  Using all available multi-component radio pulse profiles for pulsars with
medium to long periods and good polarisation data, we have constructed a
two-dimensional image of the mean radio beamshape. This shows a peak near the
centre of the beam but is otherwise relatively uniform with only mild
enhancements in a few regions. This result supports the patchy-beam model for
emission beams in which the mean beam shape represents the properties of the
emission mechanism and observed pulse components result from emission sources
distributed randomly across the beam.
