Re: Linking OTH radar picture to Air Warfare Destroyer

Ok Fred.....I yield to the idea that a known beacon could make an improvement
to the absolute accuracy.  Doesn't the OTH radar error change with changes in
the local propagation conditions.  In other words, the error function is
directional, and therefore you'd want beacons all over the place to be truly
effective.

If you wanted to insult me, you could have done far better than "nimwad"....

Ace
"Fred J. McCall" wrote:

> Doug Ventura <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> :> I understand that the positional inaccuracies of a skywave radar can
> :> be partially overcome by the use of active beacons, which allow good
> :> _relative_ targeting data, or absolute data if the beacon is static
> :> and on a premapped position.
> :
> :Gimme a break.  Beacons only help when targets are cooperating (i.e. have
> :the beacon and are radiating it..)  Having a beacon on the AWD is only
> :going to improve the precision of the AWD track, as seen by Jindalee...
>
> Well, I WOULD give you a break, Ace, but you've just shoved your foot
> in clear up to the knee.
>
> The TARGET doesn't carry the beacon, you nimwad!  The beacon is out on
> the range in a known location.  You then run your OTH and plot the
> position of targets relative to the known position of the beacon.
> This gives you much better positional accuracies on the targets, since
> you now have some idea of what the error function of your OTH is
> doing.
>
> Think Differential GPS for an example of this kind of strategy.
>
> --
> "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."
>                            -- Charles Pinckney