When was the last time you used your ADF?

On Sat, 10 Jun 2006 01:20:59 GMT, john smith wrote:

In article ,
Roger wrote:

On 8 Jun 2006 07:37:07 -0700, "Denny" wrote:


Rog,
I actually used the ADF in Fat Albert flying IFR a week ago... A line
of nasty stuff was blowing off Lake Erie right at Port Clinton and the
area was IMC... I wanted to air file direct from Toledo, Oh to Akron,
Oh and the Akron VOR reception was unreliable (temperature inversion)
at that time... I was filed as /A... The enroute controller inquired
if I had enroute IFR GPS... I replied negative, but I did have an
ADF... Bang, I was cleared "TOL (vor) direct AK (ndb)"... So, score
one for the old technology... That said the moving map GPS rode shotgun
for the ADF receiver until we were back to VMC..
The biggest problem with ADF reception anymore is the lousy programming
available on the AM stations...

Instead of taking those long, diagonal airways across Lake Michigan I
typically file 3BS -D LDM (NDB) -D MTW(VOR) -D OSH
That takes me across the narrowest portion (~50 miles) of the lake and
from 10,000 I'm within gliding distance (Plus a comfortable margin) of
a shoreline all the way.

Interresting... 25 years ago when I did my instrument training, my
instructor told me Michigan was the only place he knew of in the lower
US where one could file and fly an IFR flight plan completely by NDB's.


I can believe it. There are, or were a lot of NDBs and LOMs in the
state. Let's see, I don't know if they are all there yet, and I'm
sure I missed some, but Gladwin, Saginaw (MBS), Saginaw Brown, Alma,
and West Branch within 30 miles. In the Lower Peninsula it's pretty
difficult to be out of range for at least one NDB or LOM.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com