Accession Number:

AD0743738

Title:

The Effect of Ionospheric Tilt on Radio Direction Finding Position Estimates

Descriptive Note:

Master's thesis

Corporate Author:

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA

Personal Author(s):

• Lunde, Roger K.

Report Date:

1972-03-01

Pagination or Media Count:

59.0

Abstract:

It is generally accepted that the ionosphere tilts that is to say, an isoionic layer is not at constant height above the surface of the earth. Ionospheric tilt has the effect of deflecting a radio ray out of its great- circle plane and returning it to earth at an angle not that of the true bearing from a receiver to a transmitter. The magnitude of error introduced by this effect on radio direction finding RDF position estimates was studied. A model assigning a tilt bias of less than three degrees to each RDF station bearing was constructed. Analysis of a six-station RDF network revealed that this amount of tilt has negligible effect on point estimates of location and their confidence regions.

Descriptors:

• *DIRECTION FINDING
• *IONOSPHERIC PROPAGATION
• ANGLE OF ARRIVAL
• DEFLECTION
• ERRORS
• POSITION FINDING
• THESES

Subject Categories:

• Direction Finding
• Radiofrequency Wave Propagation

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE