Question 6A547

In LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) systems, the master station serves as the primary timing reference for the entire chain. A) The master station initiates the timing sequence by transmitting an RF pulse. This pulse travels outward and is received by the designated slave stations. Each slave station, upon receiving the master's pulse, waits a precisely determined interval (known as the coding delay) before transmitting its own pulse. This process ensures a fixed, synchronized timing relationship between all stations in the chain, crucial for the hyperbolic navigation principle where a receiver measures the time difference of arrival (TDOA) between signals from the master and each slave to determine its position. B) The slave station does not originate the RF pulse; it retransmits its own pulse after receiving and synchronizing with the master's pulse. Its transmission is therefore dependent on the master. C) While practical LORAN navigation systems typically require at least one master and two or more slave stations to generate sufficient lines of position for a navigation fix, the fundamental *relationship* between a master and a slave station can exist with just one slave. For a full navigational solution, two slaves are indeed needed. However, the statement is not universally true about the master-slave relationship itself. D) Since options B and C are incorrect, this option is also incorrect.