Topband: fishing buoys

[Lee K7tjr]

I commonly hear the fishing buoys here in the pacific northwest also..  I
have been told by a kh6 that worked in the maritime industry that these
little fishing buoys were attached to large drift nets in the sea.. This
allows the fishermen to find their nets with the help of a special radar
that utilizes this signal to spot the buoy on the radar screen. The buoys we
hear usually identify several times with about 10 wpm cw.. They utilize a 3
letter call sign and sometimes include numbers.. After the ID cw they will
send a solid carrier for a few seconds and then go silent for a few
minutes.. I understand they are about a 5 watt signal operating with a 10 ft
whip antenna... I wish I could get as many miles per watt they seem to get
with these buoys.. regards all  Lee K7tjr