Shipboard towers for Global Positioning System antennas

Two 12.2 m-high towers for mounting Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver antennas were designed and constructed to provide millimeter-level stability while maintaining portability and accessibility to satellites and deck spaces. A combination of guys and a 3-m horizontal strut provide roll and pitch stability of 2–3 mm observed from 0.1 seconds to 12 days using a combination of GPS and optical/laser devices. The shipboard antenna mounts connect sub-aerial GPS positioning to underwater acoustic ranging that determine the centimeter-level location of seafloor transponders. Observed annually, these seafloor geodetic positions measure seafloor crustal motion for geophysical studies.