Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Cheap GPS jammers are filling the world with navigation dead zones

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Theme 1 – GPS is inherently vulnerable to jamming/spoofing, creating a need for resilient navigation
- “GPS signals are just incredibly weak so it takes next to nothing to drown them out.” – jacquesm
- “If you have GPS, LORAN, VORs, NDBs, astronavigation, etc. you have many more options at your disposal and present a much more complex attack target.” – teeray

Theme 2 – Ground‑based systems (LORAN/eLoran, VOR) are proposed as backups, with noted strengths and drawbacks
- “LORAN, from my quick googling, looks to be about 6‑7 orders of magnitude higher received power.” – azernik
- “Even a 160 m guy‑wire tower is cheap… but such an antenna will be extremely conspicuous and easy to triangulate.” – lstodd / cyberax
- “VOR is extremely short range and requires an extraordinary number of transmitters… LORAN … only required one master station and a few remote stations to provide continent‑scale coverage.” – buildsjets

Theme 3 – Technical hardening of GNSS (multi‑constellation, L5, adaptive antennas, inertial/star navigation) is seen as a way to mitigate jamming
- “L5‑band signals are 30× harder to jam and interfere with compared to L1…” – toomuchtodo
- “Single element antennas, adaptive antennas, beam steering antennas… basically attempting to pull good RF while avoiding bad RF.” – toomuchtodo
- “Astro‑inertial guidance … is used on submarine‑launched ballistic missiles.” – leonidasrup


🚀 Project Ideas

GPSSentry: Real‑Time GPS Jammer & Spoofer Detector

Summary

  • A portable SDR‑based device and companion app that continuously monitors L1/L5 GPS bands for abnormal signal strength, unexpected spectral lines, or sudden loss of lock, alerting users via visual/audio cues and logging events for later analysis.
  • Core value proposition: gives pilots, drivers, and mariners an early warning of GPS interference so they can switch to backup navigation before a hazardous deviation occurs.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Pilots, maritime operators, professional drivers, and security personnel who rely on GPS in critical operations
Core Feature Real‑time detection of jamming/spoofing using inexpensive RTL‑SDR or similar SDR, with on‑device ML classification and push notifications
Tech Stack Rust for SDR signal processing, TensorFlow Lite for ML classification, Flutter for cross‑platform mobile UI, optional Bluetooth LE to hardware dongle
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Subscription tier ($5/mo) for cloud‑based event analytics and SMS alerts; basic detection free
#### Notes
- HN commenters urged for a reliable app to detect jamming without draining battery (eternityforest) and praised software that considers jamming/spoofing as real conditions (imglorp).
- Practical utility: can be built today with $20 RTL‑SDR dongles and smartphones, enabling a low‑cost safety layer for aviation and maritime.

eLoran Integrity Service (EIS)

Summary

  • A hosted service that aggregates data from a distributed network of low‑cost eLoran receivers, computes signal integrity metrics (SNR, timing offset, multipath), and publishes a real‑time PNT health feed via API.
  • Core value proposition: provides a trusted, jam‑resistant backup timing/position source for aviation, maritime, and critical infrastructure when GPS is degraded or unavailable.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Aviation operators, maritime shipping companies, UAS fleet managers, and critical‑infrastructure operators needing a verified alternative to GPS
Core Feature Continuous eLoran signal monitoring, integrity scoring, and fallback position calculation delivered through a REST/WebSocket API
Tech Stack C/C++ with GNU Radio for SDR processing on Raspberry Pi‑based receivers, PostgreSQL for timeseries, Go API gateway, deployed on Kubernetes
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Usage‑based pricing ($0.001 per API request) plus optional premium SLA tier
#### Notes
- Commenters noted that eLoran needs much higher power to jam (leonidasrup) and that UK/France are renewing ties to eLoran (throw0101d), showing interest in a resilient ground‑based system.
- Potential for discussion: an open API could spur development of hybrid GNSS/eLoran receivers and stimulate debate on re‑deploying eLoran infrastructure.

StarNav: Stellar‑Inertial Navigation Assistant for GA

Summary

  • An open‑source avionics add‑on that uses a wide‑field camera, IMU, and star catalog to compute attitude and position, providing a GPS‑independent navigation solution for general‑aviation aircraft.
  • Core value proposition: gives pilots a continuously available, jam‑proof celestial fix that works day/night (with IR star tracking) and integrates with existing EFIS displays.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience General‑aviation pilots, experimental aircraft builders, and flight‑training schools seeking a low‑cost backup to GPS
Core Feature Real‑time star extraction via OpenCV, EKF fusion with IMU data, output latitude/longitude and attitude to standard avionics buses (ARINC 429, CAN)
Tech Stack C++ with OpenCV and Eigen, running on a Raspberry Pi 4 or STM32H7 flight controller; optional Python ground‑station UI
Difficulty High
Monetization Hobby
#### Notes
- HN users highlighted the difficulty of finding trained astronavigation experts (mschuster91) but noted that modern cameras/computers can automate it (leonidasrup, teeray).
- Practical utility: a demonstrable prototype could be flown in VFR conditions, providing concrete data for discussions on celestial‑navigation revival and spurring FAA/ EASA engagement on alternative PNT standards.

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