October 19, 2011: In northern Scotland, some fishing boat captains recently complained about NATO naval and air forces jamming GPS signals. The jamming was a part of NATO exercises up there. The British Defense Ministry said that it had issued the usual warnings about the jamming, and that when similar military exercises took place last April, there were no complaints.

As a precaution, the GPS jamming (which is essential to train military personnel how to cope with it) was turned off for the duration of the exercise. The military is also looking into why the complaining fishermen had not got the word. But the situation got stranger still when the fishermen also complained of problems with their other satellite communications (especially Internet and TV), as well as cell phones. But these other communications should not be affected by GPS jamming.

Wireless communications in general are more frequently disrupted by natural phenomena as you get closer to the Arctic Circle. That may have also played a part in the recent non-GPS disruptions. Normally, there is no one to complain to (unless you are religious) about these disruptions. But the GPS jamming presented a possible culprit that was closer at hand.