GPS Week Rollover (EOW)
This information is
provided to support those owners of older model GPS receivers.
On 21/22 August 1999, about 4 months before the start
of the year 2000, the GPS system's count of the number of weeks
since it started (on 6 January 1980) will pass the number 1024.
This is a very significant number as GPS receivers use a 10 bit
field to store the week number (210=1024).
However, the GPS week rollover situation is well known and is
documented in the GPS
system specifications. As the potential problem was well
identified in the GPS system specifications, it is expected that
most modern GPS receivers should experience no problems.
However, some GPS receivers may need a firmware upgrade and may
have difficulty after the rollover date. To find out if your
receiver is affected, contact the receiver manufacturer
directly.
