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VOR bearing pointers and ILS

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Just curious about the VOR bearing pointer instrument and it's current behaviour.

The bearing pointer works / points to a tuned ILS location. I'm not sure if this is correct? In every other simulation of similar instruments in other aircraft it doesn't do this. The bearing pointers will only point to VORs. It's been a long time since I've flown an aircraft in real life with this kind of kit..... I can't recall ever seeing the current modeled behaviour. I don't think an ILS produces a directional signal quite the same way as a VOR.

Might be a bug.

Adam Turley

No, this is normal.  While a VOR produces a lateral bearing in omni(many)directions and your VOR instrument can be adjusted to a desired bearing, an ILS produces one lateral bearing.  In airplanes there isn't an instrument dedicated to the ILS - you use your VOR.  There are, however, VOR instruments that only have a localizer needle and not a glidseslope needle, meaning that they could only be used for a non-precision localizer approach with no vertical guidance.

Paul Davies CFMEII KMWH

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1 hour ago, pdavies said:

No, this is normal.  While a VOR produces a lateral bearing in omni(many)directions and your VOR instrument can be adjusted to a desired bearing, an ILS produces one lateral bearing.  In airplanes there isn't an instrument dedicated to the ILS - you use your VOR.  There are, however, VOR instruments that only have a localizer needle and not a glidseslope needle, meaning that they could only be used for a non-precision localizer approach with no vertical guidance.

The original poster seems to be stating that the RMI bearing pointer is indicating the bearing to a localizer transmitter.  If this is the case it is certainly not normal.

The RMI providing a bearing to a Localizer is what you end up with when you use default avionics.  The VOR needle is only responding to course signals from the VHF NAV receiver, true an ILS LOC only contains course deviation, it does not have the bearing information that a VOR signal has.  However, one could in theory point to the localizer antenna using a ADF receiver and loop antenna if it was capable of operating in that frequency band.

Dan Downs KCRP

  • Author
3 hours ago, JoeDiamond said:

The original poster seems to be stating that the RMI bearing pointer is indicating the bearing to a localizer transmitter.  If this is the case it is certainly not normal.

Yep indeed. Sorry I was being lazy with my language. The RMI is the culprit and it does indeed indicate a bearing to a LOC transmitter. This is not normal and should probably be fixed - especially for a product bearing PMDGs name, even if it isn't a flagship full whack product. 

 

Adam Turley

Would the realworld RMI point at the ILS if it has DME? Sorry if dumb question, just curious. 

Klaus Schmitzer

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DCS - XP12 - MSFS2020

No not either. Pure ILS transmitter only have vertical and 3° (typical value) glide beams. DME works completely different.

Happy flying!
Alexander M. Metzger

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