NDB – Non-Directional Beacon BE 332kHz – Concord MA USA

Location:  42.479767, -71.388970

City:  Concord, MA USA

Freq:  332 kHz

Call:  BE

Power: <25 Watts

Associated Airport:  BED

Deep in the mosquito infested woods of historic Concord MA is a locator outer marker associated with Hanscom Airport/AFB (BED) in Bedford MA.  There are two different services emanating from the site.

First, this is the transmission site for non-directional beacon ‘BE’.  The site utilizes a flat top multi-wire T-aerial consisting of three wires strung between what looks like a pair of extra tall utility poles.  In the center of the span is a drop wire that connects to the actual transmitter located at the shack.  The station constantly sends out the letters ‘BE’ in morse code which is received by airplane pre-gps navigation equipment which uses it to calculate location.

Secondly there is an outer marker co-located at the site (see above picture).  This sends out a signal received by a plane’s ILS landing system to notify the pilot of his location on the path toward the runway.