For you youngsters out there.....
Consol was a radio beacon operating at 1 kilometer (300 kHz), with three fixed antennas in a row spaced a kilometer (one wavelength) apart. The antennas produced a complicated signal that allowed determination of the radial to the beacon. It performed a cycle of transmissions as follows:
* Broadcast of an omnidirectional beacon signal for 6 seconds, along with a station identification code, presumably in the form of Morse letters.
* A "break" of transmission for 2 seconds.
* Broadcast of a complex signal for 30 seconds that consisted of dots and dashes leading up to a tone. The radial was given by the number of dots and dashes before the tone.
* Another break of transmission for 2 seconds.
If the aircraft was on a track roughly perpendicular to the beacon, the navigator could get a fix on it at two different locations along the flight path and use simple triangulation to determine the aircraft's position.
Yes we know, yous had your work cut out for yous in them days.. That we youngsters admire
