[ARC5] NDB IDs

[Michael A. Bittner]

I recall logging Swan Island sometime in the middle '70s  from my former home in Manhattan Beach, CA.  Equipment was an RCA AVR-104 running on dry batteries and the living room curtain rod as an antenna.  About the same time, I also logged Radio Belize, on their then odd-ball frequency of 834 kHz, using a BC-946 with a homebrew AC power supply clipped on the back in place of the dynamotor.  
I too lament the passing of so many NDBs and the 4-course radio range stations for DXing, but not for flying.  Doing a fade-90 execise on a 4-course range in instrument conditions with lightning crashes in your headphones was no fun at all.
I also lament the passing of the Consolan station in Petaluma, CA.  You could always count on it to define the low end of the dial on an R-23/ARC-5.  When it finally went silent, it was like losing an old friend. 
Mike, W6MAB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: D. Platt 
  Cc: Arc5 at mailman.qth.net 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 1:47 PM
  Subject: Re: [ARC5] NDB IDs


  Gents,

  LF'ing can be very interesting.  My old BC-779 will do a nice job but I 
  currently have (for whatever reason) a spare Bendix ADF-T-12C setup with 
  the loop and sense antennas. ( We still have on in the aircraft for 
  back-up for the back-up and for a little help on ILS approaches).  The 
  loop setup is infinitely more quiet, of course.  I was privy to the 
  "other end" a few years back when I was on Swan Island, W. Caribbean.  
  The 407kHz 1000 watt FAA HH beacon attracted a fair amount of SWL 
  activity such that I bought a consignment of SWL cards to send out.  The 
  longest distance, as I recall, was an SWL in the Netherlands.  The thing 
  is, there are not too many CONUS HH beacons left, if at all.  When I was 
  assigned to Swan, I had to go to the Bahamas to get a famiz with the 
  equipment. Most LF beacons are "compass locators" running from about 25 
  to 75 watts, max, and located (typically) around an airdrome.  In the 
  old days, of course, before the VOR system came along, NDBs and Adcock 
  ranges were the bee's knees.  I recall as a kid, and a new ham in the 
  late 50's, listening to the A/N Adcock range near Millville NJ.  In 
  fact, that range was one of the last ones on the East Coast to be 
  decommissioned.  Truth told, I don't personally know of any CONUS airway 
  segment that is currently defined by an NDB.  There are still a lot of 
  non-precision NDB approaches in force, however.  But, GPS is winning out 
  in many places.  In the Third World, NDBs were the rule up until global 
  GPS came into regular usage.  In Africa, there are still a number of 
  medium power LF stations on the air (sic) depending on the state of that 
  country's political stability, at the moment.  Another issue there is 
  that the QRN can be so bad that reliable lock-up is difficult, at best. 
  Again, GPS saves the day.  BTW, I've still got an LF/MF airways chart 
  from the 40's.  Its neat to see how it was done in days of yore.....

  Jeep - K3HVG
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