Underwater GPS

[hydroslyder]

Does anybody know why they dont make an underwater GPS, I figured this would be something really kool, you would never have to worry about not finding a wreck, or the dive boat again.

Anyway just a thought.

Thanks

 

[jonnythan]

hydroslyder once bubbled...
Does anybody know why they dont make an underwater GPS, I figured this would be something really kool, you would never have to worry about not finding a wreck, or the dive boat again.

Anyway just a thought.

Thanks

Because the GPS signal won't reach you underwater

The satellite signals just aren't strong enough.

 

[runvus4]

GPS works by getting singals from orbiting satellites. These signals can be blocked by overhead obstructions, such as tens of feet of water. When the signals are blocked, the GPS receiver cannot determine what it's location is.

 

[Stone]

If you want to find the boat, then you are talking about a "Neverlost" or "Eye Sea" beacon device.

 

[docmartin]

don't submarines use gps? of course their technology may not quite be in our price range.

 

[Boogie711]

Submarines only use GPS when they can trail an antenna. When they go into full 'stealth' mode, they not only can't receive a GPS signal, they can't communicate back and forth with Central Command.

Long story short - GPS won't work underwater. That's it, that's all.

 

[Mverick]

Best bet would be a WaterProof GPS.

That way, if it got doused on the boat it wouldn't short out the electronics.

Don't know if anybody makes a waterproof one though.

 

[norcaldiver]

try these:
http://www.magellangps.com/en/gpsAdventures/marine/

http://www.garmin.com/products/rino/

http://www.garmin.com/products/rino120/

[helpd desk snob]
I found these in about 3 seconds by going to yahoo and typing in "waterproof gps".
[/help desk snob]

 

[FallenMatt]

most of those gps units ar enot waterproof, just water resistant..
if i remember the specs, you can submerge the garmin gps receiver to only about 7 feet.

i've seen a DIY project somewhere on the web (it was a while ago , dont' remember the address now) where you put a gps receiver in a water tight englousure on the bouoy that you tow with you (dive flag).

i can imagine rigging a gps receiver with an external antenna and attaching it to float on the surface would work too..

the problem with gps signal is that it is EXTREMALLY weak.. something on the range of thousands times weaker than cell phone tower signal. you always need "line of sight" to the sky to get gps readings... probably just few inches of water would stop the singal to get to your underwater gps receiver....

 

[runvus4]

I figure the Navy has to have developed somehing to assist with undewater navigation. I was thinking along the lines of of ULF wave triangulation. The problem with that is that those waves travel at different speeds through waters with differing salt content which would make the system fairly inaccurate without a very large number of reference points. Also ULF waves have been linked in a corrolary (not causal) fashion with disruption to marine life.