RESULTS AT SEA 



Equipment 

 reliable 



Transmission 



schedule 



intermittent 



Correction 

 problems 



While it is not the intent of this report to evaluate 

 the actual operation at sea, it is germane to note that the 

 equipment functioned reliably. Exclusive of recorders, 

 only a few failures occurred during each year of operation, 

 including routine tube replacements. Reliable functioning 

 was also noted in informal letter reports from Rear Admiral 

 G. S, Ritchie, R.N. , presently the Royal Hydrographer but 

 then Captain commanding the VIDAL, and from LT CDR F. 

 Bradander, R. Neth. N. , commanding the SNELLIUS. * 



It is regretted by all concerned that the 

 developmental nature of the Omega system precluded con- 

 tinuous transmissions from all stations. Most transmis- 

 sions were scheduled either on a 16-hour day, seven days a 

 week, or on a 24-hour day five days a week. Frequently, it 

 was possible to provide only one line-of-position (LOP). It 

 should be emphasized that intermittent operation is particu- 

 larly inconvenient because of the necessity of reestablishing 

 lane count. Indeed, the discontinuity of transmissions was 

 such as to render operation nearly marginal at certain 

 times. 



Particularly during the early part of the operation, 

 skywave Corrections were based on limited data. To im- 

 prove calibration, the computed skywave corrections were 

 frequently adjusted by local monitoring in port. This tech- 

 nique, while unnecessary for a navigator in an implemented 

 and well calibrated system, is believed to have substantially 

 improved the actual navigation accuracy obtained at sea 

 during the present operation. Also, it should have mitigated 

 or eliminated the effects of an offset mistakenly included in 

 the Criggion-Forestport computations. 



*See also reference 1 in list at end of report. 



