Chopperman;
I have always thought of a radar transponder as a beacon, as that is how the Radars I use ar marked, usually Standby, TEST, Search 1,2 & 3 then WX, WX A (Alert) then BEACON or BEACON + SEARCH.
I would have never guessed that one. RACON must be one of those quaint British terms.
Cheers,
OffshoreIgor