ADF/NDB Navigation

AST 241
Professor Barnhart

NDB Background
Oldest form of radio navigation still in use
Operate in the LF/MF range (190 535 kHz- or
between 100 and 10,000 meters)
Still in use because of its simplicity and low cost
to set up and operate + decent accuracy
Little used for enroute navigation in the US but
still used for approaches
Used for enroute nav. In much of the world

NDB background
NDBs are also useful at ranges up to 600
N.M.
Ground equipment consists of a simple
a.m. radio station
Aircraft receiver is little more complicated
than an AM radio.

Principles of NDB Navigation

Transmitters vary in power from 25 watts for
Locator Outer Markers (LOMs) on an ILS
approach to as much as 2000 watts.
The range of the most powerful transmitters is
listed as 75 miles but is usually much greater.
4 types of NDBs; Compas locators, Approach
aids (25 NM), Enroute beacon, High power
beacons- used in some costal areas- largely
obsolete

Aircraft Equipment
The Automatic Direction Finder (ADF)
consists of:

AM receiver
Sense Antenna
Loop Antenna (directional antenna)
Indicator (fixed or movable card)

Aircraft Equipment Ctn.

The Automatic in ADF comes from the
fact that the directional antenna is rotated
electronically rather than manually by
rotating the antenna or turning the aircraft
to make signal strength determinations.

ADF Operation
There is a switch on the receiver marked:
OFF/ADF/ANT/BFO
ANT- gives maximum receiver sensitivity and
should be used for tuning and identifying (3
letter coded I.D. except for LOMs which have
2 letter I.D.s)
BFO (ContinuousWave) position is used for
better identifying unmodulated signals which
are used in other parts of the world.

ADF Operation Ctn.

After identifying station be sure to place selector
switch in the ADF mode as the indicator will
not display any bearing information in the ANT
mode
Leave volume up continuously when using the
ADF as NDB frequencies can shift
Most units have a Test function which swings
the needle; dont use if the needle doesnt swing.
This verifies proper signal reception.

ADF indicators
Fixed card
With a fixed card there are two ways to
determine magnetic bearing to the station:
Turn the aircraft toward the station and note
heading
MH + RB = MB (to the station)

MH = aircraft magnetic heading

RB = Relative bearing
MB = Magnetic Bearing (to the station)
(If the result is more than 360 then subtract 360

ADF Indicators
Movable Card Indicators:
Set aircraft heading at top of the indicator and
read the relative bearing to the station.

NDB Navigation Techniques

Homing:
Turing the aircraft such that the needle always
points directly toward the station- easy but
inefficient as it does not compensate for
crosswinds
Results in a curved path to the station in a
crosswind situation

NDB Navigation Techniques

Tracking:
Establishing a wind correction angle that negates the
drift caused by the crosswind
Principle: WHEN THE ANGLE OF DEFLECTION =
THE ANGLE OF INTERCEPTION YOURE ON
COURSE
Or: when the angle formed by the aircraft heading and
the desired course is the same as the angle between
either the 0 or 180 mark on the indicator and the
pointer, the aircraft is on course.

Tracking ctn.
Tracking tip- When tracking inbound on an NDB
bearing and you note youre off course:
Note the angle of deflection, double it, and use that as
your intercept heading. When that angle of deflection
is then noted on the indicator (from the nose or tail)
the aircraft is back on course
Establish an initial track by taking half of that
intercept angle out

Tracking Ctn.
Example:
You want to track inbound on the 360 bearing
to the station. There is a wind from the west.
While tracking (heading north) unaware of the
wind you note a left needle deflection of 10
degrees.
Double that to 20 degrees for your intercept
heading and turn the aircraft left to 340
degrees.

Tracking Ctn.
As you turn to 340 you notice the needle move
toward the top of the indicator.
As you continue on 340 the needle will drift toward
the right. When it indicates 20 degrees, the aircraft
is back on course.
Take half your calculated intercept heading and use
that as your initial track heading (350 degrees). This
results in a 010 degree indication on the indicator.
Repeat the process until track correction and needle
deflection are equal.

NDB/ADF Limitations
Night Effect NDBs emit three signals, among these are the ground
wave and the sky wave. Normally the ground wave is
the strongest which is the one use for navigation.
The skip zone is the difference or gap between the
ground wave and the reflected sky wave.
Light passing through the ionosphere causes height
fluctuations within it varying the angle of the reflected
sky wave and possibly causing signal confusion
during this time between the two signals. The needle
may wander. Resolves shortly after sunrise or sunset.

Fading
Usually occurs at night when ground wave and
sky wave interact going in and out of phase
causing the signals to be either canceled or
reinforced as the atmosphere changes.
Pilots will notice a rythmic swinging of the
needle and a volume fluctuation of the identifier.
Average the fluctuations and note the bearing
when the signal seems strong.

Shoreline Effect
Ground waves change direction as they
pass from land to water and visa versa; they
are bent slightly.
Pilots should note potential bearing
indication errors when flying in the vicinity
of costal areas. NDBs used primarily for
oceanic navigation have been designed to
minimize this error.

Other sources of Error

Terrain- mountains, areas with high
concentrations of iron
Interference- between two stations may
cause the ADF to oscillate between one
station and the other- indicated by
receiving two simultaneous I.D. codes.
Usually resolves itself with proximity.

Thunderstorms
Lightening can create signal disturbances
causing the needle to momentarily swing
in the direction of the storm. As such ADF
is sometimes referred to as a Poor mans
Storm Scope.
Pilots should not rely on ADF indications
in the vicinity of thunderstorms.

ADF Accuracy
Variable- not possible to determine. As
such, back up ADF indications whenever
possible.

The End
Questions?