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Author Topic: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission  (Read 8712 times)

Offline RadRoadrunner

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UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« on: June 06, 2016, 0327 UTC »
First noticed at 300z, seems to be a 40khz wide data transmission made up of quickly sweeping lines on SDR.
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Offline MDK2

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2016, 0338 UTC »
It's most likely possibly Over The Horizon Radar (OTHR) centered at 5120. It should start up again at 0340.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2016, 0419 UTC by MDK2 »
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Offline Token

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2016, 0349 UTC »
This signal has been up and cycling since before 0200z this evening, and was up also last night.

Tonights cycle is 5 minutes off air, 5 minutes of dead carrier, 5 minutes off air, 5 minutes of LFMCW waveform, repeat cycle starting with 5 minutes of dead air.  Last night it used both this cycle and a 10 minute on/off cycle.

While it is currently on 5120 kHz center freq, earlier tonight it was on 5100 kHz center freq.  The LFMCW waveform has been anything from 25 to 60 kHz wide, picking one width during any given 5 minute active cycle.  Sweep rates from 1 Hz to 40 Hz have been seen, like width only one sweep rate per transmission cycle, mostly 25 Hz and 1 Hz.

This could be an OTHR, the LFMCW waveform is a common one for them.  However the CW mode is not something an OTHR would use for much.  If HAARP was still active I would say that would be a good candidate for the source, but last I heard the transmitters would not be ready to come back online for several months.  Maybe they are testing them early?

The carrier has 60 Hz hum on it, showing clear 120 Hz, 240 Hz, and 360 Hz lines.  So wherever the source it is most likely using 60 Hz power.

I do not have a good direction for source yet, but because of times I can receive it and normal propagation I would guess west coast of North America, or maybe in the eastern Pacific, but not sure who it would be there.

T!
« Last Edit: June 06, 2016, 0402 UTC by Token »
T!
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Offline Josh

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2016, 1853 UTC »
I think I read somewhere haarp is going live again.
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Offline Token

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2016, 2253 UTC »
I think I read somewhere haarp is going live again.

The University of Alaska Geophysical Institute took over HAARP.  However, my understanding is that when the system was shut down some of the equipments were removed, particularly related to the individual transmitter modules (HAARP does not use one big transmitter, but many transmitter modules that combine energy).  The last I heard HAARP would not be ready for testing the transmitters until winter of 2016/17.  But it would be very possible that they were ahead of, or shifted, the schedule.

That was specifically why I mentioned the possibility that they were testing them early.  This signal really did act like past transmission from HAARP in propagation characteristics and in general direction.  However currently I would have to say that HAARP was just a possibility, nothing stronger than that.

T!
T!
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Offline Josh

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2016, 1357 UTC »
I know a guy who worked at haarp and is at the uni, I'll see if he will give me the dope on perturbing the ionosphere.
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Offline Josh

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2016, 1804 UTC »
My guy said the last he heard they have slated a minimalist campaign sometime in November and are in the process of reassembling the transmitters.


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Offline Josh

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2016, 2024 UTC »
When asked if the array was still intact, this was his response;
The array is still intact, but they had removed all the control circuitry and instrumentation. There's one lady there who's reinstalling all the 4CX10,000s....all 720 of them. She's got her work cut out!
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Offline foxd

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #8 on: August 01, 2016, 1801 UTC »
I saw something like this recently and the nearest thing I could find that fit the description was CODAR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_ocean_dynamics_applications_radar

Offline Token

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #9 on: August 01, 2016, 1906 UTC »
I saw something like this recently and the nearest thing I could find that fit the description was CODAR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_ocean_dynamics_applications_radar

The signal being discussed here is not CODAR.  The signal was much too strong, heard over too wide an area, and does not use the same waveform as CODAR.  (edit) Let me rephrase that a bit, one of the waveforms observed, the 1 sweep per second LFMCW (Linear Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave), was similar and could be mistaken for CODAR, the other waveforms were not similar.  Even the 1 second sweep rate waveform, while similar to CODAR, was incorrect though, as CODAR uses LFMOP (Linear Frequency Modulation On Pulse) and this was LFMCW.  It was more similar to WERA, which is like CODAR (and does an almost identical job) but using LFMCW, however this was not WERA.

CODAR can have different widths and repetition speeds, but this video is pretty representative of CODAR:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zupfLO1PjrA

T!
« Last Edit: August 01, 2016, 2054 UTC by Token »
T!
Mojave Desert, California USA

Offline Bones

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2016, 2144 UTC »
I saw the freqs and it tingled a cobweb in the brain.  Back in Feb. I heard this announcement:

http://swling.com/blog/2016/02/wbcq-moving-from-5110-to-5130-khz/

Opposite coast though and the move up 20 Khz wouldn't deconflict band usage. I dunno.
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Offline Token

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2016, 0311 UTC »
Almost certainly unrelated.  These transmissions match no Army transmissions I am aware of, maybe Air Force or Navy, but not Army.  Second, these signals used 3 different center freqs, 5100, 5120, and 5125 kHz, and multiple signal bandwidths up to 60 kHz.  Meaning they hammered freqs from 5070 to 5155 kHz, moving WBCQ from 5110 to 5130 would make no real difference.

T!
T!
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Offline MDK2

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Re: UNID 5100-5140, 320z Strange data transmission
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2016, 0342 UTC »
I remember stumbling on this specifically because there was a program I was going to listen to on 5130 that night. Turns out it would have been a rough copy but this signal gave it no chance at all.
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