[Uncle Chip]

The arcs represent the capability of the receiver, not the course of the aircraft.

Wrong -- the arcs represent the distance the plane was from the satellite at a certain point in time.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “the arcs represent the distance the plane was from the satellite at a certain point in time” <<

.
No!

[editor-surveyor]

All we are talking about here is a VHF radio transmission.

There is no way that the sat can give us position.

Time is the vector that it gives us.