tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post5758749286852482983..comments2024-03-13T09:47:40.487+00:00Comments on Cockpit Conversation: When Omni Was FuturisticAviatrixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-60733069384568798212013-04-27T18:55:52.406+00:002013-04-27T18:55:52.406+00:00re: "A Squared said...
VOR: omnidirectional, ...re: "A Squared said...<br />VOR: omnidirectional, well yes, it works in all directions; range, hmm, no it doesn't measure range."<br /><br />But there is a way to determine distance from the station, based upon the time to cross a radial splay... Not sure how often anyone ever had to do that, other than while preparing for the commercial pilot's licence test back in 'the day.'grantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-54210291778780246962013-04-27T18:52:16.383+00:002013-04-27T18:52:16.383+00:00Equally ingenious was the radio range system prior...Equally ingenious was the radio range system prior to VOR. That the Morse code for A and N would signal which side of the intended track you were on, and would merge into one continuous hum when on course, is elegant simplicity, imho.grantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-26501128999329804002013-04-23T03:02:39.962+00:002013-04-23T03:02:39.962+00:00VOR: omnidirectional, well yes, it works in all di...<i> VOR: omnidirectional, well yes, it works in all directions; range, hmm, no it doesn't measure range. </i> <br /><br />Range in that context doesn't mean distance, it means a line along which you navigate. You also encounter the term in nautical navigation when speaking of "range markers" which also have nothing to do with distance. They are paired visual markers which are paired such that when the two appear to be aligned, you know that you are along a defined course, usually a channel. Aviatrix may remember a pair of lighted range markers in a park off the departure end of runway 32 at Anchorage.A Squarednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-44363443885461785462013-04-22T01:18:55.594+00:002013-04-22T01:18:55.594+00:00Ha! Yes, I know how the VOR works. But as a non-...Ha! Yes, I know how the VOR works. But as a non-pilot the periodic reminders are a good thing and I do not mind them at all. Your posts are fun reading Ms. Avx, so please, keep on writing about whatever you wish.. Thanks, -C.Cedarglenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00468497492189762095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-7167231537505943002013-04-21T11:04:57.088+00:002013-04-21T11:04:57.088+00:00How can VORs not be the coolest thing I've eve...How can VORs not be the coolest thing I've ever heard? With their elegance comes great reliability (read: safety). Navigation based on GPS may be more precise, but is it really as reliable, thinking about solar activity and just the fact that it is so much more complex? I don't have the deatails for North America, but in Germany, some VORs have been taken out of service during the recent years. I hope the remaining ones are still enough as a fallback layer in case GPS based navigation should fail.<br /><br />By the way, <a href="http://imgur.com/H5JOH2x" rel="nofollow">here is an image of a VOR transmitter's circuit board.</a> It is displayed at the <a href="http://www.deutsches-museum.de/ausstellungen/kommunikation/telekommunikation/" rel="nofollow">Deutsches Museum in München, amongst quite a lot of other nice pieces of communication technology</a>. (Sorry, this section of their website doesn't seem to be available in English.)<br /><br />Feel free to embed the image, I own it and hereby declare it free. Sorry for the low contrast. Couldn't get a better shot through the glass. Anyhow, despite the mediocre picture quality, you can see a nice radio-frequency stripline in the center, and I like how all the nice metal-can transistors are laid out in a circle.zbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-26143729612230069862013-04-21T00:24:07.193+00:002013-04-21T00:24:07.193+00:00Goodie! I was going to comment with an expanation ...Goodie! I was going to comment with an expanation how the word 'range' came to be used to describe a VOR (and the precursor) but I will leave you to it and not steal the thunder.<br /><br />nec Timidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03017143602023726206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-62928217536528716622013-04-20T15:03:42.718+00:002013-04-20T15:03:42.718+00:00Yay, someone got the title reference and someone l...Yay, someone got the title reference and someone learned something. Silly people: now you've given me leave to explain how to do range calculations from a VOR, how DME works, and why NDBs are non-directional compared to A-N beacons. Oh yes you will regret this. Aviatrixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634111275860140084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-5741088540132373882013-04-20T13:08:07.193+00:002013-04-20T13:08:07.193+00:00All I could think of from your title was this maga...All I could think of from your title was <a href="http://www.omnimagonline.com/1985_issues.htm" rel="nofollow">this magazine</a>. It did try to be futuristic, and now seems as dated as any other history of the future.<br /><br />Nice concise explanation of how VOR works - I wonder if in 10 years VORs will be as rare as their predecessor, the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-frequency_radio_range" rel="nofollow">4 course radio range</a>".<br /><br />These days, I think how GPS works is more obvious. So the complications are regulatory: When, exactly, you can use GPS approaches with your equipment, to what minimums, and with what alternate requirements. Oh, and can you guarantee with RAIM that it will be working when you get there.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09991660841701835065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-17743301106338497202013-04-20T11:08:27.334+00:002013-04-20T11:08:27.334+00:00Thank you for a very lucid explanation. I wondered...Thank you for a very lucid explanation. I wondered as a non pilot what OMNI was.fatfredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04190501519025970929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000144.post-30834324334935745752013-04-20T09:59:28.858+00:002013-04-20T09:59:28.858+00:00The names of some nav aids seem very confusing to ...The names of some nav aids seem very confusing to me. VOR: omnidirectional, well yes, it works in all directions; range, hmm, no it doesn't measure range. <br /><br />NDB: non-directional beacon, again, yes, it's a beacon and it's not directional but what does it do? allows you to measure (relative) direction. So it is directional, sort of.<br /><br />DME: distance measuring equipment: at least this one's better, it does what it says on the tin - it measures range. In any direction. On UHF. Maybe it should be called, UHF omnidirectional range - UOR. But that would be silly.Ed Davieshttp://edavies.me.uk/#ednoreply@blogger.com