[ARC5] Non Directional Beacons

[Sandy Blaize]

I think just about ALL of the nautical beacons are gone.  All the ones 
near moth of Mississippi River are gone.  No more beacons to calibrate 
RDF receivers on any more.  I am still a believer that when they 
decommissioned the LORAN C system it was a a gross screw up!  It was a 
very excellent backup for the GPS should it go nuts. Modern navigators 
don't know what to do with beacons and Loran systems 
anyway.....or.....celestial navigation via the sextant in spite of the 
reliability of the GPS system!

The most terrible piece of crap they ever designed was the Omega system 
which (Thank God) got scrapped.  They usually went totally nuts when a 
thunder storm passed over and couldn't get the "lanes" reestablished 
correctly.  A navigator is useless if it can't tell the mate: "Where the 
F**k are we?"

Although aero beacons are basically obsolete, they are HELPFUL getting 
lined up with a runway where there isn't any ILS, local OMNI to help you 
out and the weather/visibility is crappy!  MUCH better than nothing at 
the end of a "wearing" flight due to weather.

73,

Sandy W5TVW
On 1/1/2015 1:29 PM, DSP3 wrote:
> You are most correct in saying that NDBs, especially H and HH 
> facilities, are becoming dinosaurs in the CONUS.  This does not 
> account for the 3rd World, however!   The vestiges of the CONUS LF 
> system is now pretty much left to the low-cast compass locators, sited 
> generally at small airports; those that can't afford or cannot 
> politically cause the FAA to install something else.  That, of course, 
> is reinforced by the fact that GPS-based approaches are evolving more 
> and more.  Of course, its always a good thing to have "something" at 
> the airdrome, itself, to tell one when you're there. My flight bag is 
> not convenient at the moment, but looking at a just-expired DC 
> Sectional, I can readily see about a dozen or so NDBs.  DCA has one on 
> 332 kHz, Gaithersburg on 385 kHz, The old Ft. Meade NDB (now Arundel) 
> is on 260 kHz.  Looks like DCA is the only big airdrome with one of 
> them and, truth told, its also affiliated with Davisson AAF, in 
> reality. .  Neither BWI, ADW, or IAD have anything LF going, anymore.  
> Scanning around the chart... there still a number of them heading 
> south and west.  All the oldies but goodies are gone... Millvile NJ 
> used to be one of the last  A/N Ranges.  All gone.....  Its also hard, 
> these days for me to hear much from these 25-50 watt beacons.  I used 
> to hear OXON (DCA) well up here in Frederick MD but no more.....
>
> NDB's are licensed by the FCC, but approved and coordinated by the 
> FAA.  There are FAA forms one fills out with justifications and 
> pre-coordination of frequencies.  They are under the FCC "Aeronautical 
> Services" category, in this case.  If its nautical, then I think the 
> USGC and the FCC are involved. Are there still any nautical LF 
> beacons?  I've no idea.....
>
> Jeep - K3HVG
>
>
>
> On 12/31/2014 12:28 PM, David Stinson wrote:
>> Does anyone know the "correct" way to license an NDB?
>> I've looked around on the web and can't find anything specific
>> or clear enough to use.
>> LF NDBs are dropping dead by dozens.  Sad.
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