Long Wave Beacons in Wisconsin
Note: The station listings on this page are outdated and many of these beacons are no longer on the air. The main value of this page is the longwave blog at the bottom.
This page contains two lists of all the longwave beacons in Wisconsin of which I am aware. The first list is organized by frequency, and contains data concerning on-air status:
"on" means that I have heard the beacon in my own listening, whether at home or on the road, some time within the past five years or so.
"off" means that I have tried to hear the beacon while near its location and did not find it active.
"?" means that I do not have any current information on the status of this beacon.
An asterisk means that I (or a contributor) have heard the station on the air, or heard it not on, since 1 May 1998.
The second list places the beacons in alphabetical order of location.
Wisconsin Beacons by Frequency
200 HXF Hartford: on*
203 PVB Platteville: on*
203 BXR Siren: on*
206 BDJ Boulder Junction: ?
206 RA Racine: on*
209 CLI Clintonville: on*
212 SSQ Shell Lake: on*
215 ISW Wisconsin Rapids: on
221 ARV Minocqua: on*
224 II Sturgeon Bay: on
230 AT Appleton: on*
233 DAF Necedah: on
233 OEO Osceola: on*
236 DO Minocqua: on*; ex-RUF
239 EA Eau Claire: on*
242 GM Milwaukee: on* formerly with voice weather
243 FZK Wausau: on*
248 FLD Fond du Lac: off*
251 HBW Hillsboro: off
254 ENY Ashland: on*
257 RRL Merrill: on*; short spacing between IDs
257 RNH New Richmond: on
260 BL Milwaukee: on*
260 SUW Superior: on
263 PBH Phillips: on*
266 DU Marshfield: on*
272 LS La Crosse: on*
272 RH Rhinelander: ?
275 CW Mosinee: on*
278 AHH Amery: on*
281 VOK Camp Douglas: off
285 WW Port Washington: ?
289 MO Manitowoc: off
294 RL Racine: off*
298 MK Milwaukee: on*; RTTY
302 V La Pointe: on
304 SC Sturgeon Bay: off
313 G Kewaunee: off
324 UM Plum Island: off
324 SY Sheboygan: ?
326 K3 Sturgeon Bay: off
326 EK Wisconsin Rapids: on
329 LLE West Bend: on*
332 SG Green Bay: on*
335 MDZ Medford: on*
338 HE Sheboygan: on*
341 EGV Eagle River: on*
344 SLY Hayward: on*
344 UNU Juneau: on*
347 AIG Antigo: on*
356 GR Green Bay: on*
356 RCX Ladysmith: on*
359 UES Waukesha: on*
362 BCK Black River Falls: on*
362 MT Manitowoc: on*
364 MHA Manitowish Waters: on*
365 MRJ Mineral Point: on*
368 VIQ Neillsville: on*
371 PKF Park Falls: on*
371 RYV Watertown: on*
375 UBE Cumberland: on*
375 JVL Janesville: ? But off for some years, I think
377 HWS Mosinee: on*
382 PCZ Waupaca: on*
388 OCQ Oconto: on*
388 OLG Solon Springs: on*
389 EN Kenosha: on*
391 MFI Marshfield: on*
395 OS Oshkosh: on*
396 LNL Land O'Lakes: on
400 MS Madison: on*
404 LVV Delavan: on*
407 AQ Appleton: on*; ex-AKT, ex-FXV
407 RIE Rice Lake: on
410 MK Milwaukee: on*
412 CMY Sparta: on*
414 SUE Sturgeon Bay: on*
512 ? Fort McCoy: off
526 ? Fort McCoy: off
Wisconsin Beacons by
Location
Amery: 278 AHH
Antigo: 347 AIG
Appleton: 230 AT, 407 AQ
Ashland: 254 ENY
Black River Falls: 362 BCK
Boulder Junction: 206 BDJ
Camp Douglas: 281 VOK
Clintonville: 209 CLI
Cumberland: 375 UBE
Delavan: 404 LVV
Eagle River: 341 EGV
Eau
Claire: 239 EA
Fond du Lac: 248 FLD
Fort McCoy: 512 ?, 526 ?
Green Bay: 332 SG, 356 GR
Hartford: 200 HXF
Hayward: 344 SLY
Hillsboro: 251 HBW
Janesville: 375 JVL
Juneau: 344 UNU
Kenosha: 389 EN
Kewaunee: 313 G
La Crosse: 272 LS
La Pointe: 302 V
Ladysmith: 356 RCX
Land O'Lakes: 396 LNL
Madison: 400 MS
Manitowish Waters: 364 MHA
Manitowoc: 289 MO, 362 MT
Marshfield: 266 DU, 391 MFI
Medford: 335 MDZ
Merrill: 257 RRL
Milwaukee: 242 MT, 260 BL, 298 MK, 410 MK
Mineral Point: 365 MRJ
Minocqua: 221 ARV, 236 DO
Mosinee: 275 CW, 377 HWS
Necedah: 233 DAF
Neillsville: 368 VIQ
New Richmond: 257 RNH
Oconto: 388 OCQ
Osceola: 233 OEO
Oshkosh: 395 OS
Park Falls: 371 PKF
Phillips: 263 PBH
Platteville: 203 PVB
Plum Island: 324 UM
Port Washington: 285 WW
Racine: 206 RA, 294 RL
Rhinelander: 272 RH
Rice Lake: 407 RIE
Sheboygan: 324 SY, 338 HE
Shell Lake: 212 SSQ
Siren: 203 BXR
Solon Springs: 388 OLG
Sparta: 412 CMY
Sturgeon Bay: 224 II, 304 SC, 326 K3, 414 SUE
Superior: 260 SUW
Watertown: 371 RYV
Waukesha: 359 UES
Waupaca: 382 PCZ
Wausau: 243 FZK
West Bend: 329 LLE
Wisconsin Rapids: 215 ISW, 326
EK
Some Longwave Links
The Longwave Home Page: from the Long Wave Club of America
Jilly's Longwave DX Radio Page
Robert Kramer's Longwave DX Information Page
Longwave Notes:
13-14 August 2019: Illinois beacons noted on: DE 275 Decatur, AAA 329 Lincoln, LH 334 Bloomington, PI 356 Peoria, SP 382 Springfield, CM 407 Champaign.
8-9 July 2019: Beacons noted on air while on the road: in Iowa, ORC 521 Orange City and SP 394 Spencer; in Minnesota, FQ 420 Fairmont and OT 277 Worthington; and in Wisconsin, LS 272 La Crosse and CMY 412 Sparta.
4-5 June 2019: Wisconsin beacons RCX 356 Ladysmith and RP 221 Rice Lake noted on while in the area. DL 379 Duluth MN also on.
21-22 May 2019: Here are the beacons I noted on the air while on the road in Wisconsin, in frequency order. SG 332 Green Bay, GR 356 Green Bay, MT 362 Manitowoc, MFI 391 Marshfield, OS 395 Oshkosh, AQ 407 Appleton. RYV 371 Watertown has been missing in recent checks.
14-15 August 2018: I visited PI 356 in Peoria, easily finding its site near the WOAM 1350 towers, and noting it on the air. But on a visit to LH 334 Bloomington, also easy to find just east of Towanda, I found it off the air.
22 May 2018: I visited the transmitter site of RF 275 Rockford IL and found it off the air at the time.
24 September 2016: A visit to the transmitter of RA 206 Racine WI revealed the station still in place but not on air.
16-17 August 2016: Notes taken while on the road in Wisconsin: MT 362 Manitowoc remains on. In Minocqua, ARV 221 is on and DO 236 is not, though DO's transmitter still stands. Rhinelander's RH 272 is on, as is AQ 407 in Appleton. In the southeast, OS 395 Oshkosh, UNU 341 Juneau, and RYV 371 Watertown remain active.
23-26 June 2016: Some travel notes: RF 275 Rockford IL remains on, as does IIB 206 Independence IA. AWG 219 Washington IA is off, and a visit to its site revealed that its equipment has been removed.
18 June 2016: On the road we note MT 362 Manitowoc WI on the air and II 224 Sturgeon Bay WI off; earlier, on a tip from Rick Dau, we noted RA 206 Racine WI reactivated.
31 August 2015: Two listeners in the Madison area note MS 400 Madison off the air.
11-12 August 2015: These Wisconsin beacons noted on the air: EA 239 Eau Claire, DU 266 Marshfield, MFI 391 Marshfield, CW 275 Mosinee, VIQ 368 Neillsville, and CMY 412 Sparta.
15-17 June 2015: I noted these Wisconsin beacons on the air: SG 332 Green Bay, UNU 344 Juneau, ARV 221 Minocqua, OS 395 Oshkosh, PKF 371 Park Falls, and RH 272 Rhinelander.
13 June 2014: RA 206 Racine WI noted off the air. EN 389 Kenosha and UG 379 Waukegan remain on.
10 April 2014: The transmitting equipment of silent BL 260 Milwaukee, located across the street from Bradford Beach, was taken down and removed this week.
18 March 2014: RF 275 Rockford IL noted on, from a transmitter in Ogle county.
13-14 August 2013: Traveling in central Wisconsin, I noted these beacons on the air: ISW 215 Wisconsin Rapids, DW 266 Marshfield, CW 275 Mosinee, EK 326 Wisconsin Rapids, PCZ 382 Waupaca, MFI 391 Marshfield, OS 395 Oshkosh. Listening near the transmitter, FZK 243 Wausau was noted not on.
July 2013: I noted these Illinois beacons on the air while on the road: FWC 257 Fairfield, AAA 329 Lincoln, CZB 359 Casey, SYZ 365 Shelbyville, LQ 375 Springfield, SP 382 Springfield, CIR 397 Cairo, PLX 391 Robinson, SLO 400 Salem, and CM 407 Champaign
24 May 2013: I visited the transmitter site of RYV 371 Watertown WI, located adjacent to Watertown Municipal Airport on the south side of Boomer Street; the beacon remains active.
27 Mar 2010: In Appleton, I noted AQ 407 active, and found its transmitter S of Natures Way at Tracey St, but did not hear AT 230. MT 362 Manitowoc remains active, as do SG 332 and GR 356 in Green Bay. In Sturgeon Bay, II 224 and SUE 414 are listed at the same coordinates, but I did not see the transmitter at that site, and found II on, but did not hear SUE.
25 Jun 2009: Listening in Cedar Rapids IA, I noted that CI 326 Cedar Rapids is not on, and did not hear AJP 287 Marion nor VTI 338 Vinton. UOC Iowa City, which was on 524 and supposed to move to 349, was heard on neither frequency. AL 382 Waterloo remains on.
1 Aug 2007: Monitoring beacons in the daytime from Oak Creek I made a few observations. Four nearby beacons were noted missing: Milwaukee's GM 242, BL 260, and MK 298, and UES 359 in Waukesha. There was a strong open carrier on about 305. New catches included MT 362 in Manitowoc, a beacon previously unknown to me (and now added to this page) and the surprisingly distant DFI 246 from Defiance OH.
8 Aug 2005: GM 242 Milwaukee is now IDing as MT. Thanks to Gary Timm for noticing this.
14-19 July 2003: Some notes on beacons in southern Illinois. Noted on: BDD 254 Brookport, CIR 397 Cairo, MD 388 Carbondale, HSB 230 Harrisburg, MW 382 Marion. Not heard: MIX 281 Metropolis, BEE 414 Benton. In Mattoon on 347 I heard NE, not MT, and in Greenville, I heard SLO on 233, not GRE.
17-19 March 2003: Visiting Minnesota, we noted these beacons on the air: HCD 209 Hutchinson, ULM 272 New Ulm, and ACQ 371 Waseca. ACQ carried voice weather.
2 January 2003: Monitoring beacons in Davenport IA, I found the following on the air: ML 215 Moline IL, DV 353 Davenport, CWI 377 Clinton IA, and FN 517 Clinton. BBC 224 Davenport is apparently not active, and I did not hear MUT 272 Muscatine IA, but perhaps I was just too far away.
29 July 2002: AMW 275 Ames IA noted IDing as IKV, in an apparent call change.
6 June 2002: GM 242 Milwaukee heard recently with code only, apparently having dropped voice weather (Kent Winrich)
18-20 March 2002: While in central Illinois we noted that the following beacons were active: 236 CTK Canton, 275 DE Decatur, 356 PI Peoria, 375 LQ Springfield, 382 SP Springfield, and 407 CM Champaign. I tried to hear 281 HMJ Homer from Urbana, and did not.
27 June 2001: UOC Iowa City IA noted back on the air on 524, not 349 (Rick Dau)
11-15 June 2001: On vacation in northern Minnesota, we noted these beacons on the air: AIT 397 Aitkin, MD 371 Bemidji, BR 251 Brainerd, COQ 335 Cloquet (code only; had voice in a 1993 check), CKN 400 Crookston with voice weather, GP 272 Grand Rapids, IN 335 International Falls with voice, LXL 359 Little Falls with voice, XCR 404 Little Falls, JMR 327 Mora (here, not on 216, with voice; code not audible in lightning static), PK 269 Park Rapids, SAZ 257 Staples, HY 260 Thief River Falls, and SW 360 Warroad. The following were not heard while nearby: HSK 391 Hackensack and RAD 397 Warroad. In Wisconsin, RIE 407 Rice Lake was noted not on, as in 1999, though I did hear it in 1996.
19 May 2001: Rick Dau reports that UOC 524 Iowa City IA is off the air, and that it is not audible on 349 (to which it was to move) either.
12 May 2001: Bill Dvorak notes that Springfield IL beacons LQ 375 and SP 382 are both active.
25 September 2000: MK 298 Milwaukee is not running an open carrier, but is actually transmitting RTTY, from the Coast Guard station at Jones Island (John Wilke)
10-14 July 2000: During our trip we noted EY 209 Indianapolis on the air; it was not heard while in town in 1995. But HFY 318 there was not heard, but was noted in '95. The "Barbara Ann" beacon, OQ 219 Indianapolis, remains on. DTG 344 Dwight IL was not heard while in town.
19-22 June 2000: On vacation we noted that the following beacons in northwest Lower Michigan are active: CVX 222 Charlevoix, CXK 251 Bellaire, BFA 263 Boyne Falls, CAD 269 Cadillac, and TV 365 Traverse City. We were close enough to believe that these beacons were not on the air: FR 291 Frankfort and CR 302 Charlevoix.
21 March 2000: Visiting the area I noted that CHU 209 Caledonia MN is active. And it's not a time signal!
5 November 1999: While in Fond du Lac I noted FLD 248 still not on the air.
3 August 1999: I checked the two Racine beacons while in town. RA 206 was on with code, and RL 294 was not on.
14 July 1999: While in Milwaukee
I note that MK 298 is still on the air with open carrier only.
22 June 1999: I note that UOC Iowa City remains on 524, though I read that it was to move to 349.
Corrections and additions
concerning this page are always welcome!
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