Bill Meara has a cool [SolderSmoke blog post][SS] about the [Reverse Beacon Network][RBN]. Unlike regular (“forward”?) beacons where a station automatically transmits specially formatted messages, the Reverse Beacon Network listens for real operators calling CQ (“Does anybody wanna chat with me?”).
I have a little bit of a problem with forward beacons because it doesn’t involve 2-way communication between people, just a couple of pieces of hardware. I think this reverse beacon idea is superior because it’s taking advantage of existing communications. Also I’m guessing there are a lot more people calling CQ than there are beacon transmitters.
I think this would be a fantastic use for my [30m SoftRock][] kit once I finish it!
[SS]: http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2011/07/wow-reverse-beacon-network.html
[RBN]: http://www.reversebeacon.net/main.php
[30m SoftRock]: http://www.n6na.org/home/UserN3JIMsoftrock30m
