Traffic Freq transmitting Beacon?

[N3KGD]

At my local airport (KERI) or Erie Intl'. The tower frequency located on 118.100MHz AM was transmitting for a continuous 2 hours a beacon of some sort. Instead of normal aircraft traffic to/from the airport - it was a beacon.

Could this be one of the approach markers (Outer, Middle, Inner) or a VOR point?

If it does it again today - I'll get a recording sample and post it.

 

[BigJimbo]

Are you sure it was 118.1, not possibly 108.1. Most of the ILS related equipment operates from 108 to just under 118 Mhz.

Was there a morse code identifier you could hear every 15-30 seconds or was is just an open carrier? You would be able to hear a localizer and VOR, but unless you are literally "on top/above" the markers, you wouldnt hear them. Their beams are low power and very directional. Plus with the markers, all you would hear are beeps anyway.

Interesting......

 

[N3KGD]

It's happened the second time this week. And it is 118.1 because that is one of the few airport frequencies programmed into my scanner. It locks on and stays until PRIORITY channel takes over. So, I just listened throughout the day and it finally stopped at around 1830. When I first heard it at around 1615.

I checked this morning before I left and didn't hear anything. Maybe it will happen again. This time I'm going to catch the audio.


No morse code identification - nothing except:
"beep" 2 second pause "beeep 1 second pause "beep" 2 second pause "beeep" repeating.

And it was just a tad on the low side. I had to turn squelch down to 0 from about 15% to hear the continuous carrier and beeping. Also, there WAS no traffic on that frequency. Every other frequency was active for traffic however.


Also, the airport is about 5 miles from my location in Erie. I have a bad enough time picking up the ATIS channel unless I hook the mobile scanner up to my repeater antenna in HAM radio.

 

[captaincraig44]

Birdie?

 

[N3KGD]

Nope! Just checked now - and we have traffic today. And plus silence - no carrier. This incident happened on 4 radios of mine!

 

[DaveNF2G]

Could be spurs from the ASR (Airport Surveillance Radar). I've heard blasts of noise from ASR when at airports and seeing the antenna turn toward my position.

 

[Lowa2]

it could also be a VOT (VHF Omni Test). It is a system that pilots use to test their VOR receivers on the ground before they take off. It transmits 30Hz AM, 30Hz FM, and 1020Hz in a similar fashion to the way you describe. beep, pause, beep, pause ect.....

at my airport, it's on 115.3MHz.

edit: Most ASR's rotate at 12 RPM (one turn every 5 seconds), and have a very narrow beamwidth (3degrees).