Topband: LORAN, Radiolocation

[Donald Chester]

>Which does "radiolocation" mean?  Radar or loran/GPS/etc. or both?



>Not obvious.

>Rick N6RK


LORAN was a system of radionavigation, not radiolocation. Not the same thing. Radionavigation is just what it says, a system used to help navigate a moving ship, plane or land vehicle. It was a useful tool for ships trying to navigate through unfamiliar waterways.

Radiolocation uses single a beacon, transmitting from a fixed point to help ships, planes or other vehicles arrive at a destination. The 160m radiolocation beacons were widely used to enable ships and planes to find oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

GPS has pretty much rendered both systems obsolete. It's a lot cheaper and easier to use a small handheld or dash-mounted device, linked via satellites, than to build, operate and maintain a high power MF transmitter and large antenna  system similar to that used by an AM broadcast station.


Don k4kyv