Before GPS There Was LORAN - Hackaday

Article about Loran A with a video (2:28 minutes) demonstration showing obtaining a TD (Time Difference) in a lab.

If I was starting sailing now I’d probably not find this very interesting but otherwise a good demo. In practice the S/N wasn’t that good, especially at night.

1 Like

There are no more LORAN-A stations, they were running off a signal generator, which explains the clean trace on the scope.

From what I remember of LORAN in the late 60’s and early 70’s, if there was a place that was inhospitable and practically unreachable with miserable climate, the Coast Guard would say “That’s perfect place for a LORAN station”. :grin:

3 Likes

Yeah, Like Battle Harbor Labrador. :roll_eyes:

The one I used in '69 was four times the size plus an external dynamotor for power. It had a hand crank with a mechanical counter for matching the pulses.

1 Like

The signal generator ensured that a really clean signal was received. the Loran A I used for a very short time was using the Philippines chain and looked very different from the one in the video. It looked more like an early oscilloscope and there was a lot of interference as we were always at the limits of the chain. I never saw one again after I left the Navy.
We used Decca that measure the phase difference rather than Time and the chains covered the whole of Europe, South Africa and the Persian Gulf.

1 Like

I still have a combo Loran A & C unit with an oscilloscope out in the barn. That I used on a fishing boat in the 70s.

I keep a number of old nautical items for my (to be built) home pilothouse, so that when I’m in my dotage, I can stand (or sit in my wheelchair) at the wheel and look across the bay while I steer by hand and navigate.

2 Likes

In my first days on the bridge of USN ships, we used OMEGA. Eight mile wide lanes, and a lane error, once led to an interesting approach to Onslow Bay by a large amphibious landing force. Good thing it was an exercise - known back then as “Exotic Dancer” before the PC days.