PLT OF A MOONEY 20C ON AN ILS APCH USING ADF TO EXECUTE THE PROC TURN HAS ADF MALFUNCTION. 3 MI OFF COURSE BOTH HE AND THE APCH CTLR RECOGNIZED A PROB.

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ADF MALFUNCTION PRIOR TO/DURING PROC TURN TO COMMENCE ILS RWY 29 APCH INTO ORH -- ENDED UP 3 MI OFF COURSE. WOULD HAVE DECLARED MISSED APCH IF A CONVENIENT BREAK IN CLOUDS HADN'T APPEARED; ALLOWING CANCELLATION AND VFR DSCNT. BDL APCH REALIZED I WAS OFF COURSE AT THE SAME MOMENT I FIGURED IT OUT. RADAR COVERAGE IS LOUSY AND SHOULD BE IMPROVED. THE ADF PROB WASN'T THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY. CHAIN OF EVENTS: I HAVEN'T SHOT THIS APCH IN A LONG TIME. PLANNED TO USE GPS TO SET UP THE PROC TURN. THE GPS DATABASE; AS IT TURNED OUT; DOESN'T KNOW THE BEACON BY ITS 'NDB' NAME (EK). WHEN I DIALED IT UP; I GOT A SILLY RANGE AND BEARING (+/-800 NM). SO; I SWITCHED TO PLAN B; USE THE ADF TO EXECUTE THE PROC TURN. TUNED; IDENTED AND TESTED THE ADF -- LOOKED OK. AT STATION PASSAGE (OR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS STATION PASSAGE); TURNED PT OUTBOUND; THEN INBOUND. THE ILS GS FLAG WAS IN VIEW -- OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WAS TOTALLY WHACKED. PRESSING 'TEST' ON THE ADF FAILED TO MAKE THE NEEDLE SPIN. SOMETIME BTWN THE INITIAL TUNE-IN/TEST AND THE POINT WHERE I STARTED MY PROC TURN; THE ADF DIED. GIVEN A CERTIFIED GPS; I DON'T OFTEN USE THE ADF. WHAT A LOUSY TIME TO DISCOVER IT WASN'T WORKING RIGHT. THANKFULLY; THERE'S NOT MUCH TO HIT AT 4000 FT IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD; OTHERWISE THIS RPT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN FILED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE PROB WAS WITH HIS ADF EQUIP WHICH IS VERY OLD AND 'NEEDS A BRAIN TRANSPLANT.' HIS AVIONICS PERSON TOLD HIM TO USE IT TO LISTEN TO THE BALL GAME; NOT FOR NAV. RPTR WAS TRYING TO USE THE ADF AS BACKUP AND MONITORING; BUT SOON KNEW THERE WAS A PROB WITH IT WHEN GPS WAS UNUSABLE. THERE IS A PROB WITH BRADLEY RADAR IN THE AREA AND PLTS ARE REQUIRED TO USE A COMPLETE APCH PROC IF THERE IS ANY WX INVOLVED.