[ARC5] NDB IDs

[Geoff]

Swan counted as a seperate DXCC country before we were forced to give it to 
Honduras in 1972.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael A. Bittner" <mmab at cox.net>
To: <jeepp at comcast.net>
Cc: <Arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 7:27 PM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] NDB IDs


>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
>  ______________________________________________________________
>  ARC5 mailing list
>  Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/arc5
>  Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>  Post: mailto:ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
>
>  This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>  Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
> ARC5 mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/arc5
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>
> -----
> No virus found in this message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 10.0.1427 / Virus Database: 2441/5365 - Release Date: 10/31/12
>