VOR and ADF range

[ulisses 1]

Hello,In FS2002 sometimes I need to be quite close to a VOR or ADF to receive the signal, is there a way to improve radios range ????Thanks,Ulisses

[N562Z 4]

Ulisses:Did you have to spell that wrong intentionally? Anyway, I'm not sure about ADF's, but VOR range is dependent on line-of-sight transmission. So in other words, if you're flying in mountainous terrain, your VOR reception may be blocked even when in close to the transmitting station. Fly as high as is practical in mountainous terrain to maximize VOR station range.http://www.expedia.com/pubspec/images/airlines/smNW.gifAlex ChristoffN562ZMinneapolis, MN

[ulisses 1]

Thanks Alex,About the spell, english is not my first language, so I try to do my best, sorry.Ulisses

[Guest]

Hi Ulisses,When you say "quite close" how close is that?VOR & NDB range in FS2002 is coded into the BGL files and is not affected by terrain from what I can tell in my own testing (quick fly around and bobbing behind a mountain).In the real world the range of NDB's depend on their signal strength. NDB's are usually short range, under 200 NM (up to 3000 watts power output) and in the case of locator beacons can be as low as 25-30 NM (less than 100 watts & usually associated with instrument approaches). VOR's, being in the VHF band, are affected more by line-of-sight. Normally they can extend to about 20% beyond the visible horizon (quite a distance, but would not be relied upon at that limit) and the range is primarily affected by the height of the aircraft interrogating the VOR.Fermin - fsadventures.net][/b

[Guest cloudtops]

Ulisses,If you want to use a VOR in your flight plans or use it enroute without a flight plan, go to the map view either from the cockpit or from FS2002's flight planner screen. Then click on the VOR in question and see what its classification is:1) high altitude,2) low altitude, or3) terminal.I get high altitude VOR signals somewhere from 160-170 nm away while in flight level cruise, while terminal VOR's show up at about 25 nm (if memory serves, of course). As Fermin mentioned, signal strength is the issue.Good luck,Kevin

[ulisses 1]

Hi,I can start to receive a VOR 100 to 150 miles from it, and sometimes I receive the ILS only near the outter marker.I thought there is a way to increase the radios range in FS.Thanks for the info,Ulisses

[brucek 38]

Hi Ulisses,The range of VOR reception being at around 100nm is about as good as you will get with FS. In real aviation, depending on your altitude and the class of VOR, this is about the max also. I fly a C172 (so am always below FL180), and I find this to be the case- and in some cases reception is geting very marginal. In FS, I've noted VOR reception being less than 100nm.The ILS in FS, I believe, has a range of about 30 nm. This is likely beyond the OM, but not by a lot. In real life, ILS's can have a much greater range (such as the ILS for 25L at KLAX, which can be received up to 50nm away).Bruce.

[Guest cloudtops]

Ulisses and Bruce,There is a way to increase the range at which one's navigation radios can receive a navaid's signal. You can do it with a program called EasyNavs 2000 by Herve Sors, available in the AVSIM library under the name en2k400.zip. I just altered the range of the AML VOR (Armel at KIAD - Washington Dulles Int'l). It's classified as a Low Altitude VOR, but I just changed its range to 255 nm. I slewed in the default Cessna up to FL430 and received that signal 255.1 nm away to the northeast. Now I'm going to change it back, as that kind of reception is definitely NOT as real as it gets; I made a rule for myself not to edit navaids unless they're missing or MS-coded in error.Kevin

[brucek 38]

Hi Kevin,Thanks for that information. I agree that editing VOR's to rediculous ranges is not good, as FS does not model the radio interference that this would cause. However- I know that the architect of PIC (Eric) used to comment that they could pick up the ILS to KLAX 25L on the CIVET arrival way back where that STAR turns inbound to be on the extended runway heading, whereas FS will not pick it up until 10nm (or some such smaller range). (Eric;s comment was that they just intercept the ILS LOC on the CIVET arrival when they're still 50nm out from KLAX).Thanks again,Bruce.