LF: 6th april 2019 : gps week rollover

[Domenico IZ7SLZ <iz7slz.domenico@gmail.com>]

 
 
The GPS Week Number parameter is a ten-bit value in the range 0-1023, repeating every 1024 weeks. Every gps converts the week number in UTC date. Week 0 started at 00:00:00 UTC on Sunday, 6th January 1980, so the week number 'rolled over' from 1023 to 0 at 23:59:47 UTC on Saturday, 21st August 1999.
This week number rollover will occur again now on the 6th April 2019.
For sure, many of the old gps models, after the reset, will report a wrong date.
BTW 1pps or 10 kHz references should be accurate as usual.

A new neo8 gps has been already ordered to replace the ancient Jupiter gps wich actually synchronize my EbNaut linux pc clock by means of its 'binary protocol' strings and 1pps via the programs 'gpsd' and 'chrony'.

In the industrial world, this rollover will cause certainly many issues. My jupiter, for istance, comes from a old ship's AIS (automatic identification system). This mandatory transponder is a safety equipment onboard that communicates, via a VHF link, the own ship position and receives the position of the other ships in the range. Many of old transponders equipped with the same Jupiter gps , are still operational onboard, so for these installations there will be a problem at least in showing the correct date of the reports, but more serious failures could be observed.

73, Domenico IZ7SLZ