Loran-C Signal Stability Study: St. Lawrence Seaway
Abstract
Since 1977, the U.S. Coast Guard has been conducting studies of the suitability of Loran-C as a precision aid to navigation in the harbor-harbor entrance (HHE) areas of the continental U.S. The final phase of this effort involves an assessment of the stability of the signals of the existing Loran-C system along with an examination of stability improvement methods. The final efforts were begun early in 1981 with the deployment of loran data collection sets (the so-called 'harbor monitors') in select harbor areas. In cooperation with the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority and the Canadian Coast Guard, these efforts were extended to the St. Lawrence Seaway area in late 1981. Resulting data is analyzed in the report and indicates the performance of the existing Loran-C system is inadequate to support precision applications in the St. Lawrence. The performance of Differential Loran-C is hypothesized and found to be, at best, marginal due to suboptimal system geometry. The performance which would result with the addition of another transmitting station is also hypothesized. With this improved geometry, 'raw' Loran-C performance is still found inadequate but Differential Loran-C, yielding maximum cross-track errors of 27 meters (99.9% probability), leaves 23 meters error margin for the largest vessels.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA126093
Entities
People
- D. C. Slagle
- R. J. Wenzel