Category: NDB (Page 3 of 7)

QSL NDB VNA-364 Vanja

September 23, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 2 Comments

A QSL from NDB VNA-354 Vanja, a navigation aid for Umea Airport in Sweden.

Earlier I received a e-QSL for my reception of the other NDB for Umea Airport WU-329. The engineering team that reached out to me promised to send a QSL card by mail for the other beacon VNA-364 once they had completed their maintenance visit and were able to take a few pictures. Last week I received it!

It is always nice to get a picture of an NDB. Sometimes I’m able to trace them on Streetview in Google Maps. But as Christoffer from the Engineering team explained: no chance for VNA which is pretty much off the beaten track. The picture below shows the access path to the beacon.

The transmitter is SA-100D transmitter with 100 Watt. Christoffer told me it’s the same as WU uses and the stations are near identical in terms of looks.

NDB VNA Vanja transmitter building and antenna

QSL NDB NMS-329 Namsos

September 16, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 3 Comments

QSL for NDB NMS-329, a navigation aid for Namsos Airport. This regional airport is located in central Norway, situated along the river Namsen, which flows into the Namsenfjord.
Namsos Airport has one of the smallest runways for airports with regular flights. They are operated by Widerøe with destinations Trondheim, Oslo and Rørvik, as part of a public service obligation. As Trondheim is only 165 kilometers away, and roads between Namsos and Trondheim are upgraded, many people travel by car to Trondheim to take a flight from there.

The beacon is one of those that I receive quite regularly in the Netherlands. Thanks to Goran Hardenmark for helping me out with the contact address at Avinor for the QSL!

Email to QSL NDB NMS for Namsos Airport on 329 kHz

QSL NDB WU-329 Umea

September 12, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 1 Comment

Almost exactly a year ago I wrote a post on my reception of two beacons for Umea Airport: WU-329 and VNA-364. At the time I received a polite “thank you email” from Swedavia, the operator of Umea Airport. But hardly a QSL.

Two weeks ago I was contacted by engineers working at AVISEQ, the company responsible for the maintenance of the navigation aids and ATC communication/systems in Sweden. They had read my post and prepared the above eQSL for NDB WU-329 me and there should be a QSL for VNA-364 on its way. Of the latter beacon I also received some nice pictures, as the team was doing some maintenance on VNA. I will post them together with the QSL.

Stay tuned for more!

QSL NDB TAZ-345 Tivat

April 25, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 2 Comments

SMATSA stands for Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Safety Agency. Mr. Slavisa Savic, who is also a HAM operator with call sign YT5DX , was so kind to confirm my reception of radio beacon TAZ. This non directional beacon is in service for Tivat Airport in Montenegro. My 195th radio country confirmed!

QSL NDB LAR-382 and EVR-425 Portugal

March 23, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

I received a friendly email to QSL NDB LAR-382 and EVR-425 Portugal. Rosa Roque, head of maintenance at FIR Lisboa Airport, answered the email I sent to geral@nav.pt . The same address that verified my reception of NDB FIL on the Azores.

Dear Peter,

We confirm that these are the frequencies and the call sign of these radio beacons.

It’s amazing how, under exceptional propagation conditions, a frequency can be heard at such a great distance.

This is to confirm that Peter Reuderink has received radio beacons LAR on 382 kHz, and EVR on 425 kHz.

Many thanks. Best Regards.

Atenciosamente,

Rosa Roque

DOPLIS/MANLIS – Head of Maintenance Services

Lisbon FIR Operations Directorate

As far as I know their are 4 NDBs left in Portugal. Two of them can be received most evenings at my QTH,
LAR at Arruda (I guess the callsign is derived from Lisboa-ARruda) is situated north of Lisbon International Airport aligned with the runway.
EVR is situated at Évora Municipal Airport. The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer owns two plants adjacent to the airport.

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.