[ARC5] And then there were none

[Robert Nickels]

On 12/6/2019 7:36 AM, Robert Eleazer wrote:
> No doubt that amateur maintenance of the NDB's would not be able 
> to ensure they meet the standards required for aviation navigation.

I'm not sure what that means.   At one time before it was decommissioned 
the local NDB was emitting nearly as much field strength on the 3rd and 
5th harmonics as on the fundamental, and my attempts to explain this to 
the FAA led nowhere because the technician was only following the 
procedure and all his measurements were within spec.   It was worse when 
I tried to explain that their ATIS transmitter was more intelligible 
with an FM detector than on AM.   But I was listening 5 miles away 
whereas the pilots who were sitting on the ground at the airport could 
hear it fine.  (It finally got fixed after it deteriorated to complete 
garble and pilots complained).

My point is that amateur volunteers (ham or otherwise) who would 
undertake maintenance of NDB stations as a hobby radio resource would be 
more technically savvy and more motivated to make sure they were 
performing properly.

Meeting the standards required for aviation navigation would not be 
necessary because they would not longer be aids to navigation.   The 
whole idea would be to transfer ownership to local radio enthusiasts for 
hobby radio purposes after they are decommissioned as navigational 
beacons.  That would probably mean eliminating the FAA role and creating 
a new service solely under FCC jurisdiction.   But as long as an NDB is 
on the air transmitting a signal from a known location it could still be 
used in an emergency.

73, Bob W9RAN