BEACON INFORMATION for the person planning a 10 meter propagation beacon
........I am the IARU Region 2 HF Beacon Coordinator.......
When a person decides to put a beacon on the air it is
customary to send Me a message indicating the operation of the beacon
(continuous or intermittent), power, antenna and the frequency selected.
wj5o@amsat.org
.... Frequency selection....... by the future beacon operator...
First, obtain an up-to-date ten meter beacon listing....
http://userpages.troycable.net/~wj5o/bcn.htm
Second, study the frequencies/locations of the beacons in operation.....
Third, select a frequency using the following criteria as a guide
.... as
a general rule, East coast beacon frequencies should not conflict with
European/African beacons frequencies......West coast beacons should not conflict
with
Japanese or "down under" beacon frequencies.......... and Central USA
frequencies should not
conflict with Central/South American beacon frequencies.......An individual's
beacon frequency
should avoid the NCDX/IARU 28.200MHz beacon frequency completely. ........ Two
beacons of
about equal power can be discernable as close as 1 KHz in frequency
of each other but low power signals and signals of 10 Watts up should not be
on adjacent frequencies.......... Try to maintain at least a 1KHz spacing
between beacons in the same North American "quarters" like Northeast,
Southeast, Southwest and Northwest......500 Hz spacing OK for beacons located in
different North American "Quadrants" or time zones....
If You have difficulty determining a frequency
I will suggest two or three frequencies
If You select a frequency...Please coordinate with Me before going "ON THE AIR" .... I sometimes know of other beacon activities that could effect operation on a given frequency.
... Beacon messages.....As this "sunspot" cycle continues on
the "downward slide it is important that the message be concise without extraneous
information. With the noise, rapid fading and backscatter flutter it is
difficult to "wade" through a bunch of information that is not
necessary trying to catch the ID of the beacon signal. please read:
http://www.explore.force9.co.uk/beacons/idealbeacon.htm
A beacon operator can help beacon listeners to identify and report
beacon signals by having an "ideal" message.
The best way for a beacon operator to know "WHEN & WHERE" the beacon signal is being heard is by subscribing to the HF Beacon Reflector.
http://www.explore.force9.co.uk/beacons/hfbeacons.htm