lionel wrote:
The certified DME receiver in your plane will take care of the part of TACAN that needs emitting.
You can’t tune a civilian DME to all TACAN channels. Those channels are missing from chflyer’s table.
Per the Canada Flight Supplement, DME frequencies are paired to TACAN X and Y DME frequencies to allow DME receivers to use the DME functions of TACAN not co-located with a VOR. See below.
alioth wrote:
you can’t make the full feature set of TACAN with just a receiver (and you WOULD need to come up with a certified solution for the full feature set, because you now need a radio transmitter, so you’ll need it to be certified by at least the authorities that control radio spectrum)
The certified DME receiver in your plane will take care of the part of TACAN that needs emitting.
The thing is VOR/DME is good enough, and TACAN is only as common as VOR in the USA.
Today it would be extremely inexpensive to make a non-certified TACAN receiver using an SDR dongle and off the shelf computer hardware (e.g. Raspberry pi and a display). But why bother when you’ve got GPS on your phone and your tablet – especially as you can’t make the full feature set of TACAN with just a receiver (and you WOULD need to come up with a certified solution for the full feature set, because you now need a radio transmitter, so you’ll need it to be certified by at least the authorities that control radio spectrum)
OK, thanks
Seems like X-Plane is plain wrong about TACANs, treat them as VORTACs, or the navi file has some errors.
It’s kind of odd no one has made a non certified TACAN receiver/transponder for GA. From what I gather it is simpler and better than civilian VOR-DME, Simpler antenna, and no need for certification because it’s not civilian. TACAN will never (in the foreseeable future) go away. Found one “civilian” version. The cost is US$ 100k + and it weighs a ton 
In the USA, most VORs are also TACANs (VORTAC). The TACAN is in the conical bit of the station (this is why US VORs look like a “witches hat” but most European VORs, which lack the TACAN, look like a dinner plate).
VOR receivers can’t receive TACAN – it’s not only the frequency band that’s different (as already has been noted) but also the signal itself is different to VOR. TACAN is about three times more accurate than VOR.
There are some VORTAC around, where we can use the VOR part and the DME compatible TACAN component. BAM or KOK or HAM for example
I think that X-plane simulator code just co-locates DME-VOR-TACAN in same mirrored VHF frequency? In your case you are inputing that VHF frequency in the VOR receiver and DME/TACAN just works?
Ultimately, you would have to put UHF frequencies in DME/TACAN, especially if your are the aircraft transmitting distance/bearing, while others may pick distance from you on their UHF DMEs (including those who use a mock VHF frequency)
The DME traditionally associated with a VOR is in the same band as the DME associated with a TACAN. So a normal DME box will pick up either DME. But a normal VOR receiver won’t pick up a TACAN.
As for the display device, they can handle either. For example my Sandel SN3500 EHSI can do this, even though Sandel charge $1k for the TACAN capability.
