VHF OMNIRANGE RADIO (VOR)

WHAT IS VOR? VOR or VHF Omnirange Radio

a navigational aid equipment designed to provide bearing information to aircraft.

Types of VOR
Conventional VOR (CVOR) Ref Signal = FM Variable Signal = AM Frequency = 108MHz-118MHz Doppler VOR (DVOR) Ref Signal = AM Variable Signal = FM Frequency = 108MHz-118MHz

WHAT IS BEARING? Bearing refers to the direction from a certain place towards another. In VOR application, this refers to the bearing from an airplane to a VOR station.

Bearing Information
ALL DIRECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A VOR STATION ARE RELATED TO MAGNETIC NORTH. These are shown in the figures below: N
N

VOR

240

VOR

Bearing Information

How is the bearing information produced by the VOR ?

This is done by radiating two signals from two sets of antenna, the central or reference antenna and the variable or sideband antennas surrounding the central antenna.

Bearing Information
The phase of the signal received from the reference or central antenna is the same regardless of aircraft position.
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

30 60

90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

Bearing Information
However, the signal received from the sideband or variable antennas depend on the aircrafts position.
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

30 60

90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

Bearing Information
The aircrafts VOR receiver then processes these two signals to obtain its angular position with respect to magnetic north.
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

30 60

90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

Bearing Information
Supposed the aircraft is in the The phase difference east (or 90) two signals between the radial. would then be:
90 degrees 0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360

90

Bearing Information
In practice the aircrafts VOR receiver has three dials:
one of which can be set manually to any desired course, the second of which tells whether the plane is to the left or right of the course, and the third of which resolves 180 ambiguity by indicating either from or to .

VOR magnetic bearing sine & cosine signals are combined with selected course information. The difference between these two parameters is the VOR deviation. For a difference of 5 left the receiver output is standardized at 75 A that causes a VOR deviation bar deflection of one dot. For a difference of 20 , the receiver output is 300 A produces a four dot deflection.

VOR Indicator
A : Rotating Course Card is calibrated from 0 to 360 degrees, which indicates the VOR bearing chosen as the reference to fly by pilot. B : Omni Bearing Selector or OBS knob , used to manually rotate the course card to where the point to fly to. C : TO-FROM indicator . The triangle arrow will point UP when flying to the VOR station. The arrow will point DOWN when flying away from the VOR station. A red flag replaces this TO-FROM arrow when the VOR is beyond reception range or the station is out.

D : Course Deviation Indicator (CDI). This needle moves left or right indicating the direction to turn the aircraft to return to course. DOT : The horizontal dots at center represents the aircraft away from the course . Each dot represent 2 degrees deviation from desired course.

Engr. Divino Fiel A. de Bien, ECE

Navigational Aid

12

Bearing Information
Tells whether the airplane is to the LEFT or RIGHT of desired course Indicates desired course

0 1 5
COURSE

TO or FROM ARROW

E E

S S

VOR Deviation - Left Or Right Sense

N

(Selected Course 90r)

REGARDLESS of AIRPLANE HEADING

VOR

RADIO DEVIATION calls for RIGHT TURN anywhere in here Selected Course - 090r RADIO DEVIATION calls for LEFT TURN anywhere in here

VOR TO or FROM Sense

N

(Selected Course 90r)

REGARDLESS of AIRPLANE HEADING

Signal anywhere in here is a TO Signal

VOR

Signal anywhere in here is

Selected Course - 090r a

FROM Signal

ONBOARD VOR INFORMATIONS

magnetic North selected bearing
0 27 09 18

040

40 40

from

Ground station
040
27 18 30 09 0 0 09 18 27

040

to

from

VOR APPLICATION

Terminal VOR EnEn-route VOR

VOR FREQUENCY BAND

VHF
190/550

Mhz
300Mhz

30 Mhz

108-112-118

TERMINAL VOR FREQUENCY BAND ( 40 channels, 50 khz spacing)

108

108,05

108,20 108,25

111,80 111,85

EN ROUTE VOR FREQUENCY BAND ( 120 channels 50 khz spacing)

112 112,05 112,1

117,85 117,9 117,95

VOR CHART : LOWER SPACE

MEN 115.3 SAU 116.8

AGN 114.8

GAI 115.8

TAN 111.8 TBO 113.9

TOU 117.7

VOR Specification
modulations 30 hz reference tone 30 hz variable tone voice signal : 300/3000 hz tone identification signal : 1020 hz (Morse code) power radiated VORC : 50 W VORD : 100W H polarisation DME paired frequency (from ICAO table)
example

bearing signals

VHF NAV DME channel

112.10 58X
interrogation frequency 1082 Mhz (12 s) reply frequency 1019 Mhz (12 s)

Conventional Channel
fo =115.8 f1 = 115.85

50 Khz
16.5 db

108

30 var voice ident

300-3000 1020

30 ref
9960 (f 480

118

carrier modulation index - 30 ref : 0.3 - 30 var : 0.3 - ident : 0.1 ( 0.05 ) - voice : 0.3

DOPPLER CHANNEL
117.7 117.75

50 Khz
16.5 db

108

30 ref voice ident

300-3000 1020

30 var
9960 (f 480

118

carrier modulation index - 30 ref : 0.3 - 30 var : 0.3 - ident : 0.1 ( 0.05 ) - voice : 0.3

RADIO COVERAGE
D h VOR 1 VOR 2

actual radio coverage D ~ k h DNM= 1.2 Dkm = 4.1 hft hm

RADIO COVERAGE
range for receiver signal stength 90 V/m
h : height ( in ft)
60000 11 dbW 50000 17 dbW 23 dbW

40000

30000

20000

10000

Nm
25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 VOR range for long, medium and short-range beacons

RADIO COVERAGE
VOR typical coverage pattern for an actual site

15000 ft 10000 ft 5000 ft

VOR

50 Nm

100 Nm

RADIO COVERAGE
Vertical plane radiation pattern

cone of confusion

40 min

ground station

VOR Basics
30 ref E 30 var 30 ref 30 var E

30 ref 30 ref 30 var 30 ref 30 var 30 var

Conventional VOR Basics

reference signal
modulation
carrier

30 ref

30 var sub-carrier frequency modulation esc =Esb cos [ [sc.t + n sin ; t]

30 ref

with parameters : Esc , [sc = 2T.9960, n = 16, ;= 2T.30 carrier amplitude modulation emref = Ec { 1 + ( Esc / Ec) cos [ [sc.t + n sin ;.t]} cos [c.t m = 0.3

Conventional VOR Basics

reference signal
carrier

radiated signal at distance r

30 ref

30 var

30 ref

Imref = f (E) . Ic { 1 + m cos [ [sc.t + n sin ;.t] } with Ic = Ec / r . cos [ [c t - 2Tr / PAf (E) and f (E) = 1 then Imref = Ic { 1 + m cos [ [sc.t + n sin ;.t]}

Conventional VOR Basics

variable signal for azimuth E
modulation
carrier

30 ref

30 var

30 ref

carrier amplitude modulation emvar = Emref { 1 + m cos [ ;.t - E]} cos [c.t with parameters : Emref , [c , m = 0.3, ;= 2T.30

Conventional VOR Basics

variable signal for azimuth E
radiated signal at distance r
carrier

30 ref

30 var

30 ref

Imvar = Imref { 1 + m. cos [ ;.t - E] } Imvar = Imref + Imref m. cos [ ;.t - E] = Imref + Isbo Imvar = Imref + Imref m. cos ;.t . cos E + Imref m. sin ;.t . sin E SBO

Conventional VOR Basics

total signal for azimuth E
radiated signal at distance r
carrier

30 ref

30 var

30 ref

Im = Imref + Imref m. cos ;.t . cos E + Imref m. sin ;.t . sin E

Conventional VOR Basics

1

antennas radiation pattern

Imvar = Imref m cos ;t . cos E + m

Thomson type 512C and 540C

Imvar = Imref m sin ;.t . sin E

Imref = Ic { 1 + m cos [ [sc.t + n sin ; t ] }

Conventional VOR Basics

total signal radiated at distance r
Imref = Ic + Ic . m cos [ [sct + n sin ; t]} Imvar = Ic + Ic . m cos ; t . cos E + Ic. m sin ; t . sin E
upper ref antenna

var antennas 1.7P lower ref antenna 0.85P Thomson type 512C and 540C 1.05P 1.37P

TRANSMITTER ARCHITECTURE
l3 + 3P/4

l3 l + (l l2 l2 l2 l2

l - (l

P/4

P/4

P/4

P/4

emvar

emvar

emref

TRANSMITTER ARCHITECTURE

var signal

m cos ;.t . cos [c .t

sideband generator transmitter mixer FM modulator

ref signal

m sin ;.t . cos [c .t

morse code 1020 clock

voice

RECEIVER ARCHITECTURE
front end

VOR (dual)

manual chain
60

30 hz filter

30 var 4/2 (* (* (*
to/from

to

from

OBS

9960 hz filter

FM demod

30 ref

RMI
automatic chain 300/3000 filter 1020 filter

HSI
OBS selector knob

voice ident
heading
heading selector knob

heading

Thank You
Question & Answers

Engr. Divino Fiel A. de Bien, ECE

Navigational Aid

38