The Beaconworld Download Section/Library

THE BEACONWORLD DOWNLOAD PAGE

Below you will find a number of useful files related to Beacon Dxing, which you can download for free. This is by no means an exhaustive collection, and I am always more than pleased to include any new material here, or place links to the work of other beacon enthusiasts, so if you have a file of your own that you would like to see included here please do contact me with the details, and I would be more than happy to display your work. You can contact me at the following address:

webmaster at beaconworld.org.uk (you'll need to replace the 'at' with an @ symbol)

Many of these files are available in .pdf format, and you will need an Adobe Acrobat reader to open them, these can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website, or from various other sources. "The Beacon Hunter's Handbook" is designed to to help any newcomers to the hobby of beacon Dxing, and is intended to provide a lot of the basic information required to help you get started. This publication also includes much of the information included in the Beaconworld 'Datafile' page, and includes many of the sources of information that are helpful to the (budding) beacon enthusiast. A brand new 2009 edition has been produced, and this new version now contains 173 pages of useful information, including many colour graphics.

SOME OF THE PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE HERE:

"LW Dxing Starts at 1,500 miles" is an excellent article written by the late Arthur Owen G2FUD, a very experienced T/A dxer, and gives lots of essential information for the European dxer who wishes to try and hear some of the beacons from Canada, the USA and other parts of North America. This is also available in both zipped and unzipped formats.

"The NDB Abbreviations List" It can be very frustrating when you are bombarded with jargon, or acronyms which don't mean a thing to you, the "NDB Abbreviations List" is an attempt to make life easier for beacon enthusiasts by providing an explanation in simple english about what some of these terms mean. This list grows bigger by the week, so keep a look out for updates!

"DGPS Beacons of the World" As someone who likes to receive DGPS beacons over long distances, I thought it was about time we had a few listings here to help newcomers to this aspect of the hobby. Further down this page you will find my "DGPS Beacons of the World" database" in .pdf format, and also "DGPS Stations in North America, by Andy Robins. Many more DGPS articles can be found in the DGPS Section of this website.

"NAVTEX Stations of the World" This new NAVTEX Database is now presented in a similar format to the World DGPS Database, and will hopefully prove to be as useful. You will find a printable .pdf copy further down the page, along with the newer "NAVTEX Scheduled Broadcasts" database. Many more articles related to this subject can also be found in the Navtex Section of this website

"Roelof's NDB Offsets" - First introduced in December 2005, Roelof, PA0RDT, has kindly allowed his unique database of NDB Offset measurements to be included here, and this should prove to be very useful to anyone NDB enthusiast working with very narrow audio or IF filters, who will be only too aware how difficult it can be to find NDBs when working at these sorts of bandwidths.

Also included are files covering NDB Country Codes, ICAO Codes, Oil Platform Beacons, VLF/LF Guides etc. Look for more being added here soon. As always, a reminder that these files are produced purely for hobbyists, and should never be used for navigation purposes.

If you enjoyed reading Andy and Russell Robins' article "NDB Tour Around Michigan", you'll love their new article, "AN INFORMAL GUIDE TO NDB HUNTING". I'm pleased to announce that this excellent article is now available here for download in .pdf format, and if you are thinking of planning, or oragising an NDB tour of your own you'll definitely want to read this first! **BE WARNED** - with the current international situation it may not be advisable to go wandering around airfields without first getting the permission of the owners. What may seem innocent to us hobbyists could be viewed with suspicion if you were to be found wandering around an airport perimeter with a camera and scanner. Due care and common sense should used at all times until things settle down once again.

If you have an article relating to the hobby that you would like see included here, please contact me with details. My intention is to make this page an easily available information source, where beacon enthusiasts can gather all the information necessary to help them in the hobby.

Finally, there are a number of other very useful publications available for download from other sites on the Internet - most notably Sheldon Remington's excellent article "On The Art of NDB Dxing", which is highly recommended, and a 'must read' for any beacon enthusiast, whether beginner or old hand. This is now exclusively available from the LWCA (Long Wave Club of America) website http://www.lwca.org which should also be the next stop for anyone interested in Beacons or LF.

CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINKS TO DOWNLOAD THE PUBLICATIONS YOU REQUIRE:

(All are in .pdf format)

# IMPORTANT NOTE: The following publications are provided free for informational purposes, and may be used and reproduced by any 'NON-COMMERCIAL' sources (Hobbyists, DX Clubs etc.) provided that they are left in their unaltered form, and give full credit to the Beaconworld website as the point of origin, and to the author(s) or copyright holders. They should not be sold or reproduced commercially under any circumstances without first receiving the permission of the copyright owner.

If you don't already have an Adobe Acrobat reader you will need to download one from the Adobe website, just click on the link below to get one:

MORE ARTICLES CAN BE FOUND IN THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS:

Some of the articles in the above sections can also be found on this page, but many are 'original', and purely related to the particular subject (e.g. the DGPS & Navtex Sections only contains articles related to DGPS and Navtex Dxing). Articles included on this page are considered to be of a more general interest, and possibly also of interest to a wider audience.

BEACON, DGPS & NAVTEX ARTICLES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

	ABBREVIATIONS & JARGON LIST: - Ever wondered what all those strange terms, and weird language used by Beacon Dxers meant? This useful NDB List file will help to clear up any confusion. (104kb)
	ALA 100 REVIEW: - A review of this excellent and popular LF Antenna. (96.2kb)
	A GUIDE TO NAVTEX DXING v1.5 :- This guide gives a little more information about the mode of Navtex, the equipment used to receive it, and some information about how to understand the various messages that you will receive. (This edition updated 11th September 2007 - 160.0kb)
	ANDY'S INFORMAL GUIDE TO NDB HUNTING: - If you enjoyed the 'Michigan NDB Tour' you'll love this second article by Andy Robins KB8QGF and Russell Robins N8HOQ. If you're planning a tour of your own this article will help show you how to go about it, and what not to do! (447kb)
	ANDY'S MICHIGAN NDB TOUR: (Version 5) - This excellent guide by Andy Robins KB8QGF, and Russell Robins N8HOQ, is a 'must read' if you are planning your own NDB Hunt. Check out the words, pictures and sounds of the tour as you follow their travels around the state of Michigan. (937kb)
	ANDY'S NEW ZEALAND - AUSTRALIAN CRUISE LOGS: In March 2007 Andy Robins KB8QGF, took a cruise around New Zealand and Australia on the m/v Sapphire Princess, and managed to find a little time for NDB DXing. This file shows all of the 'down under' NDBs that Andy logged during the trip - many which are rarely ever reported by NDB Dxers. With Solar Minimum approaching, and some spectacular LF propagation appearing, this may well make a useful 'target list' for many beacon enthusiasts! (15.3kb)
	AN INTRODUCTION TO DGPS DXING v1.8: - If you are thinking about trying your hand at DGPS Dxing, this guide might help you to get started. NOTE# This edition completely revised and updated in August 2008 22 pages (1.31MB)
	CANADIAN NDBs: (sorted by frequency) - This is a very comprehensive database of Canadian NDBs, which has been compiled and updated by well known Canadian Radio Monitor Jacques d'Avignon. This version list the beacons sorted in frequency order. (revised October 2004) (70.7kb)
	CANADIAN NDBs: (sorted by callsign) - This is a a copy of Jacques' Canadian NDB database, but this time sorted by callsign. (revised October 2004) (70.0kb)
	DGPS STATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA (DGPSNA-2003): - Compiled by Andy Robins, this database lists the DGPS beacons operating in North America. Information given includes beacon reference codes and positions - ideal for the North American DGPS DXer! (this edition updated November 2003) (45.3kb)
	GROUND MOUNTING A DF LOOP ANTENNA: - Thinking of installing a ground mounted rotatable loop antenna? This new article might just help to make the job a lot less painful. (2.97MB)
	ICAO PREFIX CODES LIST: - If you use "official" publications such as Aerad, this will help you to quickly identify which country the airfield belongs to from the 4 letter ICAO code given. (20kb)
	LF FREQUENCY GUIDE 30 - 150 kHz: - Compiled by Trond Jacobsen of ALFLAB, this LF guide is a very comprehensive look at what signals are audible between 30 and 150 kHz. A must for LF Fans! (87kb)
	LWBC DATABASE: - This list is designed to help NDB enthusiasts find those elusive gaps between the LW BC QRM! (76.1kb)
	LW BEACON DXING STARTS AT 1500 MILES: - This useful article by the late Arthur Owen G2FUD will help you to hear those elusive Transatlantic beacons - it certainly helped me! (21kb)
	MORSE PUNCTUATION & INTERNATIONAL CHARACTERS: - Some beacons, especially those in the CIS countries do use accented characters, this printable guide will help you to easily check these out when you hear them. (45.8kb)
	NDB OFFSETS: - A look at "Offsets" and how to understand them, by Brian Keyte. (67.5kb)
	NDB PUBLICATIONS 2009:- NEW 2009 EDITIONS NOW AVAILABLE A full list of all the latest 2009 editions of the famous European and North American NDB Handbooks (ENDBH & NANDBH), produced by Michael Oexner. An essential set of publications for all NDB enthusiasts, no listening post should be without one! (32.0kb)
	QSLING THE BEACONS: - You've heard it, but that's only half the battle, now you would like to get it verified. In this file experienced QSL Hunter Steve McDonald, VE7SL will give you lots of good advice on just how to go about doing this. (84.3kb)
	RADIOBEACONS IN THE BRITISH ISLES: - This is a list of the active NDBs in the UK, Republic of Ireland, and nearby crown dependencies (now includes ICAO codes), this section is sorted by Frequency Order (now in a printer friendly .pdf format). This edition was last updated 27th August 2009. (71.4kb)
	RECEIVING NAVTEX - A SIMPLE INTRODUCTION: - If you are thinking about giving this mode a try, this simple introduction by Brian Keyte, G3SIA should help you to get started. (20.0kb)
	ROELOF'S NDB OFFSETS 2007: - This new database is probably the most accurate listing of NDB Offsets to be found anywhere on the Internet. Produced and updated by Roelof, PA0RDT, the inventor of the famous "PA0RDT Mini-Whip. This new .pdf version updated January 2007. (108kb)
	SPANISH NAVAID DATABASE: - This new database, produced and updated by Juan Pedro Esteve Garcia and myself is an attempt to put together an up to date database of active NDBs, DGPS Beacons and Navtex Stations in Spain and its Dependencies. Produced purely for the use of DGPS and Beacon enthusiasts, this database comes as a zipped Excel file. It was created using Micosoft Excel 2000, and a programme capable of reading Excel 97-2000 or Excel 5.0/95 workbooks will be required to view it. (this edition was last updated November 30th 2005 - 43.8kb)
	THE BEACON HUNTER'S HANDBOOK: (2009 edition):- NEW 2009 EDITION NOW AVAILABLE New to Beacon Hunting? This publication will help to explain the ins and outs of getting started in beacon Dxing, and point you to a lot of useful beacon related information sources. Now available in 9 separate printable .pdf sections, all these are here in one zipped .pdf file for download. (2009 edition, last updated 19th of January 2009 - 173 pages - 7.35MB)
	THE NDB LIST COUNTRY CODES DATABASE: - This is a 'new' list of country codes created by members of the NDB List reflector. The idea behind this is to try and produce a meaningful and usable list of country codes to be used instead of the ITU Country Code List (updated Oct. 2006). (45.3kb)
	THE NDB LIST COUNTRY CODES DATABASE: - This list is exactly the same as the one above, but is in Excel spreadsheet format, and 'zipped' to keep out the Spambots. (updated Oct. 2006). (32.0kb)
	THE PHONETIC CODE & MORSE FILE: - This document will help to explain what a lot of the commonly used morse and phonetic codes are. (126kb)
	THE WUN ELF/VLF GUIDE: (version 1.0 16112001) - Not beacons, but will be of great interest to many LF enthusiasts - the new WUN ELF/VLF Guide compiled by Trond Jacobsen. My thanks to Trond for being kind enough to allow me to post his files here and share them with you! (61kb)

** NOTE **

Information given in this page may be freely re-produced by any 'NON-COMMERCIAL' sources (hobbyists, DX Clubs etc.) provided that due credit is given to the 'Beaconworld' website as the source, and files are not altered in any way without the prior permission of the copyright holder.

Last updated 1st of January 2010.

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