Update : 10/01/08 After something like 35 years The APL Amateur Radio Club has decided to change call sign.

The new call is W3APL.

The beacon stations will be QRT while the change is made to the system.

Update:06/10/05

At long last W3VD is fully QRO. Status, W3VD/B QRO on the following bands as of 1900 UT 06/10/05

Details:

1296.060 MHz 300 mW into an Alford slot at 125 ft

903.055 MHz 7 Watts into a halo at 68 Ft.

432.312 MHz 7 Watts into a crossed dipole at 68 ft,

144.296 MHz 8 Watts into a halo @ 57 Ft,

50.064 MHz 8 Watts into a halo at 53 ft.

28.296 MHz 8 Watts into a dipole @ 55 Ft

QSL via E-Mail to: w3vd@jhuapl.edu

73, Steve Gemeny - AA3NM W3VD Club President

Background W3VD is the APL Amateur Radio Club Call. APL is an abbreviation for The Applied Physics Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University. The beacon site is APL. Six simultaneous transmitters are keyed using a common keyer. Beacons are on 28.296 MHz, 50.064 MHz, 144.296 MHz, 432.317 MHz, 903.056 MHz and 1296.060 MHz.

The beacon concept was first started in Europe and Bill Tynan, W3KMV, now W3XO, requested permission for APL to test a beacon on 144 MHz. A STA was given for 1 year. The FCC determined that this beacon did not seem to cause a problem and thus has allowed them to this date.

As a matter of trivia, the 144 MHz beacon that is heard today is the same one started in either 1976 or 1978 (I can't remember).

This was written by retired club member, W3TMZ.