TALKING BEACON SYSTEM IN JAPAN

Tohru Tadano and Shosaku Itoh

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	THIS SYSTEM has been developed and put to practical use in Japan to give accurate fix by sending voice information to small fishing boats, yachts or other pleasure boats, which have no such radio-navigational apparatuses as Loran receivers, Radars, etc. In this system, three talking beacon stations are operated as one group. These stations are given their identifying color names of Red, Black and Green respectively, and each station sends the information of its identifying color name, followed by the true bearing every two degrees, by emitting sharp beams of 9310 MHz which are pulse width modulated by voice signals. The radial LOPS of talking beacon charts are printed in their identification colors for clear and distinct identification of a station. Talking beacon receivers are equipped with a non-directional Antenna, and so the sharp beam of the transmitting antenna is swept in synchronization with each other in order not to permit receiving of the signals of more than one station by the users at the same time in main available area of the coverage of the chain. The rotating speed of transmitting antenna is 1/3 r.p.m., but the users are able to receive one identification signal per minute from a single station because each station has three transmitting antennas arranged every 120 degrees in it’s constructural angle. The cost of a talking beacon receiver is some 120 dollars and its weight except antenna and cable is approximately 3 pounds.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 16, Number 4
Pages:	346 - 354
Cite this article:	Tadano, Tohru, Itoh, Shosaku, "TALKING BEACON SYSTEM IN JAPAN", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 16, No. 4, Winter 1969-1970, pp. 346-354.
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