Apollo Loran Morrow II

Somedudeintn

Somedudeintn

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somedudeintn
I have a friend who just recently bought a C150 that came with one of these units. We were wondering if it can at least be used to tune in a VOR since the whole Loran system doesn't exist anymore.

I found a manual at the Garmin website but could not determine whether the VOR's it shows are just from it's database (like a GPS waypoint would be) or if you can use it to pass through the VOR signal to the CDI (like VLOC mode).

I was hoping someone on here has had some experience with these units and can let me know if its just a fancy paperweight, or has at least some usefulness.

Here's the link to the manual I found: http://static.garmincdn.com/pumac/600SeriesLORAN_604PilotGuide.pdf

Thanks for any help!
 
Somedudeintn said:
I have a friend who just recently bought a C150 that came with one of these units. We were wondering if it can at least be used to tune in a VOR since the whole Loran system doesn't exist anymore.
Click to expand...

The LORAN system used transmitters on 100 KILOhertz to triangulate position. They had nothing to do with the VORs around 113 MEGAhertz other than plotting them as waypoints.

I'm not sure it is even heavy enough to use as a paperweight, but I've got one in my hangar I'm willing to give you if you need more weight.

Jim
 
After LORAN was decommissioned, I left my LORAN in the panel.

The new owner pulled the Apollo Loran Morrow II out pretty soon after buying the plane. Go figure.
 
I had one of those IIMorrow Loran-C units in my old C-172. It can't be used to receive VOR. Defuncto unless you find a LORAN triad somewhere. It worked just fine for VFR RNAV back in the day tho.

You can replace those with GPS very cheaply. Some of the later Garmin FlyBuddy GPS units - I think - are direct slide-in replacements. They're slightly less obsolete than that LORAN so you can find one cheap. Heck I'll sell your buddy an IFR-certifiable Apollo GX-60 (GPS, ILS, NAV/COMM) with monochrome moving map to replace it with a GPS if you want - cheap. :D
 
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petrolero said:
I had one of those IIMorrow Loran-C units in my old C-172. It can't be used to receive VOR. Defuncto unless you find a LORAN triad somewhere. It worked just fine for VFR RNAV back in the day tho.

You can replace those with GPS very cheaply. Some of the later Garmin FlyBuddy GPS units - I think - are direct slide-in replacements. They're slightly less obsolete than that LORAN so you can find one cheap. Heck I'll sell your buddy an IFR-certifiable Apollo GX-60 (GPS, ILS, NAV/COMM) with monochrome moving map to replace it with a GPS if you want - cheap. :D
Click to expand...

Can you still get database updates for that?
 
In the CONUS, a loran unit is utterly worthless now. I've got three or four Northstar and Apollo units lying around the hangar that aren't even worth the time it would take to strip them apart for their discreet electronics parts.
 
paflyer said:
Can you still get database updates for that?
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Absolutely!
Send me 2 AMUs and I will gladly mail you a 5.25" floppy disk with the database update. It requires a SCART-to-DIN cable and must be run on DOS 4.1 or older and on a processor with <33MHz clock (due to the well-documented timing bug in the Pascal timing library that causes crashes with faster clocks).
Do not forget to read the serial number off the back of the unit and type it in before the update, in binary, padded with 0s to the nearest byte size.
:lol:
 
A loran unit is about as useful as a low-freq com transceiver. :nonod:

Oh, and it's not "Morrow II." It's "II Morrow," a play on words to suggest "tomorrow".

Or, in this case, as in "II Morrow never comes." :no:
 
Pilawt said:
A loran unit is about as useful as a low-freq com transceiver. :nonod:

Oh, and it's not "Morrow II." It's "II Morrow," a play on words to suggest "tomorrow".

Or, in this case, as in "II Morrow never comes." :no:
Click to expand...
Or rather "II Morrow's been and gone", too bad really, they were useful little boxes. I had a 612B, totally trouble free and just as accurate as a GPS. When the gov't turned off the transmitters they all instantly became worthless panel clutter. Must be thousands of 'em in landfills all over the country now :(
 
petrolero said:
I had one of those IIMorrow Loran-C units in my old C-172. It can't be used to receive VOR. Defuncto unless you find a LORAN triad somewhere. It worked just fine for VFR RNAV back in the day tho.

You can replace those with GPS very cheaply. Some of the later Garmin FlyBuddy GPS units - I think - are direct slide-in replacements. They're slightly less obsolete than that LORAN so you can find one cheap. Heck I'll sell your buddy an IFR-certifiable Apollo GX-60 (GPS, ILS, NAV/COMM) with monochrome moving map to replace it with a GPS if you want - cheap. :D
Click to expand...

What do you want for it?

Comes with the tray, antenna, harness, cards etc?
 
I've got a II Morrow coming out of my bird soon that one of our friends up north is more than welcome to. What else am I going to do with it!? :dunno:
 
BigBadLou said:
Absolutely!
Send me 2 AMUs and I will gladly mail you a 5.25" floppy disk with the database update. It requires a SCART-to-DIN cable and must be run on DOS 4.1 or older and on a processor with <33MHz clock (due to the well-documented timing bug in the Pascal timing library that causes crashes with faster clocks).
Do not forget to read the serial number off the back of the unit and type it in before the update, in binary, padded with 0s to the nearest byte size.
:lol:
Click to expand...

Great, and I thought it was going to be difficult.
 
BigBadLou said:
Which ones are you interested in? I got a Navigator M2 (if memoey serves me right). What do you use them for? (curious)
Click to expand...

Well if you have a GPS NAV/Com that'll handle a ILS, plenty in 150s AA1s etc that can be made into a simple IFR trainer, precision and non precision approaches, don't need a fancy 50k panel for that.
 
Does anyone have a suggestion for a GPS slide in for a Northstar M1 loran? My new plane to be picked up in a few weeks has one.

Michael
 
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