If you operate on the HF amateur bands, chances are you’ve heard of the Reverse Beacon Network. If you are a DXer or contester, you have probably used RBN spots, tested antennas or compared signals with your friends. But did you know that now, ionospheric scientists have begun to make use of RBN data to better understand the Sun’s interactions with radio propagation, and you can participate?
Most amateurs are familiar with beacons – automated stations that transmit from a known location so a receiving station can assess propagation to the beacon’s locationbetween the two locations. A “reverse beacon” is a station that listens to many transmitting stations and reports what it hears. This allows propagation to be evaluated over a wide area. The Reverse Beacon Network (RBN – www.reversebeacon.net) consists of many such stations, extending nearly worldwide and making their signal reports available over the Internet, allowing propagation to be evaluated over a wide area.
The RBN’s has become well known since its advent in 2009. Its success has changed the face of Amateur Radio, particularly radiosport., Along with and that of similar signal monitoring and reporting systems such as WSPRNet (wsprnet.org) and PSKReporter (pskreporter.info), has changed the face of Amateur Radio, particularly radiosport. In addition, it providess amateurs a means to measure and experiment with propagation and other natural phenomena alongside the scientific community. How did the RBN come to be and what lies behind it?