You should not denigrate PhotoMultiplier tubes. They are virtually perfect, almost noiseless, detectors. With the right photocathode, they are capable of QEs >50%, spectral response from the VUV to near IR, and dark counts <1 PPS, with maximum count rates >10 MPPS. Thay can easily have current gains of >10E+6
-John ==================== > Thanks, John > It's quite clear that at least one far eastern nation, need I name it? > is going for domination of space, meanwhile feinting with such useless > stuff as old rotted carriers and the like, nothing up my sleeve, trick > the first, meanwhile building its own gps fleet, hardened i'll bet, and > reaching for the moon. DMSP's are OLD stuff (they use pm tubes to get > that sensitivity; we've looked at both fires and lightning with them for > more than 30 yrs if I remember right??? > Don > > John C. Westmoreland, P.E. >> Hello Again Time Nuts, >> >> Sorry - first time I went to that site it was 'OK' but then I see it >> requires registration - here's the story: >> >> Regards, >> John W. >> >> February 13, 2014 7:22 pm >> GPS pioneer warns on network's security >> >> By Sam Jones and Carola Hoyos >> [image: Europe --- This image is a composite of hundreds of pictures >> made >> by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), which currently >> operates four satellites carrying the Operational Linescan System (OLS) >> in >> low-altitude polar orbits. Three of these satellites record nighttime >> data. >> The DMSP-OLS has a unique capability to detect low levels of >> visible-near >> infrared (VNIR) radiance at night. With the OLS 'VIS' band data it is >> possible to detect clouds illuminated by moonlight, plus lights from >> cities, towns, industrial sites, gas flares, and ephemeral events such >> as >> fires and lightning-illuminated clouds](c)NASA >> >> The Global Positioning System helps power everything from in-car satnavs >> and smart bombs to bank security and flight control, but its founder has >> warned that it is more vulnerable to sabotage or disruption than ever >> before - and politicians and security chiefs are ignoring the risk. >> >> Impairment of the system by hostile foreign governments, cyber criminals >> - >> or even regular citizens - has become "a matter of national security", >> according to Colonel Bradford Parkinson, who is hailed as the architect >> of >> modern navigation <http://www.nae.edu/55030.aspx>. >> >> - >> <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Ffadf1714-940d-11e3-bf0c-00144feab7de.html&text=GPS%20pioneer%20warns%20on%20network%E2%80%99s%20security%20-%20FT.com&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fintl%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Ffadf1714-940d-11e3-bf0c-00144feab7de.html&related=fttheworld&via=FT> >> - >> <http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Ffadf1714-940d-11e3-bf0c-00144feab7de.html&t=GPS%20pioneer%20warns%20on%20network%E2%80%99s%20security%20-%20FT.com+|+US%20%26%20Canada> >> - >> <https://plus.google.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Ffadf1714-940d-11e3-bf0c-00144feab7de.html> >> - >> <http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Ffadf1714-940d-11e3-bf0c-00144feab7de.html&title=GPS%20pioneer%20warns%20on%20network%E2%80%99s%20security%20-%20FT.com+|+US%20%26%20Canada&summary=Crucial+navigation+system+vulnerable+to+attack&source=Financial%20Times> >> >> More >> ON THIS STORY >> >> - In depth Cyber warfare <http://www.ft.com/indepth/cyber-warfare> >> - Analysis Eyes in the >> sky<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b42e4e34-0bfa-11e3-8840-00144feabdc0.html> >> - N Korea jams signals on Seoul >> flights<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aa557dd4-944f-11e1-bb47-00144feab49a.html> >> - Growth in cyber attacks >> 'unprecedented'<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab3c847a-7e1a-11e3-b409-00144feabdc0.html> >> - Academy warns on solar >> superstorm<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f30d9e54-7067-11e2-ab31-00144feab49a.html> >> >> ON THIS TOPIC >> >> - Sochi is a cyber war zone, experts >> warn<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/08895c6e-92ae-11e3-8018-00144feab7de.html> >> - Security chiefs warn over cyber >> defence<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fd93a898-8e4b-11e3-98c6-00144feab7de.html> >> - Cyber criminals 'targeting share >> prices'<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4a063b34-8de6-11e3-ba55-00144feab7de.html> >> - Target was not sole cyber attack >> victim<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e183dfe-7fb1-11e3-94d2-00144feabdc0.html> >> >> IN US & CANADA >> >> - Obama walks into Asia tensions >> crossfire<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/97d7c088-8edd-11e3-98c6-00144feab7de.html> >> - Think-tank proposes sovereign debt >> forum<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/19a993fc-7ec1-11e3-8642-00144feabdc0.html> >> - Democrats prove barrier to Obama on >> trade<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fcc7adfe-7b9c-11e3-a2da-00144feabdc0.html> >> - US Midwest thaws after 'polar >> vortex'<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/563f20ec-7981-11e3-b381-00144feabdc0.html> >> >> "If we don't watch out and we aren't prepared," then countries could be >> denied everything from 'navigation' to 'precision weapon delivery', Mr >> Parkinson warned. >> >> "We have to make it more robust ... our cellphone towers are timed with >> GPS. If they lose that time, they lose sync and pretty soon they don't >> operate. Our power grid is synchronised with GPS [and] our banking >> system." >> >> Western governments are "in their infancy in recognising the problem", >> Mr >> Parkinson told the Financial Times in an interview on the fringes of a >> conference for government officials, academics and defence contractors >> at >> the UK's National Physical Laboratory. >> >> He said: "[In the US] I don't know anyone that is really in charge of >> it. >> The Department of Homeland Security should be [but] ... they don't have >> any >> people that understand it very well. They've got one person without any >> budget to speak of." >> >> Mr Parkinson, now a professor at Stanford University, created GPS in the >> 1970s on behalf of the US military - who still control the system of >> satellites today. >> >> Use of the system for civilian purposes has exploded with the >> development >> of mobile technologies. >> >> Though the US military has in place protection that could give its >> navigation systems a high-degree of robustness, most civilian GPS >> systems >> have none, Mr Parkinson said. He also warned that the EU's new EURO 5bn >> Galileo >> satellite system, created as an alternative to the US-controlled GPS, >> was >> equally at risk. >> >> Richard Peckham, who helped develop the Galileo system, said that >> although >> its public service was encrypted, making it more difficult to hack and >> more >> secure for users such as the emergency services and public utilities, it >> was still vulnerable to jamming and interference. >> >> The US, which initially opposed the European satellite constellation, >> has >> come around to supporting it, in part because Washington has realised it >> needs a GPS back-up system that is neither Russian nor Chinese. >> >> A report compiled for the UK government and released this week warned >> that >> "the conditions are present for a catastrophic 'Black Swan' event" that >> would knock out one or more critical GPS systems. The report identified >> thousands of instances of GPS jamming occurring annually. >> >> Disruption of satellite navigation systems has so far remained a >> relatively >> low-level problem for governments. Small-range jamming devices can be >> acquired easily via the internet. However, more powerful jamming >> equipment >> is becoming increasingly easy to acquire. >> >> Over the past few years South Korea has witnessed huge jamming attacks >> against its GPS systems, launched by North Korea. The areas affected >> stretch 100km into South Korean territory, and include major airports >> and >> shipping lanes. More than 1,000 ships and 250 planes had their travel >> disrupted >> by North Korean jamming attacks in >> 2012<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aa557dd4-944f-11e1-bb47-00144feab49a.html?siteedition=uk> >> . >> >> Seoul has responded by ordering the construction of a land-based antenna >> array over more than 40 sites to provide a back-up system. >> >> The UK has already begun to build a similar system, primarily to help >> shipping in the event of GPS disruption. The stretch of water between >> Britain and France is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, >> but >> navigation throughout it could be disrupted by a single portable jamming >> device. >> >> "When a ship loses GPS, it isn't like a car satnav," said Professor >> David >> Last, a consultant to the UK's General Lighthouse Authority. "Multiple >> systems fail simultaneously." >> >> Prof Last cited a report into navigation vulnerabilities* from the Royal >> Academy of Engineering* >> <http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/publications/list/reports/RAoE_Global_Navigation_Systems_Report.pdf>that >> found "there was barely a single area of commerce or industry in the UK >> that wasn't dependent on GPS in some way." >> RELATED TOPICS >> >> - United States of >> America<http://www.ft.com/topics/places/United_States_of_America> >> , >> - United Kingdom <http://www.ft.com/topics/places/United_Kingdom>, >> - Drones <http://www.ft.com/topics/themes/Drones> >> - >> >> >> >> On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 7:20 PM, John C. Westmoreland, P.E. < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Hello Time Nuts, >>> >>> I thought this would be of interest to the group: >>> >>> http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fadf1714-940d-11e3-bf0c-00144feab7de.html >>> >>> Regards, >>> John W. >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] >> To unsubscribe, go to >> https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts >> and follow the instructions there. >> >> > > > -- > "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those > who have not got it." > -George Bernard Shaw > > > Dr. Don Latham AJ7LL > Six Mile Systems LLC > 17850 Six Mile Road > POB 134 > Huson, MT, 59846 > VOX 406-626-4304 > Skype: buffler2 > www.lightningforensics.com > www.sixmilesystems.com > > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
