RACON (radar beacon)
A radar beacon on a buoy, lighthouse or structure that answers a ship's radar with a Morse-code mark on the screen.
When a ship's radar pulse hits a RACON, the beacon replies, painting a short Morse letter on the radar display just beyond the echo of the structure. It identifies bridges, buoys, offshore platforms and turning points in poor visibility.
RACON warnings are nearly always outages: "RACON INOPERATIVE" or "OFF AIR", telling navigators not to expect the mark on their screen.
What the archive shows
1,442 messages in this archive use “RACON (radar beacon)”, the earliest issued 1997-10-27 and the latest 2026-09-16. 7 of them are in force in the latest lists we collected. A hazard reported again and again counts once per message.
The largest yearly count is 2002, with 91 messages. Collection is incomplete between 2024-05 and 2026-08-17, so 2024, 2025 and 2026 are not comparable with fully collected years.
Nav aids accounts for 1,383 of 1,442 recorded messages (96%), the largest warning type group in this selection.
Located messages that use it fall in 44 sea areas; the most frequent are North Sea (218), South Atlantic Ocean (155) and Celtic Sea (147).
Its use is spread fairly evenly through the year: the busiest month, October, has 141 messages and the quietest, May, 106.
By warning series: HYDROLANT 849, HYDROPAC 529, NAVAREA IV 32 and HYDROARC 19, and 2 more.
Messages using it, by year of issue
By month of issue, all years
Where it appears · 44 sea areas
In force now · 7
- HYDROPAC 2450/26 · Nav aids · Coral Sea2026-08-27 · in force
CORAL SEA. AUSTRALIA. RACON AT NORTH REEF LIGHT 23-11.10S 151-54.18E UNRELIABLE.
RACON at north reef light 23-11.10S 151-54.18E unreliable → - AUSCOAST 283/26 · Nav aids · Coral Sea2026-08-26 · in force
NORTH REEF RACON ALRS VOL 2 NUMBER K3014 IN POSITION 23-11.10S 151-54.18E UNRELIABLE
North reef RACON alrs vol 2 number K3014 in position 23-11.10S 151-54.18E unreliable → - HYDROPAC 1883/26 · Nav aids · Persian Gulf2026-06-30 · in force
PERSIAN GULF. U.A.E. RACON AT DALMA BUOY 24-32.51N 052-27.85E INOPERATIVE.
RACON at dalma buoy 24-32.51N 052-27.85E inoperative → - HYDROLANT 657/26 · Nav aids · South Atlantic Ocean2026-04-02 · in force
SOUTH ATLANTIC. BRAZIL. 1. RACON AT CABO SAO TOME LIGHT 22-02.52S 041-03.17W OFF AIR UNTIL 28 SEP. 2. CANCEL HYDROLANT…
RACON at cabo sao tome light 22-02.52S 041-03.17W off air until 28 sep → - HYDROPAC 2558/25 · Nav aids · Persian Gulf2025-10-05 · in force
PERSIAN GULF. U.A.E. DNC 10. ZAQQUM BUOY IN 25-06.56N 053-25.06E. LIGHT AND RACON UNRELIABLE.
Zaqqum buoy in 25-06.56N 053-25.06E → - NAVAREA IV 155/25 · Nav aids · Caribbean Sea2025-02-06 · in force
CARIBBEAN SEA. COLOMBIA. RACON AT RIO MAGDALENA F-2 LIGHT 11-06.40N 074-51.30W INOPERATIVE.
RACON at rio magdalena F-2 light 11-06.40N 074-51.30W inoperative →
How it reads in recent messages
- HYDROARC 236/26 · Nav aids · Beaufort Sea2026-09-16
BEAUFORT SEA. CANADA. 1. RACON AND LIGHT AT PELLY ISLAND 69-37.00N 135-29.00W INOPERATIVE. 2. CANCEL HYDROARC 227/26.
RACON and light at pelly island 69-37.00N 135-29.00W inoperative → - HYDROPAC 2672/26 · Nav aids · South Pacific Ocean2026-09-16
SOUTH PACIFIC. CHILE. RACON AT ISLA FALGATE LIGHT 52-54.90S 073-49.80W INOPERATIVE.
RACON at isla falgate light 52-54.90S 073-49.80W inoperative → - HYDROARC 227/26 · Nav aids · Beaufort Sea2026-09-10
BEAUFORT SEA. CANADA. RACON AT PELLY ISLAND IN 69-37.44N 135-29.26W INOPERATIVE.
RACON at pelly island in 69-37.44N 135-29.26W inoperative → - HYDROARC 226/26 · Nav aids · Beaufort Sea2026-09-10
BEAUFORT SEA. CANADA. RACON AT RELIEF ISLET 70-08.75N 130-49.67W INOPERATIVE.
RACON at relief islet 70-08.75N 130-49.67W inoperative → - HYDROLANT 1690/26 · Nav aids · Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland2026-08-28
SEA OF THE HEBRIDES. SCOTLAND. RACON AT HYSKEIR LIGHT 56-58.20N 006-40.80W INOPERATIVE.
RACON at hyskeir light 56-58.20N 006-40.80W inoperative → - HYDROPAC 2269/26 · Nav aids · Laccadive Sea2026-08-07
EASTERN INDIAN OCEAN. INDIA. RACON AT MUTTAM POINT LIGHT 08-07.37N 077-19.05E INOPERATIVE.
RACON at muttam point light 08-07.37N 077-19.05E inoperative →
Earliest in the archive
- HYDROLANT 1643/97 · Nav aids · Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin1997-10-27
CHART 56120 (12TH ED). RAS HALEIMA LIGHT 31-37.3N 025-54.5E REPORTED UNLIT AND RACON INOPERATIVE.
Ras haleima light 31-37.3N 025-54.5E reported unlit and RACON inoperative →
Often in the same message
Related terms
- Inoperative / unreliable / off air
- An aid or radio service is not working as charted or published.
- AIS (Automatic Identification System)
- The radio transponder system that broadcasts a ship's identity, position, course and speed — and can mark a hazard with a virtual beacon.
- Unlit / extinguished
- A light, buoy or structure that is not showing its charted light.
Warning types that use it
- Nav aids — Lights extinguished, buoys off station, RACON/NAVTEX outages.
Counts cover the messages in this archive that use the term, recounted 2026-09-24; see coverage for what is collected and since when. Not for navigation — follow official NAVAREA and coastal broadcasts.