are RDF's still usable in todays world. radio direction finding???
 

just wondering if they are still usable in the waters around the us
and in other countries??

thanx for any/all input

Their still common equipment on high end sportfishing boats and
commercial fishing boats, to home in on the location of other boats.
Other than that their only useful for rescue work.

I use an ARN-6. Works well, but you may have to account for the
shoreline effect. http://www.radio-locator.com/ and others will give
you the lat and long.

Regards,

Harry

Capt John wrote:
Their still common equipment on high end sportfishing boats and
commercial fishing boats, to home in on the location of other boats.
Other than that their only useful for rescue work.

Capt John wrote:
Their still common equipment on high end sportfishing boats and
commercial fishing boats, to home in on the location of other boats.
Other than that their only useful for rescue work.

Are you referring to _VHF_ homing devices? My impression was that the
original poster was interested in RDF's, which operate on quite different
frequencies. They are still common in many parts of the world.


--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

In article ,
says...


Capt John wrote:
Their still common equipment on high end sportfishing boats and
commercial fishing boats, to home in on the location of other boats.
Other than that their only useful for rescue work.

Are you referring to _VHF_ homing devices? My impression was that the
original poster was interested in RDF's, which operate on quite different
frequencies. They are still common in many parts of the world.

Perhaps, but not here. I bought one on eBay, brand new in the box but very
old. It worked just fine but I had no use for it and it took up a lot of
space. So I sold it on eBay to a man with sentimental attachment to
outmoded gadgets for slightly more thasn I paid for it. In any case, my
understanding is that very few radio beacons are still in service.

Not VHF. I referred to the LF beacons and AM Broadcast Band. You can
find the location of the AM radio station's antenna in one of various
databases and home in on that. The VHF ADFs are very expensive.

Regards,

Harry

Armond Perretta wrote:
Capt John wrote:
Their still common equipment on high end sportfishing boats and
commercial fishing boats, to home in on the location of other boats.
Other than that their only useful for rescue work.

Are you referring to _VHF_ homing devices? My impression was that the
original poster was interested in RDF's, which operate on quite different
frequencies. They are still common in many parts of the world.


--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://home.comcast.net/~kerrydeare

I believe that the nav beacons are still in service and are used to
transmit GPS WAAS corrections. I may be wrong.

Regards,

Harry

Are you referring to _VHF_ homing devices? My impression was that the
original poster was interested in RDF's, which operate on quite different
frequencies. They are still common in many parts of the world.


Some RDF's can be tuned over a very wide range.

Gogarty wrote:
Perhaps, but not here. I bought one on eBay, brand new in the box but very
old. It worked just fine but I had no use for it and it took up a lot of
space. So I sold it on eBay to a man with sentimental attachment to
outmoded gadgets for slightly more thasn I paid for it. In any case, my
understanding is that very few radio beacons are still in service.


I used to have one that had plug-in modules for different frequency
bands. It would take bearings on commercial AM stations as well as nav
beacons and airports. But you're right, it was bulky and ate power and
we didn't use it very much.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

wrote in :

just wondering if they are still usable in the waters around the us
and in other countries??

thanx for any/all input


Sure....but they've moved frequency band from MF-HF to VHF

http://www.servo.com/mardf.htm

http://www.vitmarine.com/sit-525adf.html
(If yer fishin' keep yer mouth shut!)

http://www.nationalrf.com/vector-finder.htm
(handheld...help ya find yer walkie talkie or that smartass on ch 16 down
the dock.)

http://www.dopsys.com/
Gummit buys this one. If the damned Coast Guard had one when those kids
died on S/V "Morning Dew", there would have been no question WHERE the kid
was screaming for help and the stupid CG watchstander MIGHT not have
thought it was a hoax...saving lives.

http://radio_tower_finder.hobbytron.com/r-ddf1.html
Here, build your own! $169, complete. Use an array of Metz half-wave
marine antennas instead of the 1/4 wave verticals stuck to the car because
your boat doesn't have a ground plane....Hams use them for "fox hunts"
where someone hides with a walkie and the hams run ragged across the county
trying to find him. When I'm the fox, I park under the big powerlines
which throws them off great!...(c;

http://www.rdfproducts.com/ap_index.htm
Here's more DF information than you'll want, all in one place...

--
Larry

You know you've had a rough night when you wake up and you're outlined in
chalk.

In article ,
Larry W4CSC wrote:

wrote in :

just wondering if they are still usable in the waters around the us
and in other countries??

thanx for any/all input


Sure....but they've moved frequency band from MF-HF to VHF

Well Larry is half right..... They haven't moved anything,
from anywhere. LF/MF/HF DFing is still available to anyone who
has a DF Receiver that covers the LF/MF/HF Frequency Bands.
USCG/FAA still maintain MF/HF Beacons around the US. All MF Broadcast
Stations have known fixed Transmitters that can be used. MF/HF
Marine Private Coast Stations can be DF'ed for position fixing.
The art of using one of the older LF/MF/HF DF Receivers is just about
a Dead Art, but that doesn't stop anyone from learning to do it
like the Radiomen of the past. It is true as Larry states that
VHF DFing is all the rage these days with really neat Hardware/
Software that makes it a lot easier for new guys. All it takes is
time, and will.....


Bruce in alaska one of the LAST of the Alaskan Cannery RadioMen...
--
add a 2 before @

In article .com,
"HarryV" wrote:

I believe that the nav beacons are still in service and are used to
transmit GPS WAAS corrections. I may be wrong.

Regards,

Harry


Not WAAS Corrections but DGPS (Differential GPS) and also used
by the FAA for DGPS as well. WAAS is SAT based....


Me

yes im actually talking about the old school am beacon radios with the
dial ontop of the box you turn...from the 60s-70s etc.
they also usually get fm too

im sure they are still usable etc. but are there radio lists still
printed and or are the transmitters still marked on charts???

im not talking about the newer ones that have a quad array
older battery operated etc

thanx




On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 00:18:53 GMT, Bruce in Alaska
wrote:

In article ,
Larry W4CSC wrote:

wrote in :

just wondering if they are still usable in the waters around the us
and in other countries??

thanx for any/all input


Sure....but they've moved frequency band from MF-HF to VHF

Well Larry is half right..... They haven't moved anything,
from anywhere. LF/MF/HF DFing is still available to anyone who
has a DF Receiver that covers the LF/MF/HF Frequency Bands.
USCG/FAA still maintain MF/HF Beacons around the US. All MF Broadcast
Stations have known fixed Transmitters that can be used. MF/HF
Marine Private Coast Stations can be DF'ed for position fixing.
The art of using one of the older LF/MF/HF DF Receivers is just about
a Dead Art, but that doesn't stop anyone from learning to do it
like the Radiomen of the past. It is true as Larry states that
VHF DFing is all the rage these days with really neat Hardware/
Software that makes it a lot easier for new guys. All it takes is
time, and will.....


Bruce in alaska one of the LAST of the Alaskan Cannery RadioMen...

wrote in :

yes im actually talking about the old school am beacon radios with the
dial ontop of the box you turn...from the 60s-70s etc.
they also usually get fm too


You don't need some expensive "marine" RDF to find AM radio stations. Any
AM portable radio will work as an RDF for this purpose. All you need to
know is how the ferrite rod antenna inside is oriented in the
box...normally the long way to the ends. Open the back and look for the
grey ferrite rod with lots of wire wrapped around it.

The "null" of signal is off the end of this ferrite rod. Just put an arrow
parallel with the rod and use it as a sight across your compass. Rotate
the radio around its vertical axis until the signal is weakest (or nulls
out completely) and the ferrite rod end is pointed towards the
station...that's all the old AM RDF did... Take two station readings not
inline and plot them to find your position on the chart.

If you want to use a station you don't know the position of on the chart,
just call the station on the phone and ask them their antenna's lat/long.
It's printed on the station license from the FCC. Plot it on your chart,
permanently, and you'll have a great reference as far as you can hear them.

There's still lots of room for this simple RDF on anyone's boat. Great way
to get the kids involved with radio navigation, too. Let them find your
position with their pocket radio, probably the first time they've ever had
it on AM any more...(c;

--
Larry

This jerk called my cellphone and was nasty.
Continental Warranty -- MCG Enterprises -- Mepco-
24955 Pacific Coast HWY Suite C303
Malibu California 90265
888-244-0925
Fax: 310-456-8844
Email:
Read about them he
http://www.ripoffreport.com/view.asp...3&view=printer