Technical Advances in the Loran System and its Future Development

The Loran System came into being during the war and played its part in the achievement of ultimate victory. During that period, expediency was the motif, but this was accompanied by some improvements over early equipment. Technical refinement and development have continued up to the present time. In transmitting equipment, emphasis has been placed on reduction of equipment failures, accuracy of synchronization, reduction of adjacent channel interference to other services, ability to operate with a small signal to noise ratio, reduction in costs through unattended operation, and increased range through higher power and optimized antennas. New receivers contain such features as increased stability, direct reading dials, greater range in the presence of noise and interference through narrower bandwidth, automatic pulse locking, automatic pulse tracking, remote indicators and miniaturization. Future receiver developments, of which some exploratory work has been done, aim divergently at simplification and price reduction and at (along with further refinement of transmitting equipment) a manifold increase in navigational accuracy. Possible future developments, now only in the planning stage, are described. Covered also are actual special applications such as official speed determinations of the SS UNITED STATES and other vessels, aid to fishermen, navigation at great distances from stations by multihop signals and Coast Guard ocean station and ice patrol activities. The present Loran service is described.