Loran C Antennas

edgutgesell · May 20, 2005

I have a Ray Jefferson VHF receiver on my boat which uses an 8' Shakespeare antenna. Works just fine!! I also got a Si-Tex Loran C receiver with the boat which I have not used because I don't know what kind of antenna it requires. These receivers are like me, --- old! I would like to try the loran along with a handheld GPS and use the loran as a backup. I am not a radio savvy guy so these questions may be stupid ones!! Is there a splitter that I could use to share the VHS antenna or do I need a separate antenna? If I need a separate antenna, what type? Right now I am in Pa and my boat with the electronics is in NJ about 110 miles away so I can't tell you the model of the Shakespeare antenna, but it does work with the VHS radio. I would appreciate any info you can supply to get me on the right track in getting the loran operating! Ed G.

Luna Sea · May 20, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

No, 2 different things. There's more to the loran antenna than just the antenna, I believe theres some sort or receiver of some sorts. There's a screw in whip ant., but the canister type thingy it screws into is expensive. Contact Si-Tex or a marine electronics supplier such as GEM to get the part you need. Plan on spending a couple hundred bucks for it though. Or try E-Bay I

Perfidiajoe · May 20, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

No it won't work, & the parts you need will most likely cost more than a hand held GPS. If you find a used one there is no way of knowing if it is good, as a shock, or a drop, or lightning could blow it out. If you are not famillier w/ Loran it is very different from GPS, or any type of chart navigation. It don't work on Lon's & Lat's it works on T.D.s that is time delay radio signals, from a primary & secondary station. It is most likely not worth the time or expense to fix or learn. IMHO, Joe

Boatist · May 21, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

The Loran C requires a seperate Loran C antenna. The antenna screws into an antenna Coupler and the cable from the coupler runs to your Loran C. If you do not have the coupler then I agree likely not worth fixing. Loran C do run on TD's but most units will display your position in TD or Latitude and Longitude. Even thou I have a GPS on the boat I still use my Loran C as my main Navigation unit and have always left it in Latitude and Longitude. Things you should know about Loran C before spending money to repair it. Right now no definate date how long Loran C transmiter will be maintained, but will be into 2006 at least and I am sure Coast Guard will give long notice before they shut it down. Loran C will take about 5 minutes to find your postion when first turned on. To find a postion for the first time unit may be off at as much as 1/4 mile. Units that have ASF (Additional Secondary Factors) will do better but not as accurate as GPS. To go back to a location you have saved a waypoint for then very accurate, mine is better than 40 feet but still not as good as a WAAS GPS unit. Loran C antennas are about 4 to 8 feet and most have a 3/8 thread to screw into the coupler. Mys GPS is still learning the many places we have been with our Loran C.

18rabbit · May 21, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

Originally posted by Boatist: ... Right now no definate date how long Loran C transmiter will be maintained, but will be into 2006 at least and I am sure Coast Guard will give long notice before they shut it down.

My memory (fwiw) is something like Loran support is funded until 2008, minimum, and then a 5-year USCG faze out whenever (IF!) they decide to discontinue it. My feeling is support will be extended again for at least another 5-years (2013), since there is $millions being pumped into the LORAN system right now to upgrade the beacons, and there is a strong lobby to keep LORAN over GPS as a preferred system for civil service use during an emergency. Im not sure if LORAN is being expanded, but it is definitely being maintained. I have talked to the USCG Nav-Con and they assured me they will not shut down LORAN until Boatist gets around to moving all his waypoints from his LORAN into his GPS. Boatist, youre holding up progress.

gss036 · May 21, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

I have used Loarn C since 1989 and I also have a Garmin176C GPS w/bluechart. It is better than Radar in some ways because w/the charts you can see where you are in relation to "KNOWN" objects. They are both good, but going back to a bottom fish spot(rock pinical @ 150+ft, the Loran is much more accurate. Being that you are in PA, Loran ground stations might be far and few inbetween. Talk w/somebody around there that uses it and ask for thier opinion before you invest the $$. Check the 2nd hand boat/consignment stores, there should be a lot of older loran stuff around.

Boatist · May 21, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

Sorry Rabbit but look at this way it is good to have more than one way to find your position. Who knows those Satelites could be taken out by sun spots or solar flares. China could use them for target practice. My Old Furuno LC90 is a great Loran C and in a lot of ways I like it better than GPS. It has no mapping but always displays your position and in the mode I use most gives you a magnetic Bearing to next waypoint, distance, ETA, distance offcourse, current speed. Yes the GPS can do that also but on my unit if I turned all that on the map would be so small it would not be worth much. Wife likes to see the map to see where we are but I kinda of like the digital readouts. So when you get tired of that 40 inch popup GPS I will buy it from you and have room for my digital data and the wifes map on the screen. You would be suprized how many people think Loran C was shutdown 5 years ago or has not been maitained and is 10 miles off. I am not sure but I think many aircraft still use Loran C. Must be some pilots here that know.

mattttt25 · May 22, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

my new boat came rigged with a loran plotter and gps chartplotter. i'm starting to like having both. plotter is nice and big and provides lat/long for quick viewing. i keep the chartplotter on chart and use as a visual ref. for sog, which do you guys think is more acurate? both are lowrance, loran is circa 1994, gps is circa 1997.

Boatist · May 22, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

Matttt The GPS if far more accurate for finding a point on the earth the first time even if your unit has ASF. To go back to the same place GPS still wins if you have been recieving WAAS signal. Pretty close to the same if your GPS has not been picking up one of the WAAS birds. Loran C can be affected more by things like electrial storms or approching a bridge. Still both are very good. When I win the lottery I wiil buy that 10 inch Lowrance GPS/Sounder with the hard drive and all the detailed maps.

mattttt25 · May 23, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

thanks boatist. like i said, the gps is old, before the waas birds went up. so if i follow you, my loran and gps are about the same in accuracy. i've noticed the lat/long that each display are never right on, but rarely very far off. back to my question- which will provide a better s.o.g.?

edgutgesell · May 23, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

Thanks for all the replies!! One more question. Is the coupler part of the antenna or part of the receiver?? Is the coupler a generic electronic part between the antenna and the receiver or does it need to be either Sci-Tex or whoever made the antenna? Where is the coupler located physically?? Ed G.

mattttt25 · May 23, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

ed, look at this post... http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=012128 the 5th picture down, second antenna in from the left on the hardtop. that's my loran antenna. the thick part at the base is the coupler, with the ss whip above it. can't answer your other questions.

Boatist · May 23, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

When I got my Loran C the coupler came with the Loran C and the antenna was seperate. I am not sure but I think it should match your Loran C. SOG Speed over ground I think GPS updates faster and a little more accurate.

Boatist · May 23, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

When I got my Loran C the coupler came with the Loran C and the antenna was seperate. I am not sure but I think it should match your Loran C. SOG Speed over ground I think GPS updates faster and a little more accurate.

edgutgesell · May 25, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

Hi Boatist, Was the coupler on your Loran C external to the receiver or built-in? All I have is the receiver. Ed G.

Boatin Bob · May 25, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

The Loran C couplers are external to the receiver, all I've seen including my own screw onto the antenna mount and then the antenna screws into the top of the coupler, if yu can't get the right coupler/anntenna to match your receiver no point in installing it.

tommays · May 25, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

its allways amazing how something NEW like GPS which i have and works great is somehow so great that it even BREAKS the old thing like Loran C haveing been everywere between mamaroneck and marthas vineyard on sailboat races in the worst possible conditions at night and in fog that you could not see the front of the boat i think its pretty safe to say that the old system was very good i think most people are not doing them selfs any favors by not buying and studying real charts and getting the lats and long off them and puting in some waypoints by hand so when the magic machine stops working at the worst time you have some idea which way to turn the boat tommays

Boatist · May 25, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

Tommays I think there are two common types of boaters. 1: One type does every thing he can think of to ensure the saftey of his Crew and vessel. 2:One type that put the fishing pole in the boat, plans nothing, has no navigation equipment and no compass. I consider my self the first type but I have never taken the chart out of it storage location on my boat while out to sea. Only reason I can think of that I might need the chart is if for some reason the Coast Guard closed my port. (hazard spill, or terror attack) Then I would need to check the chart and find course and distance to see if I have enough fuel to reach another port. I have both Loran C and GPS on board. I carry a book that every waypoint is listed in. It has it location, why it was set, and any things like navigation aids, water depth. Also in this book is every route set up in my units. This route list has a course and distance to the next waypoint in the list and it also has a return course and distance, so even if every thing failed except the compass we coud make it back safely. Where I boat most even with out a compass in the fog I bet I could make it back since the swells always out of 310 to 320 degrees. I just do not need the chart at sea.

Boatist · May 25, 2005

Re: Loran C Antennas

Ed G. Coupler is seperate from the Loran C. My coupler has a 25 foot cable on it to connect to the Loran C reciever. My coupler also has a 1 x 14 thread to mount to an antenna mount. Antenna Screws into the top of the coupler with a 3/8 thread.

Loran C Antennas

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Petty Officer 1st Class

Rear Admiral

Captain

Commander

Rear Admiral

Commander

Rear Admiral

Commander

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Commander

Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Lieutenant Commander

Admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral