[50mhz] Beacon

[Bill VanAlstyne]

Christopher Boone wrote:

> Sooooo 50.06 - 50.08 is your best choice :) Power can be up to legal
> limit...

Assume you mean 1.5KW. Sorry, not so... The "legal limit" for an automatic
beacon station is 100W. See Part 97, Section 203(c). And operation in the
50.06 - 50.08 MHz region isn't a choice, it's DA LAW.  :-)  This URL will take
you there:

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/05dec20031700/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2003/octqtr/47cfr97.203.htm

Bill / W5WVO
Albuquerque, NM


(beacons are supposed
> to show propogation under normal or less than normal
> conditions.....running a KW on a beacon would not make much
> sense...since most ops won't be! :)
>
> Now as to what it should say, all that is required by FCC Part 97 is
> your callsign....nothing else..What you decide to put on it is up to
> you...
>
> MOST beacons use  "QST de <callsign>/BCN  <Grid Square> PSE QSL"
> or similar....some use V instead of QST at the start......some include
> city and state, etc etc.....Some don't add the /BCN or /B (for Beacon)
> and just run their callsign (again perfectly legal either way!)
>
> Hope that helps
>
> Chris
> WB5ITT
>
> Jason Vierik - KC8SZU wrote:
>> I want to setup a beacon to run maybe a few hours here and there a
>> night from Michigan.  My FT-897 will beacon in CW.  I guess my
>> question is, how much power can I run?  What exactly should the
>> beacon say?  I am going to be using a PAR omni OA-50 at about 25
>> feet off the ground.  I live in a pretty high elevation for michigan
>> though.