Radio direction-finding by the cyclical differential measurement of phase

TLDR: In this article, a new general type of direction-finding and beacon system is introduced, in which an appreciable reduction of the usual site errors is achieved by the use of aerial structures of wide aperture, the ambiguity normally associated with such systems being resolved by the manner in which the aerials are connected.

Abstract: This paper introduces a new general type of direction-finding and beacon system in which an appreciable reduction of the usual site errors is achieved by the use of aerial structures of wide aperture, the ambiguity normally associated with such systems being resolved by the manner in which the aerials are connected.Practical forms of the new system generally consist of a circularly disposed array of vertical aerials which are cyclically connected, singly or in groups, by a process of electronic commutation to a receiving device. The basic principle can best be appreciated by considering a single vertical aerial connected to a receiver and caused to move continuously along a circular path in the horizontal plane at a uniform rate. The motion of the aerial would impose a phase modulation on any received signal, and the horizontal direction of arrival of the signal could be determined if this modulation could be related to the law of motion of the aerial.Several types of direction-finder using the same basic principle are possible; these are outlined and classified. The practical and theoretical advantages of the system are discussed, and two directionfinders, one for use in the very-high-frequency band, the other in the high-frequency band, are described.The paper is confined to an account of the more important aspects of the subject, attention being paid to the fundamental requirements of the system and the means whereby they are met in practice. The mechanism whereby site errors are suppressed is outlined, and a comparison with the orthodox Adcock types of direction-finder is made, in which it is shown that, just as a phase-modulation communication system has certain inherent superiorities over an amplitudemodulation system, so the method of phase comparison has similaradvantages over other forms of direction-finder.