Fishing Fleet Chatter 11m/10m 27.5MHz - 39.475 MHz - 23 November 2023

[R4002]

Tuned via the excellent G8JNJ SDR at 1145 UTC on 23 November 2023, lots of paging signals, CB radio comms, Russian taxi cabs and so on.   Asian fishery radio Chinese 25W FM fishing boat radiotelephone dual mode signaling 27.5MHz-39.5MHz 480 channel.  So 27.550MHz is Channel 003.  27.575MHz is Channel 004.

Fishing fleet chatter fishing trawlers noted on:


27.5500 MHz FM CSQ 27550 FM
27.5750 MHz FM CSQ 27575 FM
27.6250 MHz FM CSQ 27625 FM
27.7500 MHz FM CSQ 27750 FM
27.7750 MHz FM CSQ 27775 FM
27.8250 MHz FM CSQ 27825 FM
27.8750 MHz FM CSQ 27875 FM
27.9000 MHz FM CSQ 27900 FM
27.9250 MHz FM CSQ 27925 FM
27.9750 MHz FM CSQ 27975 FM
28.0000 MHz FM CSQ 28000 FM
28.1250 MHz FM CSQ 28125 FM
28.2250 MHz FM CSQ 28225 FM
28.3250 MHz FM CSQ 28325 FM
28.5500 MHz FM CSQ 28550 FM
28.7750 MHz FM CSQ 28775 FM
28.8750 MHz FM CSQ 28875 FM
28.9000 MHz FM CSQ 28900 FM
29.1250 MHz FM CSQ 29125 FM
29.1500 MHz FM CSQ 29150 FM
29.7000 MHz FM CSQ 29700 FM
29.7500 MHz FM CSQ 29750 FM
29.7750 MHz FM CSQ 29775 FM
29.8000 MHz FM CSQ 29800 FM
29.8250 MHz FM CSQ 29825 FM
29.8750 MHz FM CSQ 29875 FM
29.9000 MHz FM CSQ 29900 FM
29.9750 MHz FM CSQ 29975 FM

I’m sure there’s plenty more above 30.000 MHz.  Several of the 27 MHz frequencies had QRM from SSB freebanders, UK FM CB, pagers, Russian taxi dispatchers and so on.  27.625 MHz FM suffered severe QRM from what sounded like a Link-11 data signal on/around 27.627 MHz or so, along with UK FM CB on 27.621 MHz FM. 

Hams and Russian taxis on 28 MHz and 29 MHz, but especially the 28-28.300 MHz portion tons of QRM.  27.575MHz active with AM CB signals from Italy, FM voice CB radio signals out of Russia and SSB CB signals out of everywhere, same with the obvious QRM from 27.555 MHz USB on 27.550 MHz.  27.500 MHz had strong AM voice on 27.505MHz plus POCSAG paging on 27505 on top of that.

[R4002]

The Russian taxi cabs are worthy of their own thread, or threads.  They’re using the standard export radio / 10 meter radio coverages

“E” channel band plan raster - frequencies end in “5”.  This is the standard plans.  Often called “the fives”.  The most common plans are 25.615MHz - 28.305MHz and 25.615 - 30.105 MHz

25.615 MHz - 30.105 MHz 30.115 MHz
25.615 MHz - 28.305 MHz 28.315 MHz
25.165 MHz - 28.755 MHz 28.765 MHz
24.715 MHz - 30.105 MHz 30.115 MHz
24.265 MHz - 29.655 MHz 29.675 MHz
24.265 MHz - 30.105 MHz 30.115 MHz
26.065 MHz - 28.755 MHz 28.765 MHz

The “P” or “R” zeros plan - that is, everything -5 kHz. Polish CB band plan 26.960 MHz - 27.400 MHz. 

25.610 MHz to 30.100 MHz 30.110 MHz
26.060 MHz to 28.750 MHz 28.760 MHz
and so on

The second frequency is the +10 kHz switch frequency at the top of the range, but most radios are advertised as 25615-30105 or 25.165MHz to 28.755MHz even with the +10 kHz switch. 

So Russian CB is legally 26.060 MHz to 27.995 MHz, 5 kHz steps since both the zeros and fives are allowed. 

Many radios for the Russian market include a -5 kHz switch in addition to a +10 kHz switch. 

Seems like the majority of these systems use FM mode.  Most of the signals I’ve stumbled upon are on the “E” channel raster, the fives.  Frequencies like 29.965 MHz, 29.915 MHz, 29.865 MHz, 29.805 MHz, 29.755 MHz, 28.305 MHz, 28.265 MHz, 28.225 MHz, 28.195 MHz, 28.135 MHz, 28.115 MHz, 27.965 MHz, 27.885 MHz, 27.815 MHz, 27.775 MHz, 27.765 MHz, 26.895 MHz, 25.775 MHz, 25.975 MHz, 26.695 MHz, and so on. 

But I’ve come across numerous taxi radio dispatch comms on 28.260 MHz, 26.770 MHz, 28.880 MHz, 27.740 MHz, 27.900 MHz, 25.740 MHz, with many of them in the UK FM 27/81 CB band
27.60125 MHz - 27.99125 MHz, so Russian taxi controllers on, say, 27.730 MHz and 27.735 MHz and you’re trying to use UK FM CB Channel 14 - 27.73125 MHz FM…it’s just QRM city. 

While the majority of them appear to be below 28.3 MHz or 28.8 MHz, I’ve noted several in the spectrum above 29.7 MHz up to, well, 30.105 MHz / 30.110 MHz / 30.115 MHz. 

Nevermind the additional slew of Russian land mobile comms in the 29.7 MHz - 50 MHz band. 

The Alinco DR-135LH radio, for example, covers 33 MHz to 48.5 MHz and 57.0125 MHz to 57.5 MHz in 12.5 kHz spacing.  There’s also the various 43MHz Italian VHF CB radios 43.3 MHz - 43.5875 MHz that are very easily modified to cover 42.3 MHz to 45.0875 MHz or 42.300 MHz to 45.100 MHz (12.5 kHz steps), NFM voice. 

Lots of weird stuff coming out of Russia on 11m/10m and VHF low band.  Add the fishing fleets and it’s a real mess.  I bet 10 meters is unusable in large portions of the world when the band is as open as it’s been lately.