Questions re VOR Symbols on VFR Sectional

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CarlinNH

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CarlinNH
This has been driving me a little batty today, since I cannot find clear explanations.

In the attached screen cap from New York sectional, I am comparing 2 VORs: Hartford (HFD) and Norwich (ORW).

Question 1: Both of them are indicated by their symbols as VOR-DME, yet the text in the Norwich communications box clearly states "VOR-DME" above the name "NORWICH", yet Hartford does not. Why ?

Question 2: The Norwich VOR symbol has an additional 4-pointed star overlaid. What does that 4 pointed star indicate ?

Thanks for any info, this will help me sleep at night.
 

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The one with the 4-pointed star is really two symbols overlaid. One is the VOR, the star is a GPS waypoint YANTC.
I don't know the answer to question #1.
 
The block for a NAVAID normally has the type (VOR, VORTAC, VOR-DME) in the top of the box, though sometimes it is deleted for cartographic clutter issues. Same as why sometimes they omit the compass roses around the VOR. You'll note that they skipped it all over the Philly-NYC area but eastern CT/RI and PA once you get out towards LNS has them.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
The one with the 4-pointed star is really two symbols overlaid. One is the VOR, the star is a GPS waypoint YANTC.
Click to expand...

Bingo, thank you. Clicking on the Enroute chart (IFR chart) in SkyVector, I see they have the RNAV Waypoint symbol defined there. And this verbiage I found elsewhere seems to explain why we see it on the VFR sectional, at least for certain cases: "If an RNAV waypoint is collocated with an intersection, DME fix, or NAVAID, the appropriate Intersection, DME fix, or NAVAID symbol will be charted."
 
flyingron said:
The block for a NAVAID normally has the type (VOR, VORTAC, VOR-DME) in the top of the box, though sometimes it is deleted for cartographic clutter issues. Same as why sometimes they omit the compass roses around the VOR.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I was wondering if that might be the reason, although that area of the chart did not seem that cluttered to me.
 
CarlinNH said:
Thanks, I was wondering if that might be the reason, although that area of the chart did not seem that cluttered to me.
Click to expand...
“Cluttered” is a relative term, probably subject to determination by the cartographer and his mood at the time.
 
I would surmise that the superposition of the GPS waypoint YANTC on top of the Norwich VOR is a prelude to its future decommissioning. For example, GTOWN just appeared in the last couple of cycles on top of GGT, which is scheduled for decommissioning. UCA disappeared recently and is now LAMMS.
 
The IAC charting specification says that the Navaid type is shown on the Navaid box if the VOR, VOR-DME, VORTAC is collocated with an airport. For the most part this seems to be followed, but there isn't an airport collocated with ORW.
 
Don't know the "why" for question one. Another check for DME availability is in the ID/Freq box. It shows that Hartford (HFD) freq lists CH 96 next to the VOR freq. That's a Tacan freq and we know that both Tacan and VOR share the same DME signal.
 
CarlinNH said:
This has been driving me a little batty today, since I cannot find clear explanations.

In the attached screen cap from New York sectional, I am comparing 2 VORs: Hartford (HFD) and Norwich (ORW).

Question 1: Both of them are indicated by their symbols as VOR-DME, yet the text in the Norwich communications box clearly states "VOR-DME" above the name "NORWICH", yet Hartford does not. Why ?

Question 2: The Norwich VOR symbol has an additional 4-pointed star overlaid. What does that 4 pointed star indicate ?

Thanks for any info, this will help me sleep at night.
Click to expand...
The ones where you can see the symbol on the chart, like the squares/octagons/three pointed TACAN thing, aren’t supposed to have it in the Box because you can see what it is from the symbol. The ones that are located on the airport do have it in the Box because there is just a white dot on the airport showing the location. I think what has happened at ORW, and see nearby PUT, is that the co-located Waypoint symbol may seem to make it hard to recognize the square/octagon/tacan symbol thing. So they put in the Box. I can’t find it in writing that that’s the reason, but I’m putting my money down on it is.
 
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