am..Brew

All 01 this equipment fits nicely in a backpack.
You can trudge to the mountaintop with
your hands Iree to carry the rig and your antenna
assembly. It takes the typical loran set
approximately five minutes to acquire the signals,
analyze the time delays, and begin reading
out your position. Once the Loran set is
locked onto your local chain, position updates
take place several times a second. Your digimeasures
18V. · x 12V. · )( 3.3" when folded,
and generates almost an amp of power on a
clear, bright day. It's flexible and fits nicely in a
backpack. It will actually run my ICOM 02AT
lull power out, on transmit, with no battery
connected!
Lo ran Receivers
A Loran receiver draws approximately 1
amp at 12 VOlts DC. Loran receivers are easy
to buy by mail order. All mail order marine
electronic companies sell inexpensive loran
sets. (See address above.)
Don't spend more than $600 for a Loran
set unless you have a boat or an airplane,
and you plan to use all of the advanced waypoint
features these more expensive sets
offer. Many West Coast hams, getting into
Loran for the first time, start out with tile E&B
" ASB 2001 Sea Ranger" Loran, a good performer
. It comes with a base-loaded preamplified
antenna assembly using coax as the leed.
Simply screw any type of whip into the %"
twenty-four threads and you have a terrific
antenna system . Even twenty feet of wire
works well.
Good grounding techniques lower the
100 kHz noise uccr and allOw your unit to pick
up more distant Loran chains. Experiment
with the whip to come up with the best combination
for a good signal. All Loran sets offer a
signal-to-noise ratio display that allows you to
play around with the antenna and ground connections.
All indicato rs. on a Loran unit are
visual.
•
--
M
Figure f . Diagrams ofa Loran "star " group, that suppfement the description in the sidebar.
The digital Iluxgate compasses may also be
ha n d- held , and they are available for
approximately $125, manufactured by Aulohelm
(also found in the E&B catalog) . I prefer
a larger fluxgate compass, and I use the
KVH Industries' Azimuth 100 compass that
mounts directly on my a-toot 10 GHz dish
antenna setup. II has a memory function
that also allows me to recall previous dish
headings.
Portable and Fast
tal compass is an instant-on affair- turn it on,
swing to the desired magnetic direction, and
rest assured that that's the way to the other
station!
Bring along some topographic charts . Find
a marine or aeronautical chart with the printed
Loran lines of position to further verify time
delay readings. carcurete ahead 01 time the
intersection 01 grid squares to find a hirrtop
that anows you to go from one grid to another.
The Loran system 01 today (Loran-e) is a
dramatic improvement over the old Loran-A
system 01 years ago. loran is designated in
the official navigational plan and is listed as
one of the most accurate systems available for
mariners, aviators, trackers, and hikers.
There's no reason we shouldn't be using it,
too, thanks to the low cost and availability of
some very smart Loran sets and digital com"
passes. This gearwill definitely give you a new
" direction" on hilltopping. 1F.II
•
51
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73 Amateur Radio • JUlY,1989 67