	Rugby 100 kHz LORAN-C , 50 kW	photos by Glyn Thomas and Matthias Thonke

	These are the transmitting buildings of Rugby. The photo was taken from one of the two masts (250 m high). The second mast can be seen behind the buildings. A new T antenna was suspended between these two masts (spacing 402 m ). The feeding point of the antenna is located on top of the roof of the building in front. The photo shows an insulator on the left side of the roof. This insulator represents the RF outlead of the antenna tuning unit inside of the building.
	LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters to determine the location and speed of ships and aeroplanes. For LORAN-C several transmitter stations are needed. The system consists of a main transmitter and several sub transmitters, which are located several hundred kilometers from the main transmitter. Each station transmitts impulses. The different delays of these signals coming from the stations are received i.e. on a ship and are used to determine the position and the speed of the ship. LORAN was introduced during Second World War. Although nowadays GPS (Global Positioning System) is mainly used for determining the position of a receiver on earth, LORAN is still operating in Europe mainly for military purpose because it is considered as highly reliable. The United States and Canada turned off the LORAN system.
		The computer modell comprises the following elements: - T- antenna, - the two masts inclding their guys and - the transmitting building with grounding net around the building. Besides determining the electrical behaviour of the antenna it was the main task to calculate the statics of the antenna for all wind and ice conditions ( complying British Standards) in order not to exceed the stability of the masts. The statics, the design, also in detail, and the as built drawings were carried out by Matthias Thonke. I was proud to be his assistant.

	Rugby is a market town in the county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands of England, on the River Avon. The town has a population of 62,790 (2002 census). The larger borough of Rugby has a population of 91,600 (2005 estimate). Rugby is located 13 miles (21 km) east of Coventry, on the eastern edge of Warwickshire, near the borders with Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. The town is most famous as being the credited birthplace of rugby football. The town has a very famous Public School.	One of the most notable landmarks around Rugby is the Rugby VLF transmitter, a large radio transmitting station located just to the east of the town. The station was opened in 1926 and has been used to transmit the MSF time signal. Several of the masts however were decommissioned and demolished by explosives in 2004, although a few including 4 of the biggest masts still remain. At present a trial of transmission of the LORAN-C navigation system is being run at the station using the antenna described here. It started in June 2005 and is due to be switched off in 2007. According to a legend the game "Rugby" or "Rugby football" was played the first time during a football match in the town of Rugby. When the team of William Webb Ellis encountered a defeat in 1823, he gripped the ball with his hands and put it into the goal. Althogh there are genuine doubts about this story, the world champion cup of the Rugby-Union is called after Webb Ellis (Webb Ellis Cup). Left: a statue of Rupert Brooke in Rugby where he was born August 3, 1887. He died 23rd of April 1915 in Lemnos, Ägäis. His poetry became known worldwide.

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		Above: T - point, connection between vertical radiator and top load Left: top load fixed to the mast photos: John D. Allen, http://lorsta.org/