Look at all of the upgrades and investments. My guess is that it will be around for a while as one ingredient of the navigation mix. It should be remembered that there are many more watercraft users of LORAN than small aircraft. For this reason LORAN is under the auspices of the USCG and not the FAA.
Regarding LORAN coverage. The USCG site states: ?The LORAN-C system serves the 48 continental states, their coastal areas, and parts of Alaska.? At the following website, maps are available for purchase displaying the LORAN coverage in other parts of the world. A little surfing yeild maps that show coverage as far west as Japan, eastern China, far east Russia, the Russian NE coast, NW Europe, and the Middle East!
Note the following comment taken from this article: ?LORAN-C signals on the other hand goes through everything and can only be plausibly denied if you use explosives on the remotely located transmitters.?
From my guess, it appears that LORAN will be around for at least 10 years. I like Carl?s observation, that ?LORAN is still attractive as the more reliable system, while GPS remains attractive as the (usually) more accurate system. Considering the price of a used LORAN, if you've got the panel space, go for it!?
Ditto what Lee said. I have an Arnav unit in my plane. I got it off of eBay for $100, everything included. The last database update is from Dec '99, but the airports haven't moved around much since then. It's very accurate and provides all the functions of a GPS except altitude information. And being panel-mounted means no wires, clamps, holders or glare problems.
Plus, it adds another milestone to long cross-country trips. First, there's flying from one side of a chart to another. Then the trip takes you to a whole new chart. But the big milestone is when (somewhere over Ohio) the Arnav reports that I'm leaving the Northeast Chain and it's syncing up with the Great Lakes Chain.
Makes you feel like you've flown a great distance.
As Lee said, it's not worth removing unless the space is needed for something else. When (if?) I upgrade my plane to IFR I'll need room for two NAV/COMs and an audio panel. Until then I'll keep the Arnav LORAN.
When (if?) I upgrade my plane to IFR I'll need room for two NAV/COMs and an audio panel.
That's a common misconception, "needing an audio panel"!
Newer 150's and all 152's already have provision for all the audio switches you'll need, in the eyebrow panel. Newer nav/coms have sidetone, built in audio amps that are powered even with the radio off, and audio isolation (wired into the switches above) for at least 3 and up to 7 inputs. The only thing extra needed is an audio isolation relay used when dual nav/coms are installed (cuts out the ships speaker on transmit) that mounts behind the panel out of sight. Dingbat is set up this way!
That's a common misconception, "needing an audio panel"!
Newer 150's and all 152's already have provision for all the audio switches you'll need, in the eyebrow panel. Newer nav/coms have sidetone, built in audio amps that are powered even with the radio off, and audio isolation (wired into the switches above) for at least 3 and up to 7 inputs. The only thing extra needed is an audio isolation relay used when dual nav/coms are installed (cuts out the ships speaker on transmit) that mounts behind the panel out of sight. Dingbat is set up this way!
See? I just saved you one whole slot! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
That would be great - but without an audio panel, would I be able to listen to both COMs while transmitting on just one? I thought that was audio-panel territory.
The panel I got is a KMA-24 with built-in marker beacon. However, I could also use a separate marker-beacon receiver (I have a King stand-alone unit as well).
The other 'requirement' is stereo-intercom with music input.
If all that can be combined without an audio panel, that would be great.
My plane has none of the switches found on the later models, though I suppose it's simple enough with the right schematic.
The mounting for the audio switches (and the marker beacon lights and switches), is already in place behind the eyebrow panel plastic. You just drill holes in the plastic to match. I just picked up a spare marker beacon receiver (along with a spare glide slope receiver) on Ebay for $35, although I still need the connectors, switches, and lights. (The switches are absolutely identical to a certain Radio Shack part number.)
Everything works the same as any audio panel.
You can listen to any combination of radios, all muted upon transmit.
The audio "panel" combines all of the audio outputs you have selected to "phones" into one output which feeds your intercom (I just relocated the panel mounted one in Dingbat to clear a slot in the stack for future use), so all you need is a stereo compatible intercom with stereo input to listen to virtually anything that will plug into it by patch cord. Audio wise, it's all seamless and compatible, once you learn where to set all of the different volume controls.
Yes, schematics are the key, and I can probably supply any you need for Cessna panels.
See attached. Marker beacon on the left, intercom in the middle, then transmit switch and audio switches on the right.
G-meter was inop and removed, radios popped the breakers, 2nd nav head not installed (wrong cannonplug), lighting rheostat inop, intercom wired wrong ..... then I looked behind the panel!
The mounting for the audio switches (and the marker beacon lights and switches), is already in place behind the eyebrow panel plastic. You just drill holes in the plastic to match.
Ah, I see - but I have the older panel with none of those provisions (see attachment). Not that drilling holes in the aluminum is an insurmountable task, but it's a somewhat crowded panel as it is with no convenient location for a row of switches. I'm still struggling with where to mount extra circuit breakers without losing the glovebox!
