Welcome to the Radiobeacons page

This is the Radiobeacon section of our website, and on this page you will find lots of links, information and some useful publications that will help you to get started in the wonderful world of Beacon DXing. Beacons covered here include the Non-Directional Beacons (NDBs), which are mostly to be found on the lower frequency Bands, and also the HF Amateur Propagation and experimental beacons, some of which can be found on most of Amateur Radio Bands. DGPS Beacons are also covered, but you will find the information about these in our specialist 'Datamodes' Section. The publications and links shown below will help to point you in the right directions, but if you think that Beacon Hunting might be for you, then we would recommend joining the NDB List, where you will find lots of fellow enthusiasts who will be only too happy to help you get started and to share their experiences and tips with you. You can e-mail the webmaster at: webmaster at ndblist.info (NOTE# - the address is shown this way to deter spambots, so you'll need to replace the 'at' with an @ symbol if you use this).

The RNA-REU-RWW online database

There is one site we would definitely recommend that you visit, and this is the "RNA-REU-RWW" Online Database, which is a unique project run by Canadian DXer Martin Francis and his team, and shows which NDBs are currently active, and when and where they were last heard. The "RNA" stands for "Received in North America", and list NDBs, HF Beacons, Navtex Stations and DGPS Beacons from that area, and which have been received by listeners, and similarly, the "REU" (Received in Europe), and "RWW" (Received World-Wide", also cover the other parts of the world. If you would like to make use of the Database, or even add your own logs to it, then you can find out more about it by clicking on the buttons below: REU RNA RWW

Useful NDB Related Publications

NDB Publications 2024 New for 2024, brand new editions of the Michael Oexner's popular and essential 'European NDB Handbook' (ENDBH) containing over 8,400 NDBs, the 'North American NDB Handbook' (NANDBH) covering some 5,900 NDBs. Also the new and unique 'The Global NDB Handbook' (GNDBH), containing some 17,400 NDBs worldwide, and perfect for those who like to listen on the various and ever growing network of WebSDRs around the globe. For full details of prices, and information about where to obtain the publications, just click on the image or link above and download the .pdf file An Introduction to NDB DXing v1.1 This 50 page publications takes some of the information from the old and no longer available 'Beacon Hunter's Handbook' and presents it here in a simpler format for anyone just starting in the hobby. 'An introduction to Beacon DXing', is just that and is completely free of charge, and can be printed out either as one complete file, or as three separate parts if preferred. QSLing the Beacons This 5 page article by experienced QSL Hunter Steve McDonald VE7SL, will help you to find out how to go about getting a verification from that Non Directional Beacon. NDB List Country Code List This list shows the system of country codes used for the purposes of NDB List CLE Events and Awards. Please note that these are in no way representative of political borders and are purely based on 'radio countries'’. (new edition, revised in May 2024) The History & Origins of the NDB List This article gives some information about how, when and why the NDB List was formed way back in 1998. The Origins of the monthly CLEs This article gives some background on how and when our beloved monthly Coordinated Listening Events began, and how they developed over the years. The NDB List Abbreviations File This printable 20 page publication list gives a comprehensive list of many of the terms and acronyms used on our mailing lists and website. Maine Trans-Atlantic NDBs 2017 This excellent article by Andy Robins, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA contains a fascinating look at what could be heard on the KiwiSDR owned by Bill Whitacre, and which is located at Quoddy House, in Lubec, Maine in November and December 2017, if you've not yet tried DXing with a remote SDR then maybe this will spur you into giving it a try. Trans-Pacific NDBs in 2017 This Another superb article by Andy Robins, this time it features a look at the Trans-Pacific NDBs that Andy found when going through a Perseus SDR recording made by Bill Whitacre on the Pacific Coast in Washington and Oregon. Morse Code & Phonetics This printable 5 page publication will help you to identify all those funny Morse Code characters and phonetics.

Useful NDB Related Software

WWSU 6.4 - Not a decoding program, but an excellent database program showing NDBs, NAVTEX and DGPS stations and beacons. Created by Alex, VE3GOP, this is an excellent piece of software for any DGPS enthusiast to have at their disposal, and is also very useful for creating your logs, and these can be edited to show any notes you wish to make. NDBfinder - This program was produced by Bev at COAA for use in decoding very weak NDB Signals, but now also includes the ability to decode LORAN signals. Not freeware, but a 21 day fully working trial version can be downloaded from this link. QUIZITIVE ID - This excellent program created by list member Doug Springfield, will also decode those 'Quizitive Idents' as well. The accompanying text file which explains how to use the program is included in the zipped archive. Our thanks to Doug for sharing this useful program with us. Two Timer - Another impressive program from list member Doug Springfield, this one is ideal for timing those Beacon Ident patterns. The instruction file in .txt format is also included in the zipped archive. Our thanks to Doug for sharing this program with us. Pskov NDB v2.1a - Ivan Monogarod's impressive and unique software, which helps to decode the weakest of NDB signals and offers a whole new aspect to the NDB hobby.