Marker beacon

2 Marker beacon types

There are three types of marker beacons that may be installed as part of their most common application, an Instrument Landing System:

2.1 Outer marker

Locator outer marker (LOM)

Outer Marker indicator

Middle Marker indicator

Middle Marker Antenna at KONT

Inner Marker indicator

A marker beacon is a particular type of VHF radio

beacon used in aviation, usually in conjunction with an
instrument landing system (ILS), to give pilots a means The Outer Marker, which normally identies the nal apto determine position along an established route to a des- proach x (FAF), is situated on the same course/track as
the localizer and the runway center-line, four to seven
tination such as a runway.
nautical miles[1] before the runway threshold. It is typically located about 1 NM (2 km) inside the point where
the glideslope intercepts the intermediate altitude and
1 History
transmits a 400 Hz tone signal on a low-powered (3
watts), 75 MHz carrier frequency. Its antenna is highly
From the 1930s until the 1950s, markers were used ex- directional, and is pointed straight up. The valid signal
tensively along airways to provide an indication of an area is a 2,400 ft (730 m) 4,200 ft (1,280 m) ellipse (as
aircrafts specic position along the route, but from the measured 1,000 ft (300 m) above the antenna.) When the
1960s they have become increasingly limited to ILS ap- aircraft passes over the outer marker antenna, its marker
proach installations. They are now very gradually being beacon receiver detects the signal. The system gives the
phased out of service, especially in more developed parts pilot a visual (blinking blue outer marker light) and aural
of the world, as GPS and other technologies have made (continuous series of audio tone morse code-like 'dashes)
marker beacons increasingly obsolete.
indication.
1

2
2.1.1

6
A locator outer marker

In the United States, the outer marker has often been

combined with an non-directional beacon (NDB) to make
a Locator Outer Marker (LOM). An LOM is a navigation
aid used as part of an instrument landing system (ILS) instrument approach for aircraft. Aircraft can navigate directly to the location using the NDB as well as be alerted
when they y over it by the beacon.

REFERENCES

3 Back course marker

A back course marker (BC) normally indicates the ILS
back course nal approach x where approach descent is
commenced. Its cockpit audio and visual indications are
the same as for an inner marker (IM), but its location on
the approach course is very dierent (nal approach x
for BC vs. runway threshold for IM).[3]

The LOM is becoming less important now that GPS navigation is well established in the aviation community.[2]
4 Fan marker
Some countries, such as Canada, have abandoned marker
beacons completely, replacing the outer marker with a
non-directional beacon (NDB); and, more recently, with The term fan marker refers to the older type of beacons
used mostly for en-route navigation.[4][5] Fan markers are
GPS xes.
often part of a non-precision approach and are identiIn the U.S., LOMs are identied by two-letter Morse code
ed by a ashing white light and a repeating dot-dash-dot
modulated at 1020 Hz. LOMs use the rst two letters
signal.[6] Recent editions of the FAA's AIM publication
of the parent ILSs identication. For example, at New
no longer mention fan markers.[3][7]
Yorks JFK runway 31R the ILS identier is I-RTH and
the LOM ident is RT. If this facility were a locator middle
marker (LMM) its identier would be the last two letters,
TH.
5 See also

2.2

Middle marker

A middle marker works on the same principle as an outer

marker. It is normally positioned 0.5 to 0.8 nautical miles
(1 km) before the runway threshold. When the aircraft
is above the middle marker, the receivers amber middle
marker light starts blinking, and a repeating pattern of audible morse code-like dot-dashes at a frequency of 1,300
Hz in the headset. This alerts the pilot that the CAT I
missed approach point (typically 200 feet (60 m) above
the ground level on the glideslope) has been passed and
should have already initiated the missed approach if one
of several visual cues has not been spotted.

AN/MRN-3
Transponder Landing System (TLS)

6 References
[1] ILS Marker beacons; ILS.com; retrieved .
[2] Note:Some ILS approaches have no navigation aid at all
situated at the nal approach x, but use other means, such
as VOR radial intersections, distance measuring equipment (DME), GPS, or radar xes, to identify the position.
[3] FAA AIM 1-1-9; article; FAA.com; retrieved .

2.3

Inner marker

Similar to the outer and middle markers; located at

the beginning (threshold) of the runway on some ILS
approach systems (usually Category II and III) having
decision heights of less than 200 feet (60 m) AGL. Triggers a ashing white light on the same marker beacon receiver used for the outer and middle markers; also a series of audio tone 'dots at a frequency of 3,000 Hz in the
headset.
On some older marker beacon receivers, instead of the
O, M and I indicators (outer, middle, inner), the
indicators are labeled A, O and M (airway, outer,
middle). The airway marker was used to indicate reporting points along the centerline of now obsolete Red airways. As the airway beacons used the same 3,000 Hz audio frequency as the inner marker, the A indicator on
older receivers can be used to detect the inner marker.

[4] Marker beacon; Answers.com: attributed to McGraw-Hill

Dictionary of Aviation.
[5] Note: The term fan marker can refer to almost any
type of marker beacons used in aviation (including inner/middle/outer markers), since most of them transmit
signal in the fan-shaped pattern (i.e. in a shape of a handheld fan held up perpendicular to the ight course).
[6] Instrument Flight Training Manual; Amazon.com; accessed .
[7] Note: They are only used on a few instrument approaches
anymore, to mark positions along the inbound course,
when there is only one marker present: for an example,
see the LOC-D document for Gillespie Field (PDF), effective 2 Apr 2015 - here GRIGG is a fan marker. Quote
regarding marker beacons from an old edition of AIM,
section 1-1-9.

External links
2008 Federal Radionavigation Plan This FRS publication has detailed description of ILS and other navigational systems.
Operational Notes on Visual-Aural Radio Range &
Associated Marker Beacons a 1953 publication.

8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Marker beacon Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marker_beacon?oldid=623831168 Contributors: Cherkash, Denelson83,

Hooperbloob, Gene Nygaard, Quiddity, Splintercellguy, Eurosong, Zyxw, Dual Freq, Cottingham, MilborneOne, Crum375, Magioladitis, Exerda, AuburnPilot, Nyttend, Read-write-services, R'n'B, Gmcjetpilot, Lightmouse, Eeekster, Muhandes, Monfornot, Addbot, Brian
in denver, Galoubet, Simrider, Jan olieslagers, GenQuest, FrescoBot, Reaper Eternal, ClueBot NG, Phoniker, Scud47, Speedbird416C,
Finnusertop and Anonymous: 18

8.2

Images

File:Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/
Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work. Based on File:Gnome-mime-audio-openclipart.
svg, which is public domain. Original artist: User:Eubulides
File:Inner_Marker_Indicator.gif Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Inner_Marker_Indicator.gif License:
Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Denelson83
File:Inner_marker.ogg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Inner_marker.ogg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Denelson83
File:LOM_snoke.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/LOM_snoke.jpg License: PD Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
File:Middle-marker-ont.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/47/Middle-marker-ont.jpg License: CC-BY-3.0
Contributors:
self-made
Original artist:
Richard E Ellis
File:Middle_Marker_Indicator.gif Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Middle_Marker_Indicator.gif License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Denelson83
File:Middle_marker.ogg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Middle_marker.ogg License: Public domain
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Denelson83
File:Outer_Marker_Indicator.gif Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Outer_Marker_Indicator.gif License:
Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Denelson83
File:Outer_marker.ogg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Outer_marker.ogg License: Public domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: Denelson83
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Contributors:
Created from scratch in Adobe Illustrator. Based on Image:Question book.png created by User:Equazcion Original artist:
Tkgd2007

8.3

Content license

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