Im really confused about GPS intercepts.

Heres an example, see if im correct:

Say i want to intercept station "X" inbound:
DTK = 045

Say my BRG (BTS) = 200 so my BFS =020, im N/E of the station so i have to fly S/W direction for any kind of inbound intercept.
TRK = doesn't matter

Once i intercept the 045 DTK my GPS would show me:
-BRG = 225
-TRK = 225
-DTK = 045 obvs
so now im flying inbound on the 45 degree track to the station?

but for inbound my DTK=BRG=TRK right? So im really confused. for this to make sense I would have to have started somewhere either N/W or S/W of the station thus when im flying on my DTK =45 my TRK =45 and my BRG = 45.

Once you are on a direct track of 045° to a station you would be south west of it.

As you say, if at the start, your bearing to the station is 200° then you are north east of it, which is an unlikely place to start to intercept a 045° track to it.

ols500 wrote: ↑Wed May 24, 2023 4:39 pm Im really confused about GPS intercepts.

Heres an example, see if im correct:

Say i want to intercept station "X" inbound:
DTK = 045

Say my BRG (BTS) = 200 so my BFS =020, im N/E of the station so i have to fly S/W direction for any kind of inbound intercept.
TRK = doesn't matter

Once i intercept the 045 DTK my GPS would show me:
-BRG = 225
-TRK = 225
-DTK = 045 obvs
so now im flying inbound on the 45 degree track to the station?

but for inbound my DTK=BRG=TRK right? So im really confused. for this to make sense I would have to have started somewhere either N/W or S/W of the station thus when im flying on my DTK =45 my TRK =45 and my BRG = 45.

Sounds to me, pulling away from the Jays losing, like you’d need to turn right, fly SE to intercept a 045 outbound track.

At 020 from the station, you are NW of a 045 outbound track, BTS would be 225.

I’m assuming you mean you are 020 outbound from the station, and transitioning to an intercept that is 045 from station.

Somebody draw a diagram.

By TRK i mean my current track, this will change throughout the intercept:
-My inital track --> my intercepting track (an angle to my DTK, e.g. 30, 45, 60, 90) ---> My TRK=DTK

I think im confused on outbound and inbound, can someone give me a full defintion please. thanks.

You are confusing something very simple.

DTK is always TO the waypoint.

We don't care about going FROM it (in most case) because we always have another waypoint to go to until we are at our destination.

You're confused about inbound/outbound? It's as you say.. one is toward the waypoint, one is away from it. We can draw or follow lines each way but again we rarely need to go FROM.

There's four ways you can go TO a GPS waypoint. I think.. other than offsets and all of that.

1) Direct. Just like it sounds. Right from your position to the waypoint. Maybe some turn anticipation put into the track so your plane doesn't overshoot.

2) OBS. So this is what you are talking about. OBS or setting an intercept track means that you are going to head to the waypoint on a selected track. 045 would mean yes you'd have to maneuver yourself SW of the waypoint to intercept that track if you were NE. Now... in Garmin land OBSing suspends the waypoint so that once you cross it.. you'd continue that 045 track FROM the waypoint. Not all GPS are like this and some will automatically sequence you to the next waypoint. But this is about the only time you'd be concerned with an outbound track from a waypoint. The other is a Downwind Termination Waypoint on an open star where you just keep going until you get vectored onto the approach.

3) Activate Leg. This is where you make the leg between the active waypoint and the previous waypoint active. This sets the front course of the CDI to the leg and then you can navigate to it (usually by heading or vectors) to intercept it at any point.

4) Vectors to Final. Much like Activate Leg except it doesn't need a previous waypoint and is generally only for approaches

thank you.