Keep ADF or DME?

imwithtuxedo

imwithtuxedo

Pre-takeoff checklist
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As an instrument pilot looking at a new plane and if it had both a DME and ADF in the panel and you were to get rid of one with considerations for best usage for alternate approaches if GPS fails or is blacked out, which would it be and why?
 
The ADF. The number of NDB approaches will continue to decrease. Frankly I am surprised there are any left now. The DME would be useful if you need VOR only NAV. Doing cross reference with the MON would be difficult.
 
I'd keep the DME (haven't finished IR training yet), mainly as there are no ADF approaches anywhere near me. DME can help if your GPS failed. Having a second ILS/VOR localizer head in the AC and you're golden.
 
I likely wouldn’t keep either, especially if the radios are old and questionable and I had an IFR GPS. But if everything is functional and I had to keep one I’d keep the DME. You’ll find it to be more useful than the ADF these days, in most areas of the US.
 
I had a busted ADF in my panel, and thought about replacing it with a working one from Ebay. They could be had for laughably inexpensive prices, some were even yellow tagged. I was dissuaded from doing so her and elsewhere. After reading about what one had to do to accomplish an ADF approach I had the damn thing removed. I still have the DME, and if it ever breaks I may repair it. Thing has its uses.
 
Agree with ditch the ADF and Keep the DME. But if you do decide to ditch the DME I have access to a couple training airplanes that could use it. But then not sure it is worth the cost to have it installed.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
steingar said:
I had a busted ADF in my panel, and thought about replacing it with a working one from Ebay. They could be had for laughably inexpensive prices, some were even yellow tagged. I was dissuaded from doing so her and elsewhere. After reading about what one had to do to accomplish an ADF approach I had the damn thing removed. I still have the DME, and if it ever breaks I may repair it. Thing has its uses.
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Almost the easiest approach to fly. Get bearing on the needle, make wind correction, keep that needle from moving. That's it.

But I wouldn't worry about keeping the ADF unless flying outside the US.
 
I pulled the ADF out when I put in the WAAS GPS. I kept the DME because it was fairly new, but I've only turned it on for curiosity purposes since. I'd get rid of them both.
 
The ADF. There are a fair number of time when it's helpful to use the GPS as a DME on a non-GPS approach. If GPS were TU, the DME would be useful.

The ADF is just a poor man's Sirius XM and lightning detector.
 
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Piper18O said:
But if you get rid of the ADF, how are you going to listen to the ballgames on the radio?
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Yeah, they need to add that to ADS-B In. Until then...
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EdFred said:
Almost the easiest approach to fly. Get bearing on the needle, make wind correction, keep that needle from moving. That's it.

But I wouldn't worry about keeping the ADF unless flying outside the US.
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Had my training materials said it so simply I might have kept the damn thing. After working through a few problems I happily deep sixed it. Can't imagine anything you'd do with an ADF that you can't do with a IFR legal GPS.
 
I would not pay money just to take something out.
Many times the Comm2/Nav2 are ancient, hence I would consider taking Comm2, Nav2, ADF and DME out and putting in a GNC255.
Unless you fully use GPS, you can still get distance.
 
steingar said:
Had my training materials said it so simply I might have kept the damn thing. After working through a few problems I happily deep sixed it. Can't imagine anything you'd do with an ADF that you can't do with a IFR legal GPS.
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You could have kept it, but good luck finding an NDB approach. There's what, like 6 left in the US?
 
Keep the DME and ditch the ADF. A VOR/DME combination makes a good terrestrial based backup if your satellite navigation system should become inop.
 
Removing my ADF and DME with associated antennas and wiring gained me 12lbs useful load.

Do miss listening to Sumer ball games in flight. :cool:
 
I decided to keep my ADF and ditch the DME. In the event of an unplanned GPS outage, VOR and DME are line of sight, while LF/MF signals (both NDBs and commercial AM stations) hug the ground.

IIRC the sparse VOR backup network in the future for Canada and the US will have full coverage only at 10,000 ft and above, which is no use if you're stuck below an icing layer, or trying to avoid embedded CB. The ADF adds a genuine extra emergency capability (low-level radio navigation after a GPS outage), while the DME does not.
 
David Megginson said:
I decided to keep my ADF and ditch the DME. In the event of an unplanned GPS outage, VOR and DME are line of sight, while LF/MF signals (both NDBs and commercial AM stations) hug the ground.
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It’s one of the means the Japanese used for navigating to Pearl Harbor, using ADF technology to a local Honolulu radio station.
 
David Megginson said:
I decided to keep my ADF and ditch the DME. In the event of an unplanned GPS outage, VOR and DME are line of sight, while LF/MF signals (both NDBs and commercial AM stations) hug the ground.

IIRC the sparse VOR backup network in the future for Canada and the US will have full coverage only at 10,000 ft and above, which is no use if you're stuck below an icing layer, or trying to avoid embedded CB. The ADF adds a genuine extra emergency capability (low-level radio navigation after a GPS outage), while the DME does not.
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I believe you may have my Foreflight overlay for the location of AM radio stations in the US for just this use? If not, available at http://steinmetz.org/peter/flying/
 
NordicDave said:
It’s one of the means the Japanese used for navigating to Pearl Harbor, using ADF technology to a local Honolulu radio station.
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And I suppose may be the way some day that aliens navigate to us to destroy those pesky humans
 
We didn't have DME, but our airplane does have ADF. We kept the ADF. I use Peter's overlay (thanks, Peter!) and fly to/from AM radio stations so I won't (hopefully) forget that aspect of instrument training. GPS was just getting to be more available when I trained. I have a few "roll your own" approaches to my home airport, just in case. I had to fly an honest to goodness NDB approach on my checkride. The NDB is gone from our airport now, and the VOR approach wasn't on the last chart update.

All that being said, I would keep the DME. :)
 
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