Navigation – Page 25 – Telecommunications, Navigation & Electronics

RTL-SDR for Marine HF Weather Fax

Introduction Up to date weather information is critical for sailors and can make the difference between a safe or a hazardous passage. Marine HF Weather Fax has been working reliably for many years and is an independent source of valuable information. NOAA’s Marine Weather Fax page (Ref.1) has all the information you need to use… Continue reading RTL-SDR for Marine HF Weather Fax

Celestial Navigation Basics – Fix

In this post we will look at how to generate a fix from observations of two Celestial Bodies. In previous posts we looked at Hc (Ref.9), Ho (Ref.8), Ha (Ref.7) and Hs (Ref.6). Now we are in a position to use Ho & Hc from two measurements to get our fix. The Marcq St. Hilaire… Continue reading Celestial Navigation Basics – Fix

RTL-SDR for AIS

Introduction AIS Automatic Identification System for Ships is a traffic system that uses VHF transponders on vessels to periodically send out location information. It was developed by Swedish inventor Hakan Lans and is similar in concept to the ADS-B transponder system used on aircraft for position reporting. AIS uses two VHF marine channels 87B (161.975 MHz)… Continue reading RTL-SDR for AIS

Celestial Navigation Basics – Hc Calculated Altitude

In this post we will look at how to determine Hc the calculated altitude and compare this to Ho the observed altitude. The difference between Ho and Hc is the intercept and is used in the Marc Saint Hilaire method for solving position. In previous posts we found Hs (Ref.3), Ha (Ref.4) and Ho (Ref.5).… Continue reading Celestial Navigation Basics – Hc Calculated Altitude

Celestial Navigation Basics – Ho Observed Altitude

In this post we will look at how to reduce a sextant apparent altitude Ha to an observed altitude Ho. In the following post, we will look at how to calculate Hc. Ho will then be compared with Hc to determine an intercept. The complete details are contained in Ref.1. Complete Sight Reduction procedures are… Continue reading Celestial Navigation Basics – Ho Observed Altitude