i know everyone uses gps. enough said.

but i also know that a lot of cruisers (most ? all ? all of the smart
ones ?!) use alternate methods of finding their position and navigating
to both keep their skills current in case of emergency, to double check
the gps equipment, etc, etc. some use celestial navigation, everyone
uses piloting skills, and on and on.

but do you still use RDF ?

if so, could you talk a little about what equipment you keep on board
for it ?

most of the RDF equipment i've seen looks really old!

On 3 Mar 2006 14:57:52 -0800, "purple_stars"
wrote:

most of the RDF equipment i've seen looks really old!

That's because it has been virtually obsolete for over 20 years, ever
since LORAN-C became widely available and affordable back in the early
'80s. Truth is, RDF was never all that accurate or reliable, it's
just that it was the only affordable electronic aide to navigation for
many years. I still have mine in the garage and I'm not expecting it
to move anytime soon. The best backup for GPS is another GPS, and
some spare batteries.

On Fri, 03 Mar 2006 23:11:04 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On 3 Mar 2006 14:57:52 -0800, "purple_stars"
wrote:

most of the RDF equipment i've seen looks really old!

That's because it has been virtually obsolete for over 20 years, ever
since LORAN-C became widely available and affordable back in the early
'80s. Truth is, RDF was never all that accurate or reliable, it's
just that it was the only affordable electronic aide to navigation for
many years. I still have mine in the garage and I'm not expecting it
to move anytime soon. The best backup for GPS is another GPS, and
some spare batteries.

I have an old RDF and have wondered if it could be useful for any
purpose. For example, getting a bearing on a VHF radio transmission
from a boat in distress. Or, perhaps, getting a bearing on an AM or
FM radio tower or a FAA tower. Any conceivable use for it or fun to
be had with it, or is it time to send it to Davy Jones?

Lee Huddleston
s/v Truelove

On Sat, 04 Mar 2006 06:00:41 GMT, (Lee
Huddleston) wrote:

Any conceivable use for it or fun to
be had with it, or is it time to send it to Davy Jones?

Think of it as an overgrown AM radio, but who listens to AM radio
anymore? I haven't used my RDF in the last 20 years, and haven't even
kept it on the boat for about that long.

Well, it should still work as a receiver, anyway.

Terry K

On 8 Mar 2006 15:25:57 -0800, "Terry K" wrote:

Well, it should still work as a receiver, anyway.

True, and they are big enough that it is not likely to get lost or
misplaced. :-)

On Fri, 03 Mar 2006 23:11:04 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

The best backup for GPS is another GPS, and
some spare batteries.

Agreed. I have two, Old Handheld and Older Handheld, plus Really Old
AlphaNumeric Trimble Unit on the Nav Station that is the Most Accurate
of All.

But I also know coastal pliotage and carry a sextant, because things
get dropped, batteries fail and GW Bush can turn GPS off if the
terrorists are winning, or if he feels like it. (Doesn't matter once
Galileo's operational, I suppose, but that's another story).

So as long as I can see the shore, hear the surf, smell the land and
persist in carrying paper charts, odds are good that I'm covered.

I find that the GPS is handy in CONFIRMING my location (as far as that
goes), but navigating with it is strictly optional. It's an aid, one
of many, not a final arbitor or a second skipper.

R.

RDF is not without use. It saved my life in a tropical storm (or at
least made the ride a lot better) by finding the strongest T-storms for
me so I could go the other way.

But then again, I use a sextant to measure clouds to see how fast they
are rising and in what direction they are traveling :-)

purple_stars wrote:
i know everyone uses gps. enough said.

but i also know that a lot of cruisers (most ? all ? all of the smart
ones ?!) use alternate methods of finding their position and
navigating to both keep their skills current in case of emergency, to
double check the gps equipment, etc, etc. some use celestial
navigation, everyone uses piloting skills, and on and on.

but do you still use RDF ?

if so, could you talk a little about what equipment you keep on board
for it ?

most of the RDF equipment i've seen looks really old!

I thought the transmitters were switched off years ago.

RDF is nice to have if it covers the MW band, but it is very very nice to
have if it covers the VHF band. This allows you to get a bearing on other
boats, not just shore stations.
Steve

"purple_stars" wrote in message
oups.com...
i know everyone uses gps. enough said.

but i also know that a lot of cruisers (most ? all ? all of the smart
ones ?!) use alternate methods of finding their position and navigating
to both keep their skills current in case of emergency, to double check
the gps equipment, etc, etc. some use celestial navigation, everyone
uses piloting skills, and on and on.

but do you still use RDF ?

if so, could you talk a little about what equipment you keep on board
for it ?

most of the RDF equipment i've seen looks really old!