I'm not understanding the legalities of beaconing and broadcasting. Are they not the same.
No, they aren't, at least not here in the states.
Beaconing is defined by Part 97.3(a)(9) as transmissions "...for the purposes of observation of propagation and reception or other related experimental activities" and is one of the few one-way transmissions allowed under the rules. A beacon station may not transmit concurrently on more than one frequency, transmit with more than 100 watts output, nor be automatically controlled below 28.200 MHz or outside the band segments defined in 97.203(d) (except for the NCDXF/IARU HF beacon network, which operates under an FCC waiver).
Broadcasting is defined by 97.3(a)(10) as "Transmissions intended for reception by the general public, either direct or relayed" and is one of the prohibited types of transmissions identified in 97.113.
George, KA3HSW