Racon

A RACON is a radar transponder beacon fitted to an aid to navigation that paints a coded response on a passing ship’s radar to identify the mark. When triggered by the ship’s radar pulse, it sweeps the X-band, 9300 to 9500 MHz, and most also the S-band, 2900 to 3100 MHz, and transmits a Morse character beginning with a dash, displayed as a radial line running outward from just beyond the beacon’s true position. Mariners use the coded flash to confirm a buoy, lighthouse, or landfall, and to fix range and bearing in poor visibility. RACONs are administered under IALA aids-to-navigation guidance.