Examples:
regina
YQL
332
Thunder
A popular pursuit among low-frequency radio experimenters is trying to hear the signals of remote radiobeacons. These beacons transmit continuously in the 190 - 525 KHz frequency range (longwave and medium wave), and are used for navigation by aircraft and ships. They generally transmit a Morse code identification consisting of 1, 2, or 3 letters or digits.
An excellent technical article on receiving NDB signals,
written by Sheldon Remington, can be found
here.
Other useful details about Canadian and Greenland beacons:
- Almost all Canadian NDB's use 400 Hz upper sideband modulation.
- Canadian beacons have a long "dash" between each identification.
- Most Greenland beacons now use 400 Hz modulation with no "dash".
A nice site exists for looking up domestic US navigation aids, maintained by Paulo Santos. Unfortunately, it only lists a few of the Canadian beacons, which is a severe shortcoming for DXers who live in the northern states or in Canada. To help solve this problem, I have assembled a database of all Canadian and Greenland NDB's. These are available as downloadable text files (50 KB each), sorted by frequency, identifier, and geographic name. A "[D]" in the identifier column means that it is a DGPS beacon with no Morse ID. If you come across errors or omissions in these lists, please email me at the address below.
For more general information on the fascinating world of longwave radio, see the Longwave Club of America site, maintained by John Davis. Also see my own Longwave Page.
Happy hunting!
73,
Pierre Thomson, KA2QPG