Simviation Forums

Hello Chums...;)...!

A little bit of help... :-*...!

On my FS Navigator Map/Charts these two (VOR) symbols appear....>>>>

; ...and

The first one will respond to tuning the Nav Radio frequency to track the VOR....
...the second VOR doesn't respond... ....!

What is the purpose of the second "VOR"?... ...!

(They often appear on "Military Type" Airfield Bases)

Thanks, Chums......!

Paul...G-BPLF....FS 2004 + FS Navigator... 8-)...!

...I think I have asked this question before... ...
...but my memory has failed me yet again... Arse!......!

Am I correct in saying that the second is simply just a DME. So you can only find out your distance from it not your position relative to the radials and such like. Unless its meant to be a TACAN of some sort...  :-?

Could it be a TACAN beacon?  From what I read, they are presently exclusively for military use, utilizing different electronics that VOR beacons (and thus would not function with your NAV radio).

Well, this is just a wild guess, but you can read two articles about TACAN, VOR, and VORTAC (a hybrid system)

HERE.

and

HERE

Again, I am NOT AN EXPERT, and this is just a hypothesis I have come to after a little digging around on the internet.  Take it all with a grain of salt and for what it is worth (about 2-yen) until verified or invalidated by one of our local experts.

Best of luck,
~Darrin

EDIT:

Whoops!  I see EGNX already mentioned that it could be a TACAN.  Well, at least there are now a couple articles to help explain it all?

Late to the party as usual . . .
~D

..fantastic read, Darrin...and EGNX...!

Appears it is not very popular with Private Pilots (additional cost, etc!), compared to the usual VORS... ...!

Details saved in my Favourites Folder......!

Many thanks... ...!

Paul...G-BPLF..... 8-)...!

For civilians.. a TACAN might as well be a DME only. You can tune it in and use it for distance information.. which can be handy if it's at an airport that has no VOR/DME.

If you're flying an instrument approach, distance information is quite handy

Just scanned this in from I have stuck up on my wall courtesy of the RAF. Got some good stuff on there. The pic u posted Foz appears to be a DME, yet if its common at lots of military bases it may just be the way the flight simulator represents TACAN's.

Click for big pic!

TACANS are "sometimes"  displayed as DMEs on civilian charts, because to GA, that's all that they are.

I say "sometimes", because this is one of my beefs with the FAA.... The inconsistency of chart data  ::)  Some TACANS that are civilian, DME capable, don't even show up on charts.. and over the years, I've even found TACANS represented as VORTACS... which could have been a real problem if some poor pilot was counting on it  >:(

A section of my FS NAV Chart...below:

Note the VORS's are represented by a blue circle with radials on the inner side, and a square in the centre containing a triangle.
These can be dialed in on the Nav Radio, and the direction indicated on the HSI (Horizontal Situation Indicator) Gauge.

The "other type" of VORs (KNZY and KNRS) are a plain blue circle with no radials, and a plain square in the centre.
These do not respond to the HSI gauge indicator.

The small Green double circles are NDB (Non-directional Beacons), and can be dialed on the Radio, and the direction indicated on the RMI (Radio Magnetic Gauge) gauge.

(Note: NDB's do not always have to appear on the flight path. They can be positioned anywhere)

The Radio frequencies to dial appear under each Symbol.

(The Airport ILS runway frequencies, and Glide Slope are also shown on the Chart).



Paul...G-BPLF... 8-)...!

P.S. Sorry about the quality. FS NAV doesn't like screen shots!... ...!

Here's a section from the sectional

Now... I don't have a 'Low Altitude IFR' chart for that area handy.. so I don't know if they're listed there...  

The beacons at North Island (huge naval air base) and the Imperial Beach NOLF (Naval Outlying Field), which is used primarily for heli ops from what I saw out there, are most likely intended for military use only.

Which is no big problem in that area- plenty of other civil navaids around.

OK.. more data..

There's a similar situation near Toledo. You can see on the VFR sectional that there is no TOL (112.5) shown.




But I

The lower of the two Charts, Brett, shows the similarity with my FS Navigator charts, showing clearly the VOR's and NDB's and their frequencies... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]...!

...nice and clear.....!

Paul...G-BPLF... 8-)...!

I have great fun every day, navigating across country with the aid of VOR and NDB beacons, and my Bendix-King full Radio Stack... ...!

Now that we have THAT cleared up.. let's go on to what I thought this thread would be about. The three, different types of VORs.

1. Terminal   2. Low-altitude   3. High-altitude

Terminal VORs are just like the name implies. They're normally at terminals (airports). They're very low power and short range...normally under 25nm.

Low-altitude VORs can be anywhere. Their accuracy and dependable reception should only be counted on while below 18000msl and within 40nm. I've routinely used them from well over 50nm.

High-altitude VORs have a staggered range/altitude limitation. You shouldn't rely on them for range greater than 40nm, unless you're above 14000msl.. and for a range greater than 100nm, unless you're at at least 18000msl. These "rules" should be followed while flying IFR, but I've received and used high-altitude VORs from over 100nm at 6000msl, for VFR navigation.

------------------------------------------------

Identifying these VORs from charts gets into the realm of my beef with the FAA. With only a VFR sectional, you can only distinguish Terminal VORs from the other two, because terminal VORs have no compass rose. But there's no way to distinguish high-altitude VORs from low-altitude VORs. I suppose that since you're only flying VFR when using a VFR sectional that that's OK.. but my biggest complaint is that if you were lost... you'd not want to waste time trying to tune in a VOR that would be out of range.

With regard to the subject of the Thread, my only confusion is between the two different types of "VOR"..The one with the internal compass rose, which is recognised by my Nav Radio...
....and the other type without the internal compass rose, which doesn't respond to the Nav Radio!

I was curious to know what it is called, and its purpose.

It appears to be used by the Military, on a completely different (higher?) frequency, (and maybe using a different type of radio)... ...!

Paul....G-BPLF...Low altitude, General Aviation, VFR flights only... 8-)...!