Sats9 : Navstar-3 Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Granitic Intrusions: With the 20th anniversary fast approaching it is time to archive this series of caches.
Glad lots of people got to enjoy them.

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Hidden : 3/19/2010
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

About the Sats series ....
We recommend starting this 10 cache series at Sats1 : Timation. That way you can find 10 caches on the way down the hill and then enjoy the leisurely walk back up to Rossland. An alternative would be to arrange for a ride from cache #10 (at the old abandoned golf course entrance) up the highway back to Rossland. Please do not attempt to drive along the route as it is closed to motorized vehicles. Some sections of this old road are very rough and the lower end is blocked with concrete barriers. Parking coordinates are provided for the upper end of the trail. You could also park at cache #10. As with all trails around Rossland watch out for mountain bikes and bears !
Allow up to 3 hours for the whole series.
I really enjoyed learning about the history and workings of the GPS satellites and hope you find the write-ups interesting

About this cache ....
This must have been a nice Christmas tree for someone . Lets hope the other young trees here grow fast so they don't get chopped down too. No hint needed after that !

Navstar-3
Satellite info ....
 The Block III satellites are currently scheduled to begin launching in 2014 but are likely to be delayed even longer. GPS-3 will feature a cross-linked control system enabling the entire constellation to be updated from a single ground station rather than waiting for each satellite to orbit into view of a ground antenna. These satellites will also enable a high powered spot beam that can deliver greater M-code signal power up to about 100 times that of current satellites. This will provide even more resistance to any hostile jamming attempts. The U.S.Military has decided to make GPS 3 compatible (rather than competitive) with the European Unions Galileo constellation (another global navigation satellite system).

Other Navigational Satellite Constellations ...

 China - The Beidou (COMPASS) Navigation Satellite System
- Plans to be fully operational in 2020
- 35 satellites in all
- 10 metre accuracy - more precise for authorized users

 European Union – GALILEO
- Plans to be fully operational in 2014
- Up to 1 metre accuracy
- 30 satellites including 3 in-orbit spares
- Designed to inter-operate with GPS3 for better world wide coverage

 Russia – GLONASS
- Declared operational in 1993 but now undergoing major upgrades
- 24 satellites including 3 in-orbit spares
- GPS-GLONASS receivers are already available to make use of both systems

The military advantages of not having to depend on the U.S. owned GPS system are obvious. Especially since they have the ability to block signals to any part of the world at any time. In a perfect world these 4 super-powers will allow all the navigational satellite systems to inter-operate for the good of people all around the world. A new GPS with the ability to make use of 100+ satellites would have far better reception in the deep urban canyons and heavily forested areas. Geocaching might be even more fun with the use of 4 navigational satellite constellations.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Puevfgznf cnfg

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

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