Rantum Loran-C transmitter
{{Infobox transmitter
| name = Rantum Loran-C transmitter
| image = LORAN-C-Sender Rantum auf Sylt 2012 PD 7.JPG
| image_upright =
| alt = Rantum Loran-C mast
| caption = Rantum Loran-C transmitter
| map_name = Germany
| map_caption = Sylt in Germany
| map_relief =
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| map =
| location =
| mast_height = 195m
| tower_height =
| coordinates = {{coord|54|48|30|N|8|17|37|E|}}
| built =
| demolished =
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}}
The Rantum Loran-C transmitter (also known as Sylt) was a transmission facility for Loran-C radio navigation on the German island of Sylt near the village of Rantum. Sylt is one of the North Frisian Islands off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein.
Loran-C
{{Main|LORAN}}
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.{{Cite book| author=Appleyard, S.F. |author2=Linford, R.S. |author3=Yarwood, P.J.| title=Marine Electronic Navigation |year=1988 | publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul| pages=77–83 | isbn=0-7102-1271-2|edition=2nd }}
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. {{citeweb|author=E. Gatterer|url=https://archive.org/details/TheDevelopmentOfLoranCNavigationAndTiming |title=The Development of Loran-C Navigation and Timing|publisher= National Bureau of Standards|date=October 1972}}
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.{{Cite web | title = USCG LORAN Program Manager release, Nov. 2009 | date = 31 May 2007 | url = http://www.uscg.mil/ANNOUNCEMENTS/alcoast/675-09_alcoast.txt | access-date = 28 November 2009}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=loranMain|title=LORAN-C General Information|website=www.navcen.uscg.gov}} In 2014 France and Norway announced they were closing their transmitters, leaving the remaining stations in England and Germany unable to operate.{{cite web|url=https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/notice-to-mariners/27-15-enhanced-loran-discontinued|title=27-15 Enhanced Loran discontinued|publisher=Trinity House|series=Notice to Mariners|date=1 December 2015}}{{cite web |title=Loran Off Air In Most of Europe - Move to Commercial Possible |url=https://rntfnd.org/2016/01/04/loran-off-air-in-most-of-europe-move-to-commercial-possible/ |website=RNTF |access-date=7 April 2025 |date=4 January 2016}} The stations in Norway closed on 31 December 2015.{{cite web |title=Etterretninger for sjøfarende |url=https://kartverket.no/efs-documents/editions/2015/efs01-2015.pdf |website=Kartverket |access-date=7 April 2025 |page=26 |language=Norwegian|date=2015}}
Sylt station
It was established in 1963 and built by the United States Coast Guard. It was operated by German WSA Tönning between 1989 and 1994. In 1995 it was handed to the German government. The mast was 195m tall and the transmitter had a power of 250 kW. It was part of two Loran chains - Sylt (GRI 7499) and Lessay (GRI 6731).{{cite web |title=Loran-C Station Sylt |url=http://www.wsv.de/wsa-toe/schifffahrt/Schifffahrtszeichen/Loran/index.html |website=WSV.de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314044522/http://www.wsv.de/wsa-toe/schifffahrt/Schifffahrtszeichen/Loran/index.html |archive-date=14 March 2018|language=German}} The station closed on 31 December 2015 with the rest of the European Loran-C stations.{{cite web |title=Mitteilungen / Notifications |url=https://www.bsh.de/DE/THEMEN/Schifffahrt/Nautische_Informationen/Weitere_Informationen/Mitteilungen-NfS/Downloads_Mitteilungen_NfS_2016/Mitteilungen01-2016.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3 |website=bsh.de |access-date=8 April 2025 |language=German}}
There was a fire at the Sylt Loran-C station in 2011.{{cite web |title=Brand in der Loran-Station und überflutete Straßen |url=https://www.shz.de/lokales/sylt/artikel/brand-in-der-loran-station-und-ueberflutete-strassen-41168988 |website=sh:z |access-date=8 April 2025 |language=German |date=8 August 2011}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Structurae|id=20012015|title=LORAN-C Transmitter (Rantum)}}
- http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b45904
See also
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loran-C Transmitter Rantum}}