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Angissoq Loran-C transmitter

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Angissoq Loran-C transmitter
Angissoq Loran-C transmitter is located in Greenland
Angissoq Loran-C transmitter
Angissoq Loran-C transmitter (Greenland)
Coordinates59°59′18″N 45°10′24″W / 59.98833°N 45.17333°W / 59.98833; -45.17333
Built1964

Angissoq Loran-C transmitter was a Loran-C transmitter on the Kitsissut Islands, at the far south of Greenland. It was part of the North Atlantic, Labrador Sea and Icelandic Loran-C chains. [1]

Loran-C

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Loran-C is a system of hyperbolic radio navigation which developed from the earlier LORAN system. It uses low frequency signals from beacons to allow the receiver to determine their position. Conventional navigation involves measuring the distance from two known locations, radio navigation works in a similar way but using radio direction finding.[2]

Radio navigation systems use a chain of three or four transmitters which are synchronised. Each chain has a primary station and the others are called secondaries. Each chain has a group repetition interval (GRI) which, multiplied by ten, is the time difference between pulses. The GRI identifies which chain a vessel is receiving.[3]

Loran-C was replaced by civilian satellite navigation systems starting in the 1990s. The first services to close were in the United States and Canada in 2010.[4][5] In 2014 France and Norway announced they were closing their transmitters, leaving the remaining stations in England and Germany unable to operate.[6][7] The stations in Norway closed on 31 December 2015.[8]

Angissoq LORAN-C station

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Angissoq station was a member of several Loran-C chains. The North Atlantic chain (GRI 7930) consisted of Angissoq (master), Cape Race (Canada), Edje (Faroe Islands) and Sandur (Iceland). The Icelandic chain (GRI 9980) was Angissoq, Edje and Sandur, and the Labrador Sea chain (GRI 7930) was Angissoq, Cape Race and Fox Harbour (Canada).[1]

The station opened with a 1,350 feet (410 m) mast but this collapsed in August 1964. It was replaced by a 625 feet (191 m) mast in 1965. It run with a Memorandum of Understanding between the USA and Denmark and most of the staff were Danish.[9][10]

On 31 December 31, 1994 the transmitter was shut down.[11] [12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Loran Station Angissoq". www.loran-history.info. n.d. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  2. ^ Appleyard, S.F.; Linford, R.S.; Yarwood, P.J. (1988). Marine Electronic Navigation (2nd ed.). Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 77–83. ISBN 0-7102-1271-2.
  3. ^ E. Gatterer (October 1972). "The Development of Loran-C Navigation and Timing". National Bureau of Standards.
  4. ^ "USCG LORAN Program Manager release, Nov. 2009". 31 May 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  5. ^ "LORAN-C General Information". www.navcen.uscg.gov. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  6. ^ "27-15 Enhanced Loran discontinued". Notice to Mariners. Trinity House. 1 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Loran Off Air In Most of Europe - Move to Commercial Possible". RNTF. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Etterretninger for sjøfarende" (PDF). Kartverket (in Norwegian). 2015. p. 26. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  9. ^ "General Information Loran Station Angissoq" (PDF). Loran History. US Coast Guard. 1967. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  10. ^ Mikkelsen, Aksel (1988). "Grønlands loranstationer" (PDF). tidsskriftetgronland.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  11. ^ Mikkelsen, Aksel (1995). "Angissoq loranstation" (PDF). www.tidsskriftetgronland.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  12. ^ Jensen, Per Møller. "Pituffik News 5 Station Nord - Greenland Contractors". yumpu.com (in Danish). Retrieved 9 April 2025.