NavList:

There’s been intermittent reference to Non Directional Beacons within “What precision is required in cel nav?”, so rather than go off topic, I’m continuing with a new thread.  I used to love the lighthouse beacons.  During training, which involved bumbling up and down the North Sea in a Varsity Trainer, I was never very confident at tuning into radio beacons, so I used the light houses.  Up to six would transmit on the same frequency at one minute intervals, so in three minutes you often had all you needed for a three P/L fix.  I continued to use them when I bought TIKI (only 27ft I’m afraid, but I like to think ‘small but perfectly formed’).  I just looked out my old Sea Fix RDF, which came with the vessel (photos and experiments to follow).  I nearly chucked it away last year, but I kept it because it had a rather nice compass on the top.  I see that written on the side in 2B pencil are the notes from the last time I used it about 20 years ago.  I scribbled: FB, Flamborough Lighthouse: 303.4, the frequency; 2, presumably it kicked in two minutes past the hour and every six minutes thereafter; and A0A2, the RT/CW settings.  Always worth a chance, I Googled FB 303.4 khz and straight away this came up. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/opinion/columnists/on-the-waterfront-safe-to-proceed-1-3283444 Halfway though the copy it explains all about the lighthouse beacons.  DaveP