Category: NDB (Page 3 of 7)

QSL NDB MIA-292 Melilla

March 17, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

A QSL for NDB MIA-292 in Melilla. As Melilla is a Spanish enclave on the North African coast it counts as a separate radio country, a new one for me. I chased for a week on this one. Made SDR recordings from sunset until sunrise of the 290-310 kHz band, in 1 hour segments. Next processed the recordings with Pskov.
This resulted in 3 loggings of MIA, of which one was clearly identifiable and thus reportable. Unfortunately I did not obtain an good copy of NDB CEU-300 from Ceuta, which is also high on my wish list.

I sent my report to informacion@enaire.es, and as with earlier reception reports the confirmation email contained a datasheet but also a high quality photo of the antenna.

QSL NDB PX-389 Perigueux-Bassillac

March 8, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 2 Comments

I received an email as QSL NDB PX-389 Perigueux-Bassillac, France. A big thank you to Juan Antonio Arranz who provided me the email address for this beacon. Unfortunately the beacon will be switched off in May this year as the team wrote in their email:

It’s always surprising to know that our PX beacon can be received from so far away! Not long ago we received the same message from Spain.

Indeed, unfortunately the beacon will be out of service from May 2024. The associated procedure can no longer be used. In France, Civil Aviation is reducing costs, particularly when it concerns small airfields. The Périgueux aerodrome has no longer had a regular service since June 2018.

We are managed by a joint union and account for around 15,000 movements per year: leisure and business aviation, organ transport and medical evacuations, military training, etc.

Our team is made up of 4 people: 2 agents at the control tower and 2 airport firefighters.

QSL NDB SAY-431 Stornoway

February 18, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

QSL for NDB SAY-431 from Stornoway signed by Peadar Smith, Air Traffic Controller. Peadar answered my reception report by email first and offered me to sign a PPC as well. And since I thought of starting using PPCs again I gladly accepted his offer:

PPC for my reception of NDB SAY-431 Stornoway, United Kingdom — PPC QSL for NDB SAY-431 Stornoway, Isle of Lewis.

Stornoway is situated on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, United Kingdom. The airfield was opened in 1937, primarily for military purposes. Today it is owned by HIAL and mainly used for domestic services.

My QSL is the 5th from a HIAL airport (Islay, Wick, Benbecula and Kirkwall other the other NDBs I received a QSL for). I sent my initial report to info@hial.co.uk. But you could also send your report to directly to Peader at the address below. Mind you: Peader is an avid stamp collector, so trust he will be very happy if you could add some stamps with your report!

Peadar Smith
Air Traffic Controller
Port Adhair Steòrnabhagh
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited
Stornoway Airport, Isle of Lewis, HS2 OBN
United Kingdom

QSL NDB L-365, L-372, B-429, R-534 Czech Republic

February 15, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 1 Comment

In the last three months of last year I received 11 beacons from the Czech Republic. My report to ANS remained unanswered. Arvid Husdal was so kind to provide me with the email address of Miroslav Najman, OK1DUB, who works at ANS as Radiocommunications Systems Adminstrator.

Within a day Mr. Najman sent me an email. 7 of the 11 beacons in my report were military and outside ANS responsibility (see below). But he could confirm my reception of 4 of them:

NDB L, Karlovy Vary, 365 kHz
NDB L, Prague, 372 kHz
NDB B, Brno, 429 kHz,
NDB R, Ostrava, 534 kHz

The beacons are Thales NDB 436, operating on 50 Watts power. In addition to the technical info I received 4 nice pictures of the transmitter containers and antennas.

The following beacons are owned by the military:
CF-345.5 and C-715 for Caslav Airbase
PK-432 and P-888 for Pardubice Airport (shared mil/civil)
K-438 for Praha-Kbely Airbase
LA-514.5 and XU-563 for Namest nad Oslavou Airbase

QSL NDB WCK-344 Wick

February 5, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

My 4th QSL from a HIAL airport! The other ones are Islay, Benbecula and Kirkwall. I sent my report of my reception of NDB WCK at 344 kHz, Wick, to info@hial.co.uk, and got a detailed letter plus a holiday brochure by regular mail from Neil Bramble, Senior Air Traffic Controller at Wick John O’Groats Airport.

posted by regular mail: QSL letter confirming reception of NDB WCK Wick/John O’Groats

Wick John O’Groats Airport is located in the northern tip of Scotland and hence the most northern airport of mainland United Kingdom. The only scheduled flights are by Eastern Airways to and from Aberdeen.

QSL NDB LAY-395 Islay

February 3, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

The Islay airport is one of 11 airports operated by HIAL (Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd.) in Scotland. I sent my reception report of NDB LAY-395 Islay to info@hial.co.uk . The QSL was by email from Laura at the Islay Admin desk.

Islay is the most southern island of the Inner-Hebrides. The island has close to 3500 residents and 9 (!) whisky distilleries. There is only one scheduled flight, twice a day, by Logan Air to and from Glasgow.

QSL NDB VR-365 Gran Canaria

January 23, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

The third QSL I received for a beacon from the Canary Islands: NDB VT-365 on the island of Gran Canaria. The largest island, but not the beacon with the best signal overhere as you can see on the Pskov image on my PPC. I got my QSL via informacion@enaire.es

QSL NDB BX-389 La Palma

January 22, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

This QSL is for another of the three beacons I received from the Canary Islands: NDB BX-389 La Palma.

“PPC” QSL for NDB BX-389, La Palma, Canary Islands

La Palma Airport is just one runway, but unlike tiny El Hierro it does offer flights to Europe.

QSL NDB HIE-376 El Hierro

January 20, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

During the CLE299 all of a sudden I received three beacons from the Canary Islands. I’ve said it before, reception from a station based on an island is somehow always a bit special. So I am very pleased with this QSL for NDB HIE-376, located on the island of El Hierro.

“PPC” QSL for NDB HIE-376 El Hierro, Canary Islands.

El Hierro is the tiniest inhabited island of the Canaries. But it has an airstrip, and on the picture below you can actually see the radio beacon, to the left of the terminal building. It’s a tiny airport, and traffic is limited to flights from Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

El Hierro Airport. Photo © Iván Berrocal

As was the case with the QSL for the NDBs on the Baleares, the email confirming my reception came with a fully detailed datasheet:

QSL 7 NDBs from Bulgaria

January 16, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 2 Comments

There are 9 active NDBs in Bulgaria. During the CLE299 event I was able to receive 7 of them. Mr. Kostadinov, Deputy Director Operational Systems was so kind to sent me an email confirming my reception of:

GNA-284 Gorna
BOZ-312 Bozhurishte
DWN-350 Devnya for Varna
KMN-399 Burgas/Kamenar
PDV-450 Plovdiv
WAK-490 Vakarel
PD-537 Plovdiv

Despite the distance, which is between 1719 and 1958 km from my home QTH, I receive these beacons on an almost daily basis. But on the other hand I did not yet receive the remaining two: BD-297 and BU-321…