# GPS Jamming by N. Korea



## Binnacle (Jul 22, 2005)

GPS jamming attacks from North Korea that have increased in frequency and duration since they began August 2010 have prompted the South Korean government to implement an enhanced Loran (eLoran) systems that will cover the entire country by 2016. 

The South Korean government completed design, development, and construction do***ents for the eLoran system in February and will procure the system infrastructure through international competitive bidding. 

Plans for the alternative and backup system were described for the first time at an international forum in a paper presented yesterday (April 23, 2013) at the European Navigation Conference (ENC) in Vienna, Austria. 

Authors of the paper are Jiwon Seo, an assistant professor in the School of Integrated Technology at Korea’s Yonsei University who is working closely with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of Korea to design and implement the eLoran system, and Mincheol Kim, a deputy director of the Maritime Safety Facilities Division in the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries who is in charge of the Korean eLoran program. 

Last year, 1,016 airplanes and 254 ships in South Korea experienced GPS disruptions during 16 days of North Korean jamming, according to Seo and Kim. The frequency and duration of North Korean GPS jamming have continuously increased from four days in 2010. 

The goal of the Korean eLoran system is to provide better than 20-meter positioning and navigation accuracy over the country. Initial operational capability (IOC) is expected in 2016 with final operational capability (FOC) is expected in 2018.
The South Korean government hopes to expand eLoran coverage to the entire Northeast Asia in close collaboration with Russia and China in the near future. 

The Korean eLoran system is expected to satisfy the accuracy, availability, continuity, and integrity requirements of the harbor entrance and approach (HEA) for marine vessels and non-precision approach (NPA) for aircraft. 

The eLoran system will be procured through International Competitive Bidding (ICB). Enhanced Loran improves upon previous Loran systems by using updated equipment, signals, and operating procedures. These changes allow eLoran to provide better performance and additional services when compared to Loran-C. 

Research into jamming during 2011 conducted by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) of South Korea indicated that the L1, L2, and L5 bands were all affected. ETRI observed high-power continuous wave (CW) jamming signals in the L1 band. For L2 and L5 bands, multiple CW-type jammers swept the whole bands by moving their center frequencies. 

Researchers also noticed that North Korea seemed to be experimenting with their jammers by operating at various transmission powers, frequencies, and jamming intervals. 

South Korea has two legacy Loran-C stations in Pohang and Kwangju. These will be converted into eLoran stations in 2014. In addition, three new eLoran stations would be built in Ulleung, Ganghwa, and Jeju on sites to be acquired this year. The five stations will be able to provide radio navigation service over all of South Korea, Seo and Kim said. 

For differential eLoran service, 43 differential eLoran stations will be deployed over the country, some of them collocated at existing differential GPS stations. Testing of the system will be carried out during 2016 and 2017, leading to a declaration of FOC in 2018. 

Because eLoran signals propagate differently over land and seawater (where it slows due to lower conductivity), corrections to the signal delay referred to as additional secondary factors (ASF) must be incorporated into the system. The Korean eLoran system will prepare ASF maps with a dense grid size for land areas to mitigate related spatial errors. 

The Korean government’s announcement contrasts with the U.S. decision in 2010 to discontinue its Loran-C system despite an independent review team’s unanimous recommendation that it be upgraded to eLoran as a backup to GPS and other national positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies. 

The United Kingdom has also pushed ahead with eLoran, launching an initial service in the English Channel earlier this year. 

http://www.insidegnss.com/node/3532


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## John Dryden (Sep 26, 2009)

Interesting stuff that,a case of what goes around comes around.
I did learn about Loran at nautical school but can,t recall using it at at sea.
Of course sat nav was not invented then but I did once end up in a field using one in my car!


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## Farmer John (Feb 22, 2012)

Compass, charts, sextant, stars. All seem to be still available, retrain and continue.

I think LORAN was about in the short time I was not poking pigs, pulling cows **** and shoving my hand up the rude bits of sheep, but if you can jam GPS, will LORAN be any better?


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Much more easily I imagine. As a terrestrial hyperbolic system the spoofing of similar systems was already afoot i the 39/45 war.


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## pilot (Jan 8, 2006)

It was common that a GPS would fail in the Humber, around the Immingham Outer Harbour and Immingham Bulk Terminal. The cause was rumoured to be HGVs disembarking from Ro Ro's in the Outer Harbour that used electronics to beat radar speed detectors!


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## Binnacle (Jul 22, 2005)

Varley said:


> Much more easily I imagine. As a terrestrial hyperbolic system the spoofing of similar systems was already afoot i the 39/45 war.


I was hoping some of the radio members would come up with some enlightenment as to how eLoran may be untroubled by jamming. Russian and Chinese have considerable experience of jamming outside broadcasts for political reasons, however they are going ahead with the Loran type transmissions presumably in the knowledge that it is difficult to jam. Years ago trading to Norway we occasionly used the ex WW2 German Sonne navigational system as there was a beacon at Stavanger, the only equipment needed was a radio receiver and what was helpful was a visual signal meter. As far as I was told this operated without jamming, indeed it was so good RAF coastal command used it, perhaps with modifications and renamed it Consol. The Allies were particularly secretive about Decca Navigator transmissions prior to D-day as that hyperbolic system was vulnerable to distortion and jamming.


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

Should there, God forbid, be a forthcoming nuclear war; the resultant EMP and TREE effects of nuclear blasts will render solid state technology u/s. If satellites cannot be protected against such radiation then GPS will be also u/s along with many comms and control systems. Perhaps the time has come for us to revert to vacuum tube (valve) technology. After all the USSR did so with their MiG fighters well into the era when the West had upgraded to solid state stuff.


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

King Ratt said:


> Perhaps the time has come for us to revert to vacuum tube (valve) technology.


A thermionic tube iPhone would be some sight to see! (Jester)


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## jimg0nxx (Sep 1, 2005)

It may be that Sat Nav is on the downward slope to redundancy, have a look at this webpage:-
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...um-compass-that-could-be-the-successor-to-gps


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

Interesting webpage for sure. Thanks Jimg0nxx.


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## LouisB (Dec 23, 2007)

Ron Stringer said:


> A thermionic tube iPhone would be some sight to see! (Jester)


Especially with an 807 output bottle. 

LouisB. (Scribe)


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## Sheddy (May 23, 2007)

Are the UK not also reintroducing eLoran system as a back up to GPS.


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## jimg0nxx (Sep 1, 2005)

King Ratt said:


> Interesting webpage for sure. Thanks Jimg0nxx.


Further info KR, I was reviewing Sat Navs yesterday for my daughter and found a reference to using Magnetic Field for cars in the next three years. Unfortunately been unable to find it again.
Jim


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## jimg0nxx (Sep 1, 2005)

Another reference to using Magnetic Field is Indoor Positioning System:-

http://www.extremetech.com/computin...rths-magnetic-field-just-like-a-homing-pigeon


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Sheddy said:


> Are the UK not also reintroducing eLoran system as a back up to GPS.


Sheddy. The lighthouse board announced Dover would be covered, starting Jan 2013, by an eLoran system. No idea of the take up or present status. I would have said that using GPs in the channel is simply allowing greater throughput by allowing higher risk navigation. Surely a commercial vessel can still manage on visual and radar observations?

It is laughable that cargo tonnage almost universally takes up differential GPS - if you need cut so many corners that you need that Mrs. Varley's little boy isn't going to sail with you, and hopefully nowhere near you.


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## Farmer John (Feb 22, 2012)

There is something oddly disturbing about the idea of a Mig with valves. I can imagine a little hatch that you open only to find large numbers of glowing valves, and a little cupboard filled with spares.


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## RayJordandpo (Feb 23, 2006)

pilot said:


> It was common that a GPS would fail in the Humber, around the Immingham Outer Harbour and Immingham Bulk Terminal. The cause was rumoured to be HGVs disembarking from Ro Ro's in the Outer Harbour that used electronics to beat radar speed detectors!


Last month I attended an electronic chart (ECDIS) course in Newcastle. We covered GPS jamming. Apparently IALA recently carried out tests off Flamborough Head and the results were alarming. They reckon thieves are using long range jammers to block trackers fitted to vehicles. As our lecturer stated, how long before terrorists and pirates get familiar with this equipment?


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## pilot (Jan 8, 2006)

Varley said:


> It is laughable that cargo tonnage almost universally takes up differential GPS - if you need cut so many corners that you need that Mrs. Varley's little boy isn't going to sail with you, and hopefully nowhere near you.


All GPS I've seen will automaticaly use differential GPS when available.


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

pilot said:


> All GPS I've seen will automaticaly use differential GPS when available.


So. We approve of a VLCC, say, taking a course that is safe only when the position can be fixed to less than 30 metres? We are happy using a system that is accurate to within a few metres one day and a few tens of metres the next, our procedures and passage plans take this into account?

There might have been some justification before selective availability was discontinued but I am at a complete loss to know why it remains universally specified and would like to hear a reasoned argument (as I would be for interswitching of radars - not from technicians of course, we know - or, apart from rain performance, why S band is considered 'better' than X).

An excellent stand alone 'better than deep sea' positioning system (intended, of course, not for us but for cruise missile targeting) was first buggered up by the inclusion of a DR facility.

This was to overcome the temporary situation of an incomplete constellation and intermittent coverage in obscure areas. Long after the constellation was complete the DR facility remained as standard production. Result: Royal Majesty (GPS aerial became disconnected, switched to DR, not noticed, grounded).

Instead of simply banning inclusion of DR (why would anyone want to be using hardware which was in anyway defective?) IMO performance standard was upped to include an alarm.

Alarms are also mandated for loss of Differential signal - to date the only complaint I have dealt with, apart from my own, is the constant distraction on the bridge when on the margin of reception as signal is picked up and dropped in constant succession. I am sure there will be others and more serious.

There is an unfortunate attitude that more and more expensive means better and safer - the North Sea rationale "If it is the most expensive solution it must be the best". If there is no good reason (or possibly there is a bad) for having some electronic gadget then it is better off not onboard. It may mislead, it will cost more to install, it will certainly be subject to various 'police'.

I suppose I should hope not to be heard as I shall have no use for the soap box when the inevitable accident happens.


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## TOM ALEXANDER (Dec 24, 2008)

Varley said:


> There might have been some justification before selective availability was discontinued but I am at a complete loss to know why it remains universally specified and would like to hear a reasoned argument


It was a long time ago -- after selective availability was discontinued that I heard that the U.S. as part of it's provision agreement for the GPS system guaranteed that the system would work something like 98% of the time -- ostensibly allowing 2% (annually?) to shut part or all of the system down for maintenance. I do not think there was any provision to notify when any shutdown would occur, and no reason needed to be advised. Should there be any security reason to do so, the whole system could be rendered instantly useless and the mass confusion that would create is almost unthinkable. 

One wonders how we ever managed to find our way around with our lodestones and mariners' astrolabes?? B\)


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

An embassy for the backstaff, indeed Tom (and for carriage of competent backstaffing practitioners and an horologe made after the late Mr. Harrison's pattern). But not one for differential correction of GPS on conventional tonnage or for inclusion of automatic DR facilities on any kit that is supposed to provide continuous position information by 'observation'.


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

The Armed Forces do Exercise with GPS jamming taking place ask any Fishermen. The Americans send over an Aircraft to carry out the task when the Exercise is in European waters. Interesting about the 'Tracker' jamming and Criminals getting hold of the equipment as I see that the Criminals can now re programme a blank key fob in the cars that use the Fob to be able to start the cars having obtained the equipment to do so. There is a system in these types of cars that allows this to happen when you put the Fob into the slot and use the re programming equipment. Looks like I will have to cancel the Audi Quattro.


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

RayJordandpo said:


> Last month I attended an electronic chart (ECDIS) course in Newcastle. We covered GPS jamming. Apparently IALA recently carried out tests off Flamborough Head and the results were alarming. They reckon thieves are using long range jammers to block trackers fitted to vehicles. As our lecturer stated, how long before terrorists and pirates get familiar with this equipment?


Jamming of broadcast satellites has been around for some time, see:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20344823

Have a look at this to see how users in Brazil piggy back onto American millitary satellites with just a few quid's worth of gear and use the sats for ragchewing:- 

http://www.austech.info/showthread.php?t=20439

Some of these conversations have even been posted on YouTube...B\)


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## Coastie (Aug 24, 2005)

You might like to take a look at the following: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29758872


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## Iangb (Aug 28, 2009)

More on GLA's eLoran installations:
The GLA has installed eLoran in the ports of Dover, Sheerness, Harwich and Felixstowe, Middlesborough, Leith, Humber and Aberdeen. The stations provide alternative position, navigation and timing (PNT) information to ensure that ships equipped with eLoran receivers can navigate safely. In the event of GPS failure an algorithm is designed to switch seamlessly over from GPS to eLoran. 
http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/industry-news/a-new-alternative-to-gps4?


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## Pilot mac (Jun 28, 2005)

pilot said:


> It was common that a GPS would fail in the Humber, around the Immingham Outer Harbour and Immingham Bulk Terminal. The cause was rumoured to be HGVs disembarking from Ro Ro's in the Outer Harbour that used electronics to beat radar speed detectors!


Just a thought, could be using GPS jammer so that operators don't now where they are and perhaps the signal is stronger than they advertise.

regards
Dave


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## Day Sailor (Nov 9, 2014)

Have Raytheon (or whatever they are calling themselves this week) or Simrad or any of the other marine electronics manufacturers indicated any likelihood of sets appearing at a chandlers near you?


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Day Sailor said:


> Have Raytheon (or whatever they are calling themselves this week) or Simrad or any of the other marine electronics manufacturers indicated any likelihood of sets appearing at a chandlers near you?


See http://www.reelektronika.nl/products-a-services/eloran-receivers-loradd-sp-series.html


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Never mind N. Korea, I was driving up the A19 just North of York when my RADAR detecting equipment went a bit crazy, looking up the road I could not see anything that would cause the problem until an Army Apache Helicopter popped up from behind a Wood and flew directly at me.


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