Automatic Direction Finding

(ADF)
Check the course
guide for references
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Automatic Direction Finding (ADF)

Indicates direction of the selected ground

transmitter from the aircraft

Medium Frequency 190 1750 kHz
NDB Non Directional Beacon (Ground
Transmitter)
ADF receiver on the aircraft

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Components of ADF

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ADF Components

Source: Avionics, Module 20: Radio Navigation Systems, National Training Materiels for the Aerospace Industry,
Australian National Training Authority, 1997, Fig. 1.6, Page 1-11

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Source: Avionics, Module 20: Radio Navigation Systems, National Training Materiels for the Aerospace Industry,
Australian National Training Authority, 1997, Fig. 1.13, Page 1-21

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Loop and Sense Antenna

Source: Avionics, Module 20: Radio Navigation Systems, National Training Materiels for the Aerospace Industry,
Australian National Training Authority, 1997, Fig. 1.12, Page 1-7

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Systems error in ADF

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VOR Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Radio range

Comprising of a ground

VOR ground station

beacon and an airborne

installation.
Automatically and
continuously provides
the operator with the
magnetic bearing of the
aircraft from the beacon.

transmits on a specific
frequency between
108.00 and 117.95 MHz.
[50 kHz channels]
Short range navigation
system.

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VOR purposes:
Orientation and position fixing;
Tracking to or from a VOR ground station;
holding (for delaying or manoeuvring
action); and
instrument approaches to land

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VOR Transmitter Waypoints

Source: Avionics, Module 20: Radio Navigation Systems, National Training Materiels for the Aerospace Industry,
Australian National Training Authority, 1997, Fig. 2.1, Page 2-3

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VOR - Radials
VOR ground transmitter radiates signals in

all directions
360 different tracks away from the VOR are
used each separated by 1 deg called radials
Short range navigation system
VHF range in nm =
(1.5 x altitude in feet)
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How VOR works?

The VOR ground station transmits two VHF
radio signals:
The reference phase, which is omnidirectional
- Beamed emission that changes phase as it
rotates clockwise like beam of a light house.

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 The aerial of the VOR aircraft receiver

picks up the signals, whose phase

difference (between the wave peaks) is
measured, this difference depending on
the bearing of the aeroplane from the
ground station.

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Light House analogy

Imagining a light house emits an
omnidirectional flash of light every time the
beam is pointing due north. If the speed of
rotation is known, and if a distant observer
could record the time interval between
seeing omni-directional flash and seeing the
beam, bearing of the light house can be
calculated.
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VOR Signals
The demodulated output of the receiver

contains:
1020 Hz Audio signal
a Variable phase 30 Hz signal
a Reference 30 Hz signal in the form of
frequency modulation on a 9960 Hz.

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Source: Avionics, Module 20: Radio Navigation Systems, National Training Materiels for the Aerospace Industry,
Australian National Training Authority, 1997, Fig. 2.7, Page 2-10

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Source: Avionics, Module 20: Radio Navigation Systems, National Training Materiels for the Aerospace Industry,
Australian National Training Authority, 1997, Fig. 2.15, Page 2-18

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VOR Indicators
The output of VOR receiver:
Audio to headsets[1020 Hz]
Bearing information
Deviation from selected radial
TO/FROM signal
Flag or warning signal
Manual VOR requires the pilot to select a

particular radial on which he wants to position

his aircraft. The actual radial on which the
aircraft is flying is compared with the desired
radial.
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Reference
The Air Pilots Manual Radio Navigation

and Instrument Flying; Vol 5, Trevor Thom

Avionics, Module 20: Radio Navigation

Systems, National Training Materiels for the
Aerospace Industry, Australian National
Training Authority, 1997, Fig. 1.6, Page 1-11
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