HFU HF Underground
General Category => General Radio Discussion => Topic started by: Antennae on November 23, 2013, 0305 UTC
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I like finding new facets in life. And just now when perusing the radio beacons discussion I found the term "pirate beacon." I'm in a wonderful WTH?! moment.
What is the draw to beacons?
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http://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/Beacon
A pirate beacon would be a beacon that is operated without a license from the FCC, at least in the United States. The beacon operator runs the same risk as a pirate radio operator, and they do get busted from time to time.
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A far as beacons in general...
The draw to listening for them is the challenge that they are usually low powered and some are in very remote locations.
For example, beacons in the "lowfer" range (160-190kc), must operate at only one watt in a very noisy part of the spectrum. It's an accomplishment to ever hear one.
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Thanks for your replies but it still didn't answer my question so I did an internet search.
I just found a site that explained it.
http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2009/09/chasing-pirate-beacons.html
I like how some are solar powered things and also how some give off weak signals.