NON-DIRECTIONAL BEACON

Definition: - a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. Distinction from other equipments: - does not include inherent directional information

The aircraft maintains 0 (zero) degrees bearing but the aircraft heading constantly changes due to introduction of crosswinds in order to maintain the ADF on 0 degrees. MH + RB = MB (Magnetic Heading + Relative Bearing = Magnetic Bearing) Tracking

Flying directly towards or from a station (NDB) When tracking away from an NDB we use the tail of the ADF needle, rather than the head as indicator

Fundamentals of NDB Operating Frequency: - Low to Medium Frequency Band 190 to 535 kHz Power Ratings: - less than 50 to over 2000 W Transmission Mode: - Ground Wave Propagation Identification of NDB -via Morse Code

3 possible procedures: 1. Maintaining 180 on ADF 2. Maintaining Heading on Aircraft Magnetic Compass 3. Backtracking ADF relative bearing indicator will show a constant reading varying from 180 by the difference between the aircraft heading and the desired track Position Fix if 2 transmitters are in range then the bearing from each can be determined

Classifications of NDB 1. Compass Locator 2. NDB Transmitting Antenna 3. En Route Airway Beacon 4. High Power Antenna NDB Transmitting Unit Ground-based equipment that radiates the signal in all directions ADF Receiver Antenna determines the direction to the NDB station relative to the aircraft. consists of two antennas: 1. loop 2. sense Indicator instruments 1. Fixed Card ADF (relative bearing indicator) 2. Movable Card ADF 3. Radio Magnetic Indicator NDB Limitations 1. Night Effect 2. Terrain Effect 3. Electrical Effect 4. Bank Effect Other information transmitted by an NDB Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) Airfield Weather Information Service (AWIS) Automated Weather Observation Service (AWOS) VOLMET Volume Meteorological Transcribed Weather Broadcast (TWEB) Automatically monitor faults: 1. Excessive hum level 2. Reduction of carrier power 3. Failure or reduction in level of identification code 4. Low power output 5. Main power failure PIP monitoring Homing

A manoeuvring technique used as a function of NDB for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations The aircraft maintains 0 (zero) degrees bearing to the station as indicated in the ADF RBI

RADIO DIRECTION FINDER

A radio direction finder (RDF) is a device for finding the direction to a radio source It works by comparing the signal strength of a directional antenna pointing in different directions. HISTORY o

When signal path changes from the overland to over water resulting in velocity change of propagation Half Convergence The path of radio waves over the earths surface is a great circle = circle bearings

1888 Heinrich Hertz discovered the directional property of radio waves 1902 first direction finding system by John Stone Stone 1904 improved direction finding system by Lee de Forest 1907 first usable radio finder by Ettore Bellini and Alessandro Tosi (Goniometer) 1919 Adcock Antenna (80 520 Mhz) 1930s and 1940s adapted by both ships and aircrafts RDF was replaced by the introduction of Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR)

RDF Stations in The Philippines Radio Direction Finders has been widely used in the 1930s and 1940s and during the World War II NDBs has been used in some parts of the Philippines during WWII, particularly on Corregidor and coastal areas. In the 1950s, aviation NDBs were augmented by the VOR system, in which the direction to the beacon can be extracted from the signal itself Today many NDBs have been decommissioned in favor of faster and far more accurate GPS navigational systems.

DIRECTION FINDER is a special radio receiver with a system of antennas for locating the source of radio signals, used as an aid to navigation. Direction finding (DF) refers to the establishment of the direction from which a received signal was transmitted. TYPES OF RDF Airborne Direction Finder a kind of DF found in the nose of the plane Aeronautical Radiobeacon Marine Direction Finder a RDF found in the decks of every ships Marine Radiobeacon RDF Components 1. Antenna versatile omnidirectional yet capable of pinpointing locations of specific signals 2. Radio Receiver Single Channel Dual Channel N Channel 3. Display and Indicator System produces a visual indication of the bearing of a received signal

RDF in AIRCRAFT Navigation On pre-World War II aircraft, RDF antennas are easy to identify as the circular loops mounted above or below the fuselage. Later loop antenna designs were enclosed in a aerodynamic, teardrop-shaped fairing. Strings of beacons formed "airways" from airport to airport. RDF in MARINE Navigation In ships and small boats, RDF receivers first employed large metal loop antennae, similar to aircraft, but usually mounted atop a portable battery-powered receiver. Radio transmitters are radio equivalent to a lighthouse In ships and small boats, RDF receivers first employed large metal loop antennae, similar to aircraft, but usually mounted atop a portable battery-powered receiver. Radio transmitters are radio equivalent to a lighthouse Principal Errors And Their Causes o Quadrantal Error Re-radiation from the ships structure o Night effect AM waves switch to a reduced power, directional signal at night o Land Effect