Amateur radio beacons are small radio transmitters that automatically send out signals on specific frequencies. Think of them like radio lighthouses, constantly sending signals so others can tell how clear the path is.
They’re set up and maintained by licensed amateur (ham) radio operators or radio clubs. Our beacons help radio operators test how well radio signals travel through the atmosphere at different times, and conditions.
Operators will listen for beacons to see which frequencies are “open”, and how far signals can reach.
At Finningley ARS our beacons are hosted on the club site, and are operational 24/7. Looking in to todays running costs of beacons, we are working on having them ‘Off-Grid’, by running them from Solar and battery storage.
We’d be happy and grateful to recieve any help with equipment to keep them on the air, at the same power levels and duration. Please contact us if you can help with the setup and running of them.
Beacon Status
GB3FNY – 432.445MHz – Big Wheel – ERP 40W - GB3KEU – 5760.925MHz – Slot – ERP 25W
- GB3FNY – 10368.752MHz – Slot – ERP 10W
If you hear any of our beacons, we would like to know, please spot it on the DX cluster network.
For a list of beacons on VHF upwards take a look at the beaconspot.uk, or the RSGB website.
Neil G4DBN’s twitter post about Wind Turbine Scatter/Doppler on GB3FNY 10GHz – http://www.g4dbn.uk/?p=834
Denis G3UVR (SK) – the GB3FNY 10GHz beacon, via rain scatter.