A signal station or the signal transmitted by such a station, which acts as a reference point. A beacon that transmits an identifiable signal is a code beacon. A homing beacon is one that guides an object, such as an aircraft, to a target, such as an airport. At the airport, signals from the localizer beacon associated with the instrument landing system are picked up enabling the aircraft to be guided to land. A beacon that employs radar signals is a radar beacon and one employing radiofrequency waves is a radio beacon. The receiver used for detecting the signals from a beacon is a beacon receiver.