radio beacon
1
4.1
- noun
- /ˈreɪdioʊ ˈbiːkən/
- Specialized
:
baliza de radio
- Aircraft can locate their position accurately by tuning into a radio beacon located at the airport.
- emergency radio beacon
- position-indicating radio beacon
The earliest ones were of course radio beacons.
- The earliest ones were of course radio beacons.
Examples
-
"We put out a radio beacon so station personnel can find us, then we lower the temperature in the shelter and our body temperature close to freezing.
Fiction book (1996) -
Radio beacon.
-
Put up the radio beacon.
-
By comparing signal strengths of radio beacons on land, you can tell where you are at sea.
-
Once the excitement was over, and they were certain they were alive, they found there was an automatic radio beacon with a recorded warning about the derelict's path.
Fiction book (1999) -
"Deploying radio beacon."
Fiction book (1992) -
The Coast Guard in Portsmouth, Va., later received a signal from the emergency position indicating the radio beacon of the Bounty, confirming the position.
Blog text (30) -
The big screen came to life again with the old RKO logo, the radio beacon on the globe, sending out its little lightning bolts and radio waves.
Fiction book (1998) -
Although the asteroid had left its orbit, the pod's navigation system found it because of a radio beacon that Dolly had put there some years earlier.
Fiction book (2000) -
The ship was able to navigate safely to the harbor thanks to the radio beacon guiding its path.
Synonyms
34
5.9
A radio station that sends a signal to help pilots or sailors find their position
7
3.4
A device that sends out radio signals
How Urgent
15
3.7
- Specialized
37
3.1
- Specialized
1
4.1
59
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun–noun combination is fully compositional: it denotes a beacon that uses radio technology, so its meaning ('a transmitter that helps navigation') is directly derived from 'radio' + 'beacon'. This standard compounding pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand it.
Etymology
Radio beacon comes from the idea of a beacon, which was a bright fire or signal used to guide people, but using radio waves instead of light. Because ships and aircraft can follow its radio signal, the phrase now means 'a radio transmitter that helps ships or aircraft find their way'.