HFU HF Underground
Loggings => HF Beacons => Topic started by: beaconman on December 02, 2009, 0003 UTC
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The Societies Beacons
***denotes dasher No Morse ID and the dashers have been given names
SDSR means sun down to sun rise SRSD means sun rise to sun down TOA means temporary off air T means "Testing Only" and times on air will be posted at HF UNDERGROUND.
OK 3449.70 kHz 24/7 Oklahoma
MO 4077.27 kHz 24/7 Oklahoma TOA
WW 4078.25 kHz SDSR/ 7 Colorado
PA 4094.20 kHz 24/7 Arkansas
KX 4097.54 kHz 24/7 Oklahoma
*** BLINKY 5157.3 kHz 24/7 Florida
*** SC dasher 5185 kHz (T)
SD 5484 kHz 24/7 Arizona
S 8000 kHz SRSD/7 Arizona
***Pike 8003.6kHz 24/7 Colorado 53dash/min (sometimes found at 8000kHz on cold mornings)
TS 8189.6kHz 24/7 Colorado
OR 8212 kHz 24/7 Oregon
F 8261.2 kHz 1200-2000Utc / 7 Western Canada
***NC dasher 8350kHz 60dash/min SDSR North Carolina (T)
CO 11002.7 kHz 24/7 Colorado
PEANUT 14400.1 kHz 39dash/min SRSD/7 Colorado
The Society thanks Chris for his support of
this sub culture.
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This is great!
Now having the locations make it even more fun!
Maybe some time also a short antenna description which helps us to understand
why some beacons are easier to log than others.
Thank You!
:D
weaksigs
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Hi Weaksigs,
"F" is 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee with it's peak ~ 5M above ground. The entire system is based on 75 ohms instead of 52 and there is a 1:1 voltage balun on her antenna feedpoint.
Peace!
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WooHoo! List update! I've been needing to re-verify my list for a while; there are lots of memory slots that I've never heard anything on, and I wasn't sure if they were active or not. My list was originally compiled based on the list on the HF Underground Wiki page, with some changes and revisions over time, based on reports here in the forums.
The master list is great, and I have all of them on my listening checklist, but they still only make up part of what I have on paper and in my radio's memory slots.
I still have a few questions about a handful of them, between the list on the wiki page and this master list, above:
- A - 2097 KHz - Listed on the page, but not in the list. I heard it very weakly in August - is it still there?
- FL - 4011.8 KHz - Not on either list - not sure where I got this one, and can't recall having heard it.
- C - Listed on wiki page as being erratic, and I've never caught it - is it out there?
- WW - 4078.140 KHz on page, 4078.250 KHz on the master list - slight frequency discrepancy.
- TMP - 4079 KHz - Temperature beacon. I haven't heard it myself, but I think others have. Not on the master list, but assume an active beacon?
- . - 4089 KHz - Death Valley Ditter on the page, but not the list
- "4096 Cluster" - 4096 to 4097.2 KHz - Grouping of "six-dots-one-dash", Coxie, Hexie, Kelsie, and the Inyo Whooper - Never heard any of these beacons; are they active?
- W... - 4102.3 KHz - I've heard recent reports of reception from "Windy", so I assume it's still active, though not on the master list
- MX - 4194 KHz - European beacon - only active sometimes(?); never heard this one
- MXC - 4608 KHz - Same as "MX" above?
- WA - 5499.13 KHz - IDed only as "dasher" on the page - not on master list. Active? I might recall having heard this one. Or not.
- "Pike Honker" - 5678.4 KHz - on page, but not on list.
- FL - 6549.3 KHz - listed on page as being in Florida - not on master list
- S - 8001.5 or 8000 KHz - slight frequency discrepancy
- "Pike Jr" - 8003 KHz - page lists as 84 dash/min - not on master list
- W - 8188.7 KHz - page says daylight/7 in Colorado - not on master list
- FOX - 10236.5 KHz - temporary test?
- FL - 10236.7 KHz - Florida dasher on page, but not master list
- "Sputnik" - 10240.5 KHz - Not sure where I got this one; not on either list, but I have a note that it does 50 dash/min operating nights. Defunct and removed?
- T - 12889.7 KHz - Also not on either list; don't know where I got this listing
- D/V - 12888 KHz - Dipole/Vertical antenna test; I think this one was recently discontinued; I just haven't cleared out the memory slot yet.
I've had little to no luck with the Death Valley, Mojave, and many of the beacons west of the rockies - probably a combination of terrain, skip zone, and mountain shadow keeping me from hearing those well, or at all. I've heard that of the Florida beacons, only Blinky is still going, and that it's operating without maintenance, so I guess it's only a matter of time before that one's gone, too.
Regarding those that are listed on the page but not the "master list": are they beacons that people have found but that aren't 'coordinated' through the Society, or are they mostly old listings for now-defunct beacons?
If any of the above are known to be off the air, please let me know, so I can update my own list and not spend so much time hunting around for signals that aren't there. Besides: if some of these "known good" frequencies are no longer being used, then they might be good places for people to put up new beacons in order to fill some gaps. I mean someone might not want to plant one too close to a frequency that was already occupied, but if they knew that a particular spot on the dial wasn't being used........
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It's difficult to always keep the list in the wiki up to date, but as it is a wiki, anyone (with an account) can edit the page. So if there's a new beacon, feel free to add it. Likewise, if it is known for sure that a beacon is QRT, remove it, or at least make a note that it is temporarily off the air, if that is the case.
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Thanks for the update on "F" CMRADIO!
That's the kind of information that makes listening even more interesting.
I didn't want to open up a can of worms, however for a newbe or others it
is frustrating to be looking for a beacon that is currently off the air.
Hopefully others will offer similar information for us all.
:D weaksigs
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Info on the TS beacon - 8189.6 kHz
Located in the mountains of northern co - 200 mW to a dipole oriented north-south, sloping to the south about 10 feet above the rocky terrain...
Gel-cell battery with a solar panel for charging on the sunny days (snowing and cold today)
Reports are always appreciated (we're all that way!).
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Seamus - FYI, yes the "A" beacon is still there.
I heard this one easily last night around 6:45pm mountain time (Colo) last night.
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It will take me sometime to
look at the list you have provided and then
I will post regarding your questions...
In the beginning The High Frequency Beacon Society
experimented with many beacon and freqs. But has settled
down to the ones I posted.
Keep in mind there are many desert beacons that
are not connected with the HFBS movement...they
were the first PHFER beacons....and only with the
exception of S and SD we don't list the desert beacons as HFBS.
The HFBS brought the beacons out of the closet so to speak
and chose to expand PHFERs though out the United States/ into Canada and it has been
successful in doing so.
Only the beacons of the HFBS are posted...even though free communication
travels between the powers to be regarding the desert beacons and the HFBS beacons.
I can assure you it is a tight friendship that exist between the two separate groups.
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Hey CWGUY! :D
Thanks for the equipment run down. I've added it to my
personal beacon list which I've created in Excel.
Hopefully I'll get a few more run downs and I'll even be
happier!
May the snow stay off your solar panel! ;D
Peace... and by all means stay warm!
weaksigs
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Hello seamus
T - 12889.7 KHz - Was a dasher set up on a test
D/V - 12888 KHz - Dipole/Vertical antenna test- you are correct it has been discontinued.
It may return though... ;)
From how I understand it they were in Florida.
weaksigs :)
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Oh - I almost forgot!!
There are other Colorado beacons you can log - listen on 2.500, 5.000, 10.000, 15.000, and 20.000 mhz. These beacons have clock tics each second and an automated voice telling the time every minute!
OK, so those in the know will recognize these sigs as WWV in Ft. Collins, CO - but when I was a MARS operator afloat in the Navy I used these "beacons" as a quick and dirty way to check propagation to the states. No reason others here can't use them for the same (to check propagation to Colorado, for instance).
Just a thought....
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I would think most SWLs would use WWV signals as a possible
tool for estimating propagation into Colorado.....
I perhaps take a lot for granted...been playing with radio since I was a kid
and that means 47 years...I'm an old fart and proud I made that far...
Fly fishing and radio are still magical to me...
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UPDATE Jan 05, 2010
PEANUT
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Maybe the master list could be given a dedicated "sticky" thread at the top of the forum?
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what does that mean?
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Often in forums, there are certain topics that are useful to always have at the top of the listings, so that they don't get "pushed down" the list by more recent topics as they are added. It is most often seen with things like the rules and posting guidelines, but is also seen with FAQs and other basic information that is useful for people to see when they first visit a forum. (brief description [here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky_topic)])
Overuse of "sticky" topics can lead to a mess, with a ton of persistent topics that have been deemed "too important" to allow to drop, and the regular rolling topics relegated to a tiny space way down at the bottom of the screen. Good and moderate use of the "sticky" designator can be very helpful though, as it can keep people from having to ask the same things over and over again, as the relevant topics get pushed out.
In this case, a "sticky" with the master list and/or some basic information might not be a bad idea, since it would always be there at the top whenever someone clicked into the "HF Beacons" forum. I'm not entirely sure just what would be involved in designating a topic as "sticky", since I've never been in a forum moderator position, but I assume that it's just an option somewhere in the thread controls that the forum moderator can select to turn "stickiness" on and off.
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Hello seamus
T - 12889.7 KHz - Was a dasher set up on a test
D/V - 12888 KHz - Dipole/Vertical antenna test- you are correct it has been discontinued.
It may return though... ;)
From how I understand it they were in Florida.
weaksigs :)
Not sure why the test dasher (has been called "T", I am assuming this is the same one I gave a heads up to on the forum at about the same time as the D/V was operating) is listed at 12889.7, the actual center freq was 12888.8 and measured repeatedly on calibrated equipment. However, several people did report it as 12889.7. This dasher is no longer active, although it may come back in the future with more than just a dash on it.
T!
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BTTT (bump to the top) - I went thru and checked some/most of these today, about 4:30 PM CST from Texas, and band conditions must REALLY be in the dumper! I could not find one beacon ...
BTW, does anybody know the status of MO? It used to be copyable during the day ...
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Since this has been bumped to the top I should point out that the Desert T beacon on 12888.8 is no more. It moved almost 6 months ago to 4102.8.
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"KX" beacon ( _._ _.._ ) 4097.4x at 8 PM CDT or 01:00 UTC in NC Tejas
Add to the list:
"OK" beacon (_ _ _ _._ ) 3449.7 at 8:49 PM or 01:49 UTC in NC Tejas
nothing heard in the 4077 to 4078 kHz range (was: "MO")
Note: With a sharp CW filter (250 Hz) it was not possible to hear "OK" by simply dialing in 3450 kHz. In USB "OK" can be heard (thru the static crashes!) but one has to listen a little harder ...
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Obs this morning -
"KX" 07:22 AM 12:22 UTC on 4097.5 kHz copyable w/CW filt
"OK " 07:28 AM 12:28 UTC on 3449.7 kHz copyable w/CW filt
"KX" 10:28 AM 15:28 UTC on 4097.5 kHz - weak and drifting in and out slowly (interesting from a propagation standpoint!)
Not found (probably due to propagation) and heavy QRM from switching PSU noise on freq at 10:54 obs :
"OK " 10:54 AM 15:54 UTC on 3449.7 kHz
Looked for "MO" 4077.2 and cannot be found
Radio/antenna used: Icom756 series w/CW filter engaged and outside 127' 80 M dipole (laying mostly on roof!)
Update: Added radio/ant used
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"KX" copied here in NTX on 4097.4 at 1702UTC on a TS-140 using a 280 foot horizontal loop.
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What the performance of the OK MO W KX beacons looked like on 2009-01-03 at 1316z :
http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,783.0.html
Frequencies: 3450, 4077.27, 4078, 4097.4 kHz respectively (at the time in early 2009).
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Nothing heard from "MO" 4077 at my location for a while.
KX sounding good this morn at 1330utc.
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KX is strong this eve at 2320utc. Reporting an outside temp of 88f. Cooling rain?
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5:15 AM CDT 10:21z report
OK (3449.80 kHz) and KX (4097.56 kHz) both very strong this morning ...
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Since this has been bumped to the top I should point out that the Desert T beacon on 12888.8 is no more. It moved almost 6 months ago to 4102.8.
10:27z 5:27 AM CDT -
I copied something around 4102.4 khz or so ... dit ... dit ... dit ... dit dah dah ("W") ... dit ... dit ... dit ...
Local (< 100 mi) Thunderstorm w/lightning to my SE limits continuous clean 'copy'.
Update: Been copying now for +20 mins: definitely transmitting "W" between a series of dits on 4102.4 kHz.
PS. This was copied using a narrow, 250 Hz CW filter and it still wasn't 'armchair' copy!
Update2:
11:12z 6:12 AM CDT -
Still copyable in SSB mode even, but those shorts dits don't give one much to grab onto and listen to!
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WooHoo! List update! I've been needing to re-verify my list for a while; there are lots of memory slots that I've never heard anything on, and I wasn't sure if they were active or not. My list was originally compiled based on the list on the HF Underground Wiki page, with some changes and revisions over time, based on reports here in the forums.
The master list is great, and I have all of them on my listening checklist, but they still only make up part of what I have on paper and in my radio's memory slots. I still have a few questions about a handful of them, between the list on the wiki page and this master list, above:
- W... - 4102.3 KHz - I've heard recent reports of reception from "Windy", so I assume it's still active, though not on the master list
If any of the above are known to be off the air, please let me know, so I can update my own list and not spend so much time hunting around for signals that aren't there. Besides: if some of these "known good" frequencies are no longer being used, then they might be good places for people to put up new beacons in order to fill some gaps. I mean someone might not want to plant one too close to a frequency that was already occupied, but if they knew that a particular spot on the dial wasn't being used........
This would appear to be 'Windy' / Morse "W" with dits in between I copied this morning on 4102.4 kHz ...
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Hearing a series of dashes at 11.200mhz in North Texas at 0205utc. Could this be "CO" ?
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Also, good copy on a string of dits on 8000.5.
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WooHoo! List update! I've been needing to re-verify my list for a while; there are lots of memory slots that I've never heard anything on, and I wasn't sure if they were active or not. My list was originally compiled based on the list on the HF Underground Wiki page, with some changes and revisions over time, based on reports here in the forums.
The master list is great ...
I still have a few questions about a handful of them, between the list on the wiki page and this master list, above:
- TMP - 4079 KHz - Temperature beacon. I haven't heard it myself, but I think others have. Not on the master list, but assume an active beacon?
- Copied 4079.65 at couple of different times this morning (after a doughnut run the 2nd time):
1028z / 5:27 AM CDT
1130z / 6:30 AM CDT
For me it was weak enough I could not copy the CW though (it seems to transmit an awful lot of CW!) ...
Also,
- Copied 4096.60 "T" CW beacon.
1036z / 5:36 AM CDT
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- Copied 4096.60 "T" CW beacon.
If you can get the 4096 T beacon you can probably get the 4102.8 T beacon also. They originate from the same transmitter and use the same antenna. If you look closely you will see the 4096 is on when the 4102.8 is off, and the other way round. The transmitter is actually never turning off, just shifting freq back and forth from one to the other.
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- Copied 4096.60 "T" CW beacon.
If you can get the 4096 T beacon you can probably get the 4102.8 T beacon also. They originate from the same transmitter and use the same antenna. If you look closely you will see the 4096 is on when the 4102.8 is off, and the other way round. The transmitter is actually never turning off, just shifting freq back and forth from one to the other.
Interesting info (the off-shift-on business).
Also, I copied 4102.8 I think the day before:
http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,2029.msg6159.html#msg6159
I'm just within range of propagation (at night/early morning) for these '80 Meter' beacons.
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Also, I copied 4102.8 I think the day before:
http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,2029.msg6159.html#msg6159
Hmmm, that post is talking about the W Wind beacon I thought? The T beacon will be just above Windy in frequency. The dits between the W's of Windy are related to wind speed. When there are few or no dits the wind is low, when may dits the wnind is high.
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Necromancing an old thread....
Is the HF Beacon Society web site dead? I found some old links that were defunct.
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The High Frequency Beacon Society dismantled years ago...the WEB site was taken down at the same time.
all the beacons listed are all QRT...even one was busted by the F.C.C.
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The High Frequency Beacon Society dismantled years ago...the WEB site was taken down at the same time.
all the beacons listed are all QRT...even one was busted by the F.C.C.
Thanks. I've known of pirate radio for quite a long time but pirate beacons are relatively new to me. I found a number of messages on the Society and various incarnations of the web site but nothing that spoke to the dissolution.
Any pointers to articles on the Beacon Bust?
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Anything online now about pirate beacons? Would like to see some of the technical details behind them, photos, tips/tricks, etc.
Are there any in the north east US?
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Anything online now about pirate beacons? Would like to see some of the technical details behind them, photos, tips/tricks, etc.
Are there any in the north east US?
A pirate beacon would not only need a large wilderness area but also enough year round sunshine to charge batteries. Not something the NE has.
The only beacon site I recall at the moment is Auroral Chorus
Hobby Beacons pictures are gone. So sad!
Commercial NDBs here: http://www.auroralchorus.com/ndb/ndbgllry.htm
Old lowfer & medfer photos: http://www.auroralchorus.com/lowfers.htm
I have a thread for pointing to audio recordings of beacons. It helps to know what some of them sound like for recognizing them when you tune in:
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,19965.0.html
Video of a 4096 beacon (4095.94 24/7, 3.5 second dash) install in Death Valley area, Viking Mine https://vimeo.com/150772315