free? Apart from the military, and govt bodies, that is.
Galileo has always seemed like a solution to a problem that no longer exists.
Or maybe, a way for the EU to pump money into defence contractors without being accused of underhand government funding by their US competitors.
BTW - how is any of this going to make commercial sense, unless users are charged a fee? And who'd pay a fee if they can get the same info from the US constellation for free? Apart from the military, and govt bodies, that is.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Coincidence
This arrived seconds after my last posting.
Why do goverments need Galileo? Road pricing, any one?
This arrived seconds after my last posting.
Why do goverments need Galileo? Road pricing, any one?
beancounter
Well-Known Member
Re: Coincidence
Spooky, eh?
Agree with your comments about the EU funding. As if the Common Agricultural Policy wasn't a big enough black hole....
Trouble with the Eurocrats is, they don't like the boring day-to-day stuff - they crave grand projects.
European Constitution, anyone?....
Spooky, eh?
Agree with your comments about the EU funding. As if the Common Agricultural Policy wasn't a big enough black hole....
Trouble with the Eurocrats is, they don't like the boring day-to-day stuff - they crave grand projects.
European Constitution, anyone?....
JackIron
Active Member
Re: Don\'t throw away your old GPS yet...
[ QUOTE ]
who'd pay a fee if they can get the same info from the US constellation for free?
[/ QUOTE ]
Simple - Navstar aka GPS once hated the Galileo concept, but when they realised that they couldn't beat em they joined em. Navstar have been trying to work out how to make GPS pay for ages and then Galileo decides to offer a series of frequencies, the most accurate you pay for, the free ones are not going to be as good. As Navstar/GPS are in bed with the Galileo project it's payback time. So will the GPS signal be degraded to match that of the free Galileo thereby forcing people onto the pay as you go frequencies and reap the benefit through their Galileo shareholding? - what do you think?
[ QUOTE ]
who'd pay a fee if they can get the same info from the US constellation for free?
[/ QUOTE ]
Simple - Navstar aka GPS once hated the Galileo concept, but when they realised that they couldn't beat em they joined em. Navstar have been trying to work out how to make GPS pay for ages and then Galileo decides to offer a series of frequencies, the most accurate you pay for, the free ones are not going to be as good. As Navstar/GPS are in bed with the Galileo project it's payback time. So will the GPS signal be degraded to match that of the free Galileo thereby forcing people onto the pay as you go frequencies and reap the benefit through their Galileo shareholding? - what do you think?
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Re: Don\'t throw away your old GPS yet...
Where's that sextant?
Where's that sextant?
Slow_boat
Well-Known Member
Re: Don\'t throw away your old GPS yet...
They can put it back to 300m accuracy for all I care. I still consider that adaquatley accurate!
They can put it back to 300m accuracy for all I care. I still consider that adaquatley accurate!
Judders
Well-Known Member
Re: Don\'t throw away your old GPS yet...
I haven't bought a GPS yet.
I haven't bought a GPS yet.
ronsurf
Well-Known Member
Re: Don\'t throw away your old GPS yet...
Galileo's been struggling since it started. US GPS used government money for government reasons (ie dropping bombs and knowing where their dead soldiers are) whereas Galileo is using private money for private reasons (ie to make more money). Not only have they got to get the satellites (all of them) up and working, they have to get the system working, prove its accuracy and reliability, and get the user hardware into the market place, all using private money. Would you throw your GPS away to use Galileo? Not without knowing how good it is first, which is going to be Galileo's problem. Rubbish name as well! While not many people know what GPS stands for, at least they can pronounce it!
Galileo's been struggling since it started. US GPS used government money for government reasons (ie dropping bombs and knowing where their dead soldiers are) whereas Galileo is using private money for private reasons (ie to make more money). Not only have they got to get the satellites (all of them) up and working, they have to get the system working, prove its accuracy and reliability, and get the user hardware into the market place, all using private money. Would you throw your GPS away to use Galileo? Not without knowing how good it is first, which is going to be Galileo's problem. Rubbish name as well! While not many people know what GPS stands for, at least they can pronounce it!
