NDB question

[RickG]

Hi all.

[Brett_Henderson]

I'm not sure if the sim accounts for terrain when it comes to nav-aid reception. It does however allow for NDBs of different strength. Of the few I've compared, they were reasonably accurate.

What I'd REALLY like to see in the sim, are AM radio stations.

[BFMF]

[quote]What I'd REALLY like to see in the sim, are AM radio stations.

[Brett_Henderson]

[quote][quote]What I'd REALLY like to see in the sim, are AM radio stations.

[RickG]

Thanks for the reply. Interesting point about the NDBs having different strengths. It really would be cool to be able to do that AM radio bit tho--make a flight just a little bit more fun.  Thanks again

[BFMF]

I remember AM radio stations can have quite range, especially at night. When I was a kid, I used to listen to AM radio at night, and I would pick up stations hundreds of miles away. Living in the Seattle area, I specifically remember listening to one AM radio station that was in California... 8-)

[Anxyous]

Clear weather helps as well

People living farther North have also seen great inprovements in range during occurences of aurora

[HSUred]

Rick,

The 20 miles is realistic. There are basically three classes of NDB's that range from 25, 50, and 75 nautical miles reception. Most are the 25-50 mile range. There are also some NDB's associated with ILS approaches but called Compass Locators, they range about 15 miles.

[Brett_Henderson]

Anybody ever read my Avatar ?  ;)

[Fozzer]

[quote]Anybody ever read my Avatar ?

[Sean_TK]

It would be really interesting if the accuracy of the NDBs in FS would be as many are in the real world (in my experiences).

Depending on the weather, they can either get pinpointed over the beacon, or they will get you within a ballpark range. Example: I was once flying to the NDB at York, Pennsylvania, and on the first approach, after compensating for wind and magnetic variances properly, the needle was still not reading correctly. I could see the physical station about 5 miles to the right-front of me, yet the needle was pointing to the left front.

I don't know about the other real world pilot's here, but I was always taught to use an NDB as a last resort, when no other option is available. (Nice for the radio though!)
I've done multiple instrument approaches using NDBs, and it can really be hit or miss depending on the weather.

Disclaimer: I've also used many NDB/ADF systems very successfully, and they are generally fun to use. I just wish the FS would include that element of inaccuracy in some circumstances.

[Brett_Henderson]

It would be really interesting if the accuracy of the NDBs in FS would be as many are in the real world (in my experiences).

Depending on the weather, they can either get pinpointed over the beacon, or they will get you within a ballpark range. Example: I was once flying to the NDB at York, Pennsylvania, and on the first approach, after compensating for wind and magnetic variances properly, the needle was still not reading correctly. I could see the physical station about 5 miles to the right-front of me, yet the needle was pointing to the left front.

I don't know about the other real world pilot's here, but I was always taught to use an NDB as a last resort, when no other option is available. (Nice for the radio though!)
I've done multiple instrument approaches using NDBs, and it can really be hit or miss depending on the weather.

Disclaimer: I've also used many NDB/ADF systems very successfully, and they are generally fun to use. I just wish the FS would include that element of inaccuracy in some circumstances.

99/100 of the accuracy issues are the product of the equipment in the airplane. The NDB itself can't

[Sean_TK]

*facepalm*

Was stuck in the "perfect plane - poor environment" mindset with that post. Of course the station itself would not be at fault for accuracy. I guess that's what you get for using a rental!  :D

Now that you brought that point up, it would certainly be interesting if we had some addon aircraft that could suffer from wear and tear, and that includes the avionics too.

My most recent flight was interesting. The last digital digit on the Com2 frequency display stopped working. Turned into a game of guess the decimal point. Are we on .50 or .55, etc.

Minor systems issues like that would be pretty cool to see in FS.

[beaky]

I've never had serious issues in RL with anomalies related to NDBs, even crappy receivers in rentals (just lucky i guess). In the sim, I'm not sure if they are subject to the same quirks (terrain, cloud cover, etc), but they don't seem to be.

In RL, I've never used one to fly to directly en route, except in training, but they come in handy when there's nothing else around and you don't have GPS, Loran, or DME. Plenty of small airports are found more easily by taking a bearing off a nearby NDB, and they are handy on long legs to use a bearing to create an intersection with a VOR radial, road, etc.

Oddly enough, most of my RL NDB usage has been back when I was flying out of KTEB, to execute a (VFR) hold while waiting to get into the Class D, over the Paterson NDB. Once you have that bend in the river in sight it's obvious that it's the correct spot, but the NDB was useful for setting a quick course from the practice area or any airport relatively close by. It was very effective in preventing accidental entry into the Class D for all us noobish types nervously picking our way over the built-up areas north of the field.  ;D

Never used an AM radio station as a navaid, but I did have one instructor who liked to use the ADF to listen to sports or music sometimes.

[DaveSims]

I used to use an AM station that was a mile from the airport to find my way home all the time.  If you crossed over their tower, you were just a little east of the approach for 18.  

I also had an instructor in college who would tune into the AM station in New Orleans to catch the Saints game on Sundays, 200 miles away.