An Analysis of Errors in Long Range Radio Direction Finder Systems

Modern radio direction finding equipment and techniques have advanced to such a degree that it is possible to obtain accurate bearings on a signal from halfway around the globe. These successes have resulted largely from recent electrical and mechanical refinements in the modern Adcock antenna df system. Although the system has been described before, and applications demonstrated, to the writer's knowledge there has not been a complete investigation of its potentialities. An analysis would seem desirable because of the great utility of the system. The following material develops a rigorous mathematical analysis of the errors that are mostly encountered in the design and installation of a new direction finding station. A detailed treatment of the effect of variations in the antenna spacing is presented in support of the author's recommendations for obtaining higher efficiency in the upper frequency ranges of a given station.