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Article: GPS users may want to dust off compasses.(Business)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- August 19, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Fishermen, hikers, motorists and others who use the estimated 10 million receivers worldwide that determine location using Global Positioning System satellites could get lost this weekend if they don't recalibrate their devices.
That's because the receivers' internal calendars will roll over for the first time this weekend and must be adjusted. On a far smaller scale, the problem resembles the millennium-bug computer issue: Some people fear computer-reliant systems will crash because they misread Jan. 1, 2000, as Jan. 1, 1900.
GPS has become a popular navigational tool, but few people seem to know the rollover will occur, said David Fowler, vice ...