Synonyms

radio compass

American

noun

a radio receiver with a directional antenna for determining the bearing of the receiver from a radio transmitter.

radio compass British

noun

any navigational device that gives a bearing by determining the direction of incoming radio waves transmitted from a particular radio station or beacon See also goniometer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of radio compass

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

radio compass

But radio compass bearings were relatively new navigational aids at the time and not trusted by veteran mariners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2019

It is also better for radio compass work.

From Time Magazine Archive

One of 16 B-29s on the way from California to Great Britain was having trouble with its radio compass.

From Time Magazine Archive

In California he worked under Dr. Frederick August Kolster, famed "father of the radio compass," at Federal Telegraph Co.,

From Time Magazine Archive

"I never knew anything about radio compass stations before," announced Dick.

From Walter and the Wireless by William F. (William Frederick) Stecher

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023