The Technical Wizardry of VORs - How they work

How VORs work at the sending end. Although coming to the end of their operational life, VORs use some interesting techniques in analogue radio engineering which I have recorded in this video. If you want to know how to navigate using VORs - this is not for you!
Covers both Conventional and Doppler VORs in a descriptive way with no mathematics (almost!). Now has Subtitles added.

[@doughopkinsjr]

Been an FAA VOR technician for 35 years and I was told 35 years ago, don't worry about your VOR it's going away soon. Here it is 2023 and still going strong. 5 more years I retire and I'm sure they will be around then. We have shut down a few and left a DME only site. Great explanation of the system. It's amazing how this technology is still going strong our engineers that were around in the 30s and 40s were very smart.

[@zappatx]

I heard they were just removing a few but it's a great system and you know the Chinese may one day take out the GPS system so not wise to remove VOR.. They did decommission thee Sioux City one near me but plenty others in the same VHF receiving distance.

[@GregWoodsLancs]

An excellent explanation that really is "how VOR works", and not "how VOR is used". I learnt a lot. Thanks

[@johnopalko5223]

This is probably the best explanation of the technical side of VORs that I have found. I can fly them and I knew they were based on phase differences between two signals, but I always wondered how the rotating signal was generated. I never dreamed it was so simple and elegant. Thanks!

[@vibhu162]

The only source which comes close to explaining the subject .. whatever is left out is due to my technical handicap. Awesome job sir .. and thanks .. Can you please explain ndb is same depth and detail. Also some basics about modulation

[@stargazer7644]

Just...wow. I was looking for a more detailed explanation of how VOR works. Boy did I find one. Good job.

[@shahriarshams2818]

Thank you very much for the great Video. I have been searching for this information and they're hard to find.

[@jalensi1978]

Thank you for the very good walk through of the technology and process! I've long been curious about VOR and "how it works" - and you've answered my questions. Cheers!

[@newtonli5560]

😊😊😊

[@magran17]

Masterpiece explanation. I’ve waited 35 years for such a good explanation. 👋

[@CarlDRocco]

Absolutely amazing explanation, thank you!

[@rodcallison9245]

This is the explanation I've been searching for, for a long time. Thank you!

[@AaronHartwell]

I’m a ham radio operator who’s getting his pilot license. I was having a hard time feeling great about my VOR navigation skills without understanding the radio theory behind it. This video was perfect! Thank you!

[@zappatx]

Same here!! Pretty interesting system as well.. Did you get your pilot license?? I'm just starting here.

[@to93om]

Being an ex-engineer as I proceed through my flight studies, flying with VORs these days, it was a mindblowing video, thank you! I hope I can see more like this in the future. All the best!

[@zezofarouk4489]

Thanks a lot Peter. Fabulous presentation and deep explanation. Waiting for more from you.

[@1906Farnsworth]

I have been looking for this level of technical description for years. Thanks.

[@istvanharmatiiit]

Very helpful video! I was looking for a long time a good explanation of VOR and DVOR. I found it! Good Job! Thank you!

[@valrabellkeys9867]

Excellent explanation of such a complicated system! Thank you.

[@michaeldaka1114]

This is the most elaborate explanation I have come across

[@williamstevenson755]

Absolutely splendid explanation. Kudos for the effort you put into this, sir!

[@nils-petertopfer2468]

Great and very detailed explantion! Very good work!

[@klam77]

Genius comparison to the lighthouse! well done.

[@joelipowski8393]

Thank You for the theory of operation of these two VOR types. Absolutely fascinating.

[@thomasmaughan4798]

Excellent and thorough explanation. Just right level of detail.

[@MrHolozip]

Most facinating 40 minutes I've had in a while. Thank you for your considerable efforts in putting this together and sharing. Now I can make sense of the signals I'm seeing in my software defined radio.

[@mortezaf9853]

Dear Peter Lee Great ...perfect and useful. The best present I have ever heard about VOR principle.

[@39satcom]

Exactly what I was searching for. Thank you.

[@chrisrose5503]

Fantastic work. Thank you.

[@yaridesimonifedeli2210]

thank you for letting me understand how a DVOR works, best video ever made about it

[@antoniogodinho9624]

congratulations for this explanation; it will be an excelent introdutory video; thank you very much for sharing it! kind regards from Portugal

[@josebarja7317]

This is the great explanation i've heard about VOR's. Thanks so much!!!

[@Ztbmrc1]

Already 3 years ago published, and only now I have discovered this very interesting video. It is a very good and calm and clear explanation. I will have a better look next time when I am close to a vor. Thank you very much for sharing this!

[@khushipatil3959]

Excellently explained . Thankyou.

[@francoislelirzin5779]

Such a beautiful technology being obsolet today... Thank you so much for this very well detailed video. Learnt so many things !!!

[@edchen1240]

The explanation is very detailed!

[@ClarkTelecom]

Excellent presentation, many thanks!

[@chucklesuk]

That was amazing answered all my questions.

[@guillermogil3391]

Best VOR wizardry vídeo ever. This is truly amazing and so well explained. Thanks a lot. What about TACANs?

[@unggrabb]

Excellent narration. Very intedesting indeed

[@ajoanurag]

thank you for a very detailed explanantion which cleared quite a few of my doubts.

[@skinnyTheCat]

Great Information and perfectly lectured! Thank you sir! :)

[@matejcapak1571]

Great! Thank You very much indeed for perfect explanation!

[@ritusagar2854]

Thank u sir u have clear my confusion about vor it is really helpful .

[@peterfutschik2150]

Great video. Real gem.

[@shanusingh98]

Thankyou sir ❤

[@belongstozorax4640]

No wonder, this is still being watched in 2021.

[@magran17]

I have to say thank you again.

[@timoleppanen1150]

Great video explaining a clever implementation of the technology available when VOR was invented! I’m left with one question: how does the stepped 30Hz signal result in a clear Doppler shift? Does one wave of the carrier signal get “stretched” from as it’s switched from one antenna to the next, or does signal/antenna blending effectively smooth out the stepped nature via destructive/constructive interference?

[@lookuphighinthesky]

Thank you, this video is very helpful :)

[@terrydavies265]

This video, as with the one on ILS, is excellent. I don't know if you have knowledge of MSSR but, if you do, a similar video on the theory would be good to see.

[@michaelstehr1224]

Excellent! Thank You!

[@adityabharti7838]

Very nicely explained. Cleared my doubts. Can you please make a video on how does a dvor reduces site error or multipath errors

[@SuperJPRF]

Wow, this is great!

[@JakeDobyns]

Thank you for the detail. If I could ask for one more thing it would be that the two sine waves be drawn out just as the lighthouse was drawn out. I cannot find a visual representation anywhere on the internet of the sine waves but I can find hundreds of a lighthouse.

[@scottfranco1962]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@jaemyungkim5226]

Thanks nowm i cama explain vor with trig graph and the phase difference with confidence.

[@KnightMiserable]

Hello, thank you very much for your fantastic explanation about the VOR. Here I have a doubt about the limacon. You said the reason why the 8 shaped pattern can rotate is the combination of sin(θ) and cos(θ). So could you tell me why almost at the end of the video you said r=a+b*cos(θ)? Although I know it indeed can be used to describe a limacon. Actually, when I use a equation r=|2+[sin(θ - n*π/180)+cos(θ - n*π/180)]| ,(0≤n≤360) with a math software DESMOS and make the n change, I find it is the rotation pattern of a limacon. Do you think that we just describe a same thing with different ways? For this instance, mine is a dynamic way, yours is a static way. And with your equation, the limacon can't rotate. Or mine way is totally wrong?

[@avdheshtuteja]

you're a legend

[@thebestalex]

At 31:53 I don't understand why the peak (limaçon) corresponds to the lowest part of the modulated wave instead of the highest part of the wave (on the top left corner)? Anyways great explanation :)

[@ashfan80gmailcom]

Superb

[@krishnakanth3004]

Sir very good video and excellent explanation But my question is, wont the reference and variable waves go out of phase when reflected from objects and the receiver might perceive it from another bearing ?

[@denelson83]

I would love to see what a VOR signal looks like on a waterfall display.

[@YoavHacker]

Thank you for this explanation! I'm still wondering how does the receiver on the aircraft can tell if it's flying towards the VOR station or from it..?

[@lancebeden5039]

Doesn't - it depends on the pilot interpreting the signal. If the VOR indicator shows you on the 90 degree radial, and you are flying a 90 degree heading, you are flying away from the VOR.

[@dmitryaksenov9166]

Very thorough analysis! Could you please provide the link to the original source of information? Also, what software did you use to create graphs and drawings?

[@leepd60]

There were numerous sites on the internet that I consulted - too many to specify, but the most useful were some FAA and ICAO documents. Also the book "Manual of Avionics" by Brian Kendall was useful. All the graphics were produced using Microsoft Powerpoint slides, and the video edited using Cyberlink "Power Director".

[@claudeandurand6708]

Très bien !

[@taojiang719]

THANK YOU SIR

[@adnanmalik7364]

nice video can u tell how the parasitic currents are countered in DVOR? Also what is the purpose of mesh in Dvor?

[@suteecheankerdlarp5570]

Thank you

[@akhilh389]

Hi thanks for a great video. Can you explain what do you mean by 480hz deviation?

[@vargas0033]

Akhil H 9960 deviates 480 hz. Plus or minus 480 hz

[@pofitio]

thanks

[@narendranmadhan]

Sir, if you can explain why the clockwise and counter clockwise rotations for vor and dvor

[@mcblocked2]

I haven't seen this video yet, but as i learned, it's because the receivers already sets the FM 30hz as reference and measures the phase difference to the AM 30hz, so if we were on the 90 deg radial we would read 270 deg (which is the phase from 90 all the way to the next 30hz AM which is 360 deg) so when the rotation is also reversed you get the correct radial while the receiver cant tell the difference if its using a CVOR or DVOR. Anyone correct me if i was wrong.

[@lxdaredevil09]

Can someone please explain how was the Doppler effect utilised while calculating the phase difference in DVOR? The video only says comparison of phase. Thank you.

[@stargazer7644]

The doppler effect causes the fm modulation and phasing of the rotating signal.

[@MasterMindmars]

P E R F E C T

[@rowifi]

Thanks.

[@041091ay]

Cleared my 98 % concept Sir, but I have a doubt for the reception by Aircraft in VOR, eg if Aircraft VOR antenna recieves some close degrees of reference RF Wave like 89,90,91 how will it know which is correct? I would be glad if you answer?

[@vargas0033]

041091ay huh

[@srinivassak6109]

Sir, why only 48 elements are used in the antenna system

[@hadiuzzamansajeeb9020]

what is space modulation & how 9960 hz is generated?

[@joram724]

Thanks for this amazing explanation! The engineering principles are very accurate and we would like to use this information for our project at the Technical University of Delft. Do you happen to have any official sources our project group could use as references in our paper?

[@DrHarryT]

There should be no need for a mechanical commutator switch these days. A digital controlled output can create the same thing electronically.

[@uj6069]

Why does DVOR have 48 antennas?

[@stargazer7644]

He explained that in the video. The more antennas you have the more accurate the resultant waveform is.