HYPERBOLIC NAVIGATION

SYSTEM

Buenaventura, Jazzen G.
Ruiz, Muel Fred L.
Sabido, Alvin T.
 Hyperbolic navigation system
• A navigation system that produces hyperbolic lines or surfaces of
position by measuring the difference in times of reception (or
phase difference) between radio signals from two or more
synchronized transmitters.
 Hyperbolic navigation system
• This timing reveals the difference in distance from the receiver to
the two stations.
• Plotting all of the potential locations of the receiver for the measured
delay produces a series of hyperbolic lines on a chart.
 Hyperbolic navigation system
• Taking two such measurements and looking for the intersections of
the hyperbolic lines reveals the receiver's location to be in one of
two locations.
 Hyperbolic navigation system
• The earliest known hyperbolic system was used during
World War I as an acoustic location system for locating
enemy artillery. The sound of a shell being fired was
received by several microphones, and the time of
reception sent to a computing center to plot the location.
• These systems were used well into World War II. By that
time, however, radio techniques were becoming much
more capable, and most hyperbolic systems are based
on radio means.
 Hyperbolic navigation system
• Long Range Navigation (LORAN)
• Decca Navigator
• Omega
 Long Range Navigation (LORAN)
• was a hyperbolic radio navigation system developed in
the United States during World War II.
• It was similar to the UK's Gee system but operated at
lower frequencies in order to provide an improved range
up to 1,500 miles (2,400 km) with an accuracy of tens of
miles.
• It was first used for ship convoys crossing the Atlantic
Ocean, and then by long-range patrol aircraft, but found
its main use on the ships and aircraft operating in the
Pacific theatre.
 Long Range Navigation (LORAN)
• 1st Modern practical area navigation system for use in
general aviation.
• Developed for maritime navigation. Early LORAN A’s
were exclusively for marine use
• Still in use today although its use beyond 6 – 8 years
from now is uncertain
• Certain LORAN-C receivers are approved for Instrument
Flight Rule (IFR) Enroute and Terminal navigation but
not for approaches.
• Most LORAN-C recievers are used for Visual Flight Rule
(VFR) navigation
 LORAN Operation
• Operates in the LOW frequency electromagnetic energy
radio bandwidth which follows the curvature of the earth
therefore making it suitable for longer ranges

• The LORAN-C concept is based on groups or “chains” of

stations around the world.
• Worldwide there are 28 chains.
• Each chain consists of one master station and 4 – 6
secondary stations in a geographic area (ie. Northeast
U.S.chain, Great Lakes U.S. chain, etc.)
 LORAN Operation
• The master station of each chain broadcasts a
continuous string of Low Frequency pulses (measures in
microseconds).
• The unique time between the start and stop of each
pulse identifies the particular chain.
• This time is known as the Group Repetition Interval or
GRI.
• For instance the time between the start and stop of each
pulse in the northeast U.S. chain is 99,600 microseconds
or 9960 for short. 9960 is identified as the great lakes
chain
 LORAN Operation
• The LORAN-C unit then searches for that master station
and the two strongest secondary signals.
• The master station pulse triggers a response from the
secondary stations. The receiver corrects for any time
lag in pulse reply.
• The receiver then calculates the time it takes these
signals to reach the aircraft and essentially generates
hyperbolic Lines of Position (LOP) from each station-
known as a hyperbolic lines of position since the lines
look like a parabola.
 LORAN Operation
• Two intersecting hyperbolas produce two possible points
for the aircraft position.
• Using a second slave (or secondary) station the receiver
then pinpoints its position. Entering the Lat./long. During
initialization also aids in this process.
 LORAN Limitations
• Area of coverage limited to chains which don’t give
global coverage
• The “sky wave” component of the signal bounces off the
ionosphere causing navigational errors when traveling
greater than 1,000 NM from the farthest master or
secondary station- causes errors in position of up to
three miles (greater in some cases).
• 1,000 miles is significant as at ranges less than this, the
ground wave is significantly greater in strength than the
sky waves therefore the receiver is programmed to reject
the weaker sky waves.
 LORAN Limitations
• At distances of between 1,000 and 1,400 NM the ground
and sky waves are approximately the same strength
making the signals seem the same to the receiver.
• Since the sky waves take longer to reach the receiver
than the ground waves, this leads to position errors.
• Manufacturers deal with in one of two ways
• Programming the receivers to reject all sky waves
thereby reducing the effective range of the unit (but
maximizing the accuracy)
• Informing the user that nav. Data may be inaccurate
between 1,000 and 1,400 NM
 LORAN Limitations
• At ranges greater than 1,400 NM, the receivers can be
programmed to use the sky wave
• As the aircraft moves through precipitation, it generates
static electricity which generates electromagnetic “noise”
around the aircraft thereby interfering with the LORAN
signal- causing the Signal Strength to Noise ratio (SNR
ratio) to go to unacceptable limits.
• SNR ratio is a function of precip. Intensity and distance
from the stations.
 LORAN Accuracy
• LORAN accuracy is also best over water during the day.
• Conversely it is least accurate over land masses at night
(sky waves more intense at night).
• Repeatable Accuracy- ability to return to a pre-set
position for LORAN-C is .01 NM or 60ft.
• Absolute Accuracy- ability of the receiver to determine its
position independently is generally within at least 3 NM
for distances up to 2,800 NM.
 Decca Navigation System
• was a hyperbolic radio navigation system which allowed
ships and aircraft to determine their position by receiving
radio signals from fixed navigational beacons.
• The system used phase comparison of low frequencies
from 70 to 129 kHz, as opposed to pulse timing systems
like Gee and LORAN. This made it much easier to
implement the receivers using 1940s electronics.
• First deployed- by Royal Navy during World War II -to
predict accurate landing.
• After the war it was extensively developed around the
UK and later used in many areas around the world.
 Decca Navigation System
• Decca's primary use -ship navigation in coastal waters.
• offered much better accuracy than the LORAN system.
• Decca was replaced, along with Loran and other similar
systems, by the GPS during the 1990s.
• The Decca system in Europe was shut down in the
spring of 2000, and the last worldwide chain, in Japan, in
2001.
 Decca Navigation System

Resultant hyperbolic graph. Decca system

 Decca Operation
• The Decca Navigator System consisted - a number of
land-based radio beacons in chains.
• Each chain had
- a master station and
- three slave stations - Red, Green and Purple.

• PLACED AT:
• the slaves positioned at the - vertices of an equilateral
triangle with the master at the centre.
• The baseline length - the master-slave distance - 60–
120 nautical miles (110–220 km).
 Working steps
1. Each station transmitted a continuous wave signal.

2. comparing the phase difference of the signals- resulted

in a set of hyperbolic lines of position - pattern.

3. three Slaves - three patterns.

4. The patterns on- nautical charts -set of hyperbolic lines

in the appropriate colour.

5. Receivers identified which hyperbola they were on.

6. And a position could be plotted at the intersection of the

hyperbola from different patterns - by using the pair with
the angle of cut closest to orthogonal as possible.
Diagramatic Representation
 Issues faced
• If two stations transmit at
the same phase-locked
frequency then - the
difference in phase between
the two signals is constant
along a hyperbolic path.
• but if two stations transmit
on the same frequency -
impossible for the receiver
to separate them- so
nominal frequency of 1f
was alloted.
•It was phase comparison at this common frequency
that resulted in the hyperbolic lines of position.

•Hence Decca receivers multiplied the signals received

from the Master and each Slave by different values to
arrive at a common frequency (least common multiple,
LCM) for each Master/Slave pair, as follows:
 LANES AND ZONES

• The interval between two adjacent hyperbolas on - the

signals are in phase was called - lane.
• But Early Decca receivers were fitted with three rotating
Decometers - indicated the phase difference for each
pattern.
• Each Decometer drove a second indicator - counted the
number of lanes traversed
• each 360 degrees of phase difference - one lane
traversed.
• In this way, assuming the point of departure was
known, a more or less distinct location could be
identified.
 Zone width
• Like the lanes were grouped into zones:
with 18 green,
24 red
or 30 purple lanes in each zone.
• This meant that on the baseline- the zone
width was the same for all three patterns
of a given chain.
 MULTIPULSE
Multipulse automatic technique- of lane and zone identification.
METHODOLOGY:
• The nominally continuous wave transmissions -divided into a 20
second cycle.
• with each station in turn simultaneously transmitting all 4 Decca
frequencies (5f, 6f, 8f and 9f) - phase-coherent relationship for - 0.45
seconds each cycle.
• This transmission, known as Multipulse.
• allowed the receiver to extract the 1f frequency -so to identify
which lane the receiver was in.
• As well as transmitting the Decca frequencies of - 5f, 6f, 8f and 9f,
an 8.2f signal- known as Orange -was also transmitted.
• The beat frequency between the 8.0f (Red) and 8.2f (Orange)
signals allowed a 0.2f signal to be derived -corresponds to 5
zones.
• Accuracy was maintained deeply here.
 RANGE AND ACCURACY
• During daylight ranges of around 400 nautical miles (740 km)
could be Obtained.
• reducing at night to 200 to 250 nautical miles (460 km).
• The accuracy depended on:
- Width of the lanes.
- Angle of cut of the hyperbolic lines of position
- Instrumental errors
- Propagation errors (for example, Skywave)

By day these errors could range from a few meters .

At night, skywave errors were greater and on receivers- without
multipulse capabilities -jumps zones.
DECCOMETER
 APPLICATIONS-DELRAC
• short for "Decca Long Range Area Cover".
• Decca began studying a long-range system -DELRAC by- using
much lower frequencies.
• FEB 1946 the company - a system with two main stations located
at Shannon Airport in Ireland and Gander International Airport in
Newfoundland .
• Together, these stations would provide navigation over - the main
great circle route between- London and New York.
• A third station in Bermuda would provide general ranging
information to measure progress along the main track.
• This included features of the General Post Office's POPI system
proposing - 28 stations that provided worldwide coverage.
• The system was predicted to offer 10 miles (16,000 m) accuracy at
2,000 miles (3,200 km) range 95% of the time.
 DECTRA

• DECTRA stands for DECCA TRAck.

• Dectra was essentially the normal Decca Navigator system with -the
modification of several existing transmitter sites.
• Dectra operated as a track system -aircraft would navigate by
keeping themselves within the signal -defined by a particular
Decca lane.
• The main advantage of Dectra compared -being proposed for the
was that it could be used for both medium-range navigation over
land, as well as long-range navigation over the Altlantic
• Additionally here, as the Decca system provided an X and Y
location, as opposed to the angle-and-range of phase comparision -
offering it with their Decca Flight Log moving map
 HI-FIX
• A more accurate system named Hi-Fix was developed using
signalling in the 1.6 MHz range.
• It was used for -precision measurements.
• involved with oil-drilling and by the Royal Navy for detailed
mapping and surveying of coasts and harbours.
• An experimental chain was - installed with coverage of
central London and receivers placed in London buses
and other vehicles to demonstrate an early vehicle
location and tracking system.
• Each vehicle would report its location automatically via a
conventional VHF two-way radio link, the data added to a
voice channel.
 Omega
• is a worldwide, internationally operated, ground-based
radio navigation system, operating in the very low
frequency (VLF) band between 10 and 14 kilohertz
(kHz).
• Its purpose is to provide a continuous, medium accuracy
aid to navigation intended primarily for air and marine en
route oceanic navigation and domestic en route air
navigation.
 Omega
• It became operational around 1971
• When six of the eight station chain became operational
in 1971, day-to-day operations were managed by the
United States Coast Guard in partnership with Argentina,
Norway, Liberia, and France.
• The Japanese and Australian stations became
operational several years later. Coast Guard personnel
operated two US stations: one in LaMoure, North Dakota
and the other in Kaneohe, Hawaii on the island of Oahu.
• was shut down in 1997 in favour of the Global
Positioning Satellite system.
• Some of the stations, such as the LaMoure station, are
now used for submarine communications.
 Theory of operation
• The AN/ARN-99(V) omega navigation set provides
digital data representative of aircraft phase displacement
to any combination of 8 selected omega ground stations.
• These eight ground stations broadcast 10 kW in the VLF
band at 10.2 kHz, 11.3kHz, and 13.6 kHz.
• These stations are strategically positioned around the
world so their combined propagation will cover the entire
surface of the earth.
• Each station transmits burst of the three different
frequencies during a 10-second period, which are
multiplexed so that only one station is on at one time on
one frequency
 Theory of operation
• All signals are transmitted starting at zero time (omega
time), and maintained at the exact starting time by using
atomic clocks at each station.
• The omega system in an aircraft must synchronize itself
to this pattern.
• Synchronization is done by analyzing all the signals
received in the 10.2-kHz frequency over one 10-second
period.
 Theory of operation
• This period is broken up into 100 intervals of 0.1 second
each. The beginning of each of these 0.1-second
intervals is then considered a possible starting point.
• The signal levels are averaged over small intervals
during the remaining 9.9 seconds of the pattern for each
of the100 intervals, and then all are compared with the
predicted levels.
• Only one start time fits into the predicted pattern. When
this start time is found, the omega system knows where
each frequency is originating from during each burst.
 Theory of operation
• It can then make the proper measurements from each
station.
• If the system cannot synchronize at 10.2 kHz, it will try to
synchronize at11.3 kHz and then at 13.6 kHz.
 Theory of operation
• The omega system uses the great circle distances to all
stations. This is done to ensure that the effects of modal
interference (interference between the primary wave and
the sky wave and/or ground wave)and wrong way
propagation do not bias the measurements.
• The stations less than 600 or more than 7,200 nautical
miles from the aircraft are not used for the
measurements. They are deselected and their strength
readings indicate zero.
• Station range and bearings are recomputed every 10
seconds in the burst filter routine, and station
selection/reselections correspondingly made.