wont waste bandwidth recapping in any detail
but they are a C H E A P crystal controlled "MOPA" with a 6-8 meter long whip. the ID
runs on a cycle like Merv says. The beacons have something like 36 D cells for power -
ballast and cheap batteries
Pics on the VP6DX site of the two beacons we salvaged that had washed ashore
there
they very definitely do not have any "smarts - they don't even have a receiver of any
kind. there are some more expensive models that do answer only when interrogated, but I
believe those are mostly VHF models.
they are frustrating and annoying, but the only useful solution is to make yourself a band
map each night so you do not waste time on a known weak signal, and otherwise totally
ignore them.
Remember, if you hear a lot of fish beacons, the band IS open. If you are bored, watch the
UTC when they fade out (as long as its not YOUR sunrise), and you can make a very gross
guess of their possible longitude
Robin, WA6CDR
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Waters" <[email protected]>
To: "Merv Schweigert" <[email protected]>; "topband" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2012 17:45
Subject: Re: Topband: Fishing beacons redux
On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 7:38 PM, Merv Schweigert <[email protected]> wrote:
They do not change freq out here in KH6, if they did how in the world
would the boat know where to look for the beacon and DF it to find the
net??
I don't remember how they work. There was quite a discussion about this
hear about 3 years ago. I forget the details.
73, Mike
www.w0btu.com
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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
