Buck:

A difficult to find but accurate book which answers your question about WW2 is "Secret Weapon" by Kathleen Broome
Williams published by Naval Institute Press. I no longer have a copy at hand, so I cannot quote figures for claimed
accuracy.

The reason Hams can't do this are two-fold:
1. Space
2. Money.

A good HF Adcock of WW2 design requires 10 or more acres to be accurate and is expensive to build because of the
mechanical accuracy involved. The 1960s vintage CDAA systems discussed typically require 40 acres, and the last
replacement cost figure I saw was over $100 million. The smaller "Pusher" systems are difficult to pin down price wise,
as they are out of production, but are still in the million dollar range for a prepared site, which for them is still
several acres. Measured sensitivity of the Pusher is 9 or 10 dB poorer than the full size CDAA, and the accuracy tends
to be less, although in both cases instantaneous accuracy is dependent on propagation and not system accuracy. Mobile
systems can be much less expensive, but to deploy one, you need to already know where the target is, more or less. By
the way, the last FCC mobile system I saw was in an unmarked Chrysler sedan with NO obvious external antennas.

And, even with the best equipment, a one degree accuracy (rare) still produces a large area of uncertainty at the target
distance. That is the key to understanding this. At a mile or a few blocks distance, a one degree accuracy will get
you to the target. At 2,000 miles, it just tells you which ocean the target is in.

--
Crazy George
the ATTGlobal.net is a SPAM trap. Use the att dot biz account.
"Buck" wrote in message ...
In WWII the allies were able to pinpoint the locations of German HF
transmissions very accurately. They were able to pinpoint the
locations of U-boats, etc. when they transmitted. (or so I have been
led to believe).

What methods did they use to do this? Is it something duplicatable
with Radio Amateurs in general or does it require some special type
equipment?


I hear lots of amateurs describing interference and other problems on
HF, but no one seems to be triangulating the offending stations. I am
guessing that the real secret was in their communications with the
'spotters' to triangulate the positions.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

--
73 for now
Buck
N4PGW