Consol (radio navigation method)

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Consol was a radio navigation procedure for the sea and aviation.

history

Consol was developed in 1939 on behalf of the German Aviation Research Institute (DVL) at the C. Lorenz company under the direction of Ernst Ludwig Kramar and introduced in 1940 under the name "Sonne". In the long-wave range (300 kHz and 480 kHz), the console radio beacons alternately transmitted their Morse code and special console symbols, which consisted of a series of dots and lines. The range was about 1500 km over land and 3000 km over sea. During the Second World War, the "Sun" stations were never attacked by the Allies because they were also used for navigation. There are even reports that mention that spare parts were supplied to Spain from Great Britain for the German station there in order to ensure continued operation (F. W. Blanchard). After the war, a few more stations were built, e.g. B. Bushmills (Ireland). The Consol radio beacons were gradually switched off until February 1991 or continued to operate as a non-directional beacon .

Transmitter

A sun transmitter (FuSAn 700/701) had an output of 1500 watts. Its three antennas are set up in a line and are three wavelengths apart. Total station size so six wavelengths. Depending on the operating frequency of the station, the distance between the antenna masts changed. At 300 kHz there is 3000 m mast spacing, at 480 kHz it is 1875 m. The circulating signal was created through phase - shifted feeding of the transmission signal into the antenna elements and keying from dot to line sequences.

Navigation with Consol

Cross bearing

The use of this system only required a special Consol nautical chart - there were alternatively tables with which one could read a bearing from the number of lines heard - and a simple long-wave receiver . On the map, 12 A and 12 B sectors were drawn in alternating rays around the Consol radio beacons. The navigator only had to determine the 10 to 15 degree wide sector on the map and then set the frequency of the radio beacon in the receiver. After Morse code (e.g. "LEC" for Stavanger on 319 kHz) he could hear dots or lines that slowly weakened and then merged into a continuous tone lasting a few seconds, which then became stronger and stronger with the other signal (dots or Dashes). A transmission cycle lasted between 40 and 240 seconds, depending on the radio beacon. In the A sectors, dots were heard after Morse code, and dashes in the B sectors. The transition between points and lines was used to determine the position: The number of audible points gave the exact true bearing within a circle sector and could be read on the Consol map. By receiving a plurality of beacon one could cross bearing be performed. The accuracy of the determined position was, depending on the position to the radio beacons, about 3 nautical miles.

Audio file / audio sample Consol tone as the navigator hears it ? / i

List of sun radio beacons (FuSAn 700/701) of the German Air Force

Identifier frequency place Location Transmission power
FRQ 257.0 kHz Ploneis- Quimper France 48 ° 01 '06 "N 004 ° 12' 55" W. 2000 W
LEC 319.0 kHz Stavanger -Varhaug 58 ° 37 '32 "N 007 ° 37' 49" E 1500 W
? 307.0 kHz Beauvais France 43 ° 40 '56 "N 004 ° 44' 44" W. 1500 W
LG 285.0 kHz Lugo Spain 43 ° 14 '53 "N 007 ° 28' 56" W. 1500 W
SL 315.0 kHz Seville Spain 37 ° 31 '17 "N 006 ° 01' 18" W. 1500 W
? 316.0 kHz Brieg Poland 50 ° 51'00 "N 017 ° 29'00" E ?
? 481.0 kHz Petten Netherlands 52 ° 46 '00 "N 004 ° 40' 00" E ?
LEX 332.5 kHz Andoya Norway 69 ° 08 '53 "N 015 ° 53' 00" E 3000 W
LMC 332.5 kHz Jan Mayen Norway 71 ° 03 '00 "N 008 ° 14' 00" W. 1500 W
LJS 332.5 kHz Bear Island Norway 74 ° 29 '34 "N 019 ° 03' 35" E 3000 W
? ? Plougourvest France 49 ° 33 '00 "N 004 ° 05' 00" W. ?
? 306.0 kHz Bayeux France 49 ° 17 '00 "N 000 ° 42' 00" E. ?
? 481.0 kHz Husum 54 ° 29'00 "N 009 ° 03'00" E ?

The British "Bushmills" radio beacon from 1945

Identifier frequency place Location Transmission power
MWN 266.0 kHz Bushmills 55 ° 12 '20 "N 006 ° 28' 02" W. 2000 W

List of Soviet WRM-5 radio beacons after 1945

Identifier frequency place Location Transmission power
N / A 340.0 kHz Shumshu 50 ° 44 '00 "N 156 ° 19' 00" E. 1000 W
KS 372.0 kHz Tierpjenija Sakhalin 49 ° 41'08 "N 144 ° 21'01" E 1000 W
RB 363.0 kHz Rybacky Murmansk 69 ° 45 '12 "N 032 ° 55' 00" E 1000 W
PA 280.0 kHz Pankratjewa Novaya Zemlya 76 ° 07 '05 "N 060 ° 10' 05" E 1000 W
PZ 263.0 kHz Posjeto ? 1000 W
KN 269.0 kHz Cape Kanin 68 ° 38 '18 "N 043 ° 17' 30" E 1000 W

List of US Consolan Stations (AN / FRN-5) after 1945

Identifier frequency place Location Transmission power
SFI 192.0 kHz San Francisco 38 ° 12 '13 "N 122 ° 34' 08" W. 2000 W
TUK 194.0 kHz Nantucket 41 ° 15 '35 "N 070 ° 09' 15" W. 2000 W

literature

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