Having LORAN in reserve makes the GPS satellite system a less attractive target for terrorists, they say.
And while GPS satellites are unprotected, LORAN operates inside controlled perimeters in the United States, the supporters said.
Loran Konchok was based at the Kirti monastery in Aba prefecture, which has been a focal point for self-immolations.
Supporters of LORAN say the nation's increasing reliance on GPS has ironically increased the importance of maintaining LORAN as a backup.
Loran Konchok was based at Kirti monastery in Aba prefecture, an area in Sichuan province that has been a focal point for self-immolations.
However, to do the same to the Loran system, you'd need a 40ft tower -- and around 25kW of juice to power it.
The basics behind Loran and GPS are largely the same, with devices measuring the time it takes for a signal to travel between a transmitter and your receiver.
Loran requires three singles, with locations then calculated through "trilateration".
Each probe can pick up GPS signals and signals from eLoran, an enhanced version of Loran, the ground-based terrestrial radio-navigation system first used by the American and British navies during the second world war.
Just one year ago, the Bush administration announced it would keep the ground-based LORAN system operational to serve as a backup for the satellite-based global positioning systems, which are becoming ubiquitous in cars, planes and ships.
Of the approximately 950 people who commented in the Federal Register about the future of LORAN as the Bush administration's decision was being made, the vast majority favored saving and improving LORAN, said Bob Lilley, secretary of the International Loran Association.
It's always nice to see an old tech stage a comeback and this time it's happening around the coasts of Europe, with nine low-frequency radio transmitters substituting for GPS' satellite-based system. eLoran's radiowave-based system is stronger than satellite signals and less jammable, based on the Loran system that was previously used for shipping navigation by both the British and US navy over 50 years ago.
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