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Loggings => HF Beacons => Topic started by: ChrisSmolinski on August 16, 2016, 1216 UTC

Title: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on August 16, 2016, 1216 UTC
First noted live at 1130z, but upon checking the SDR recording, I observe them starting at 1025z.
These are not regularly spaced dashes with a fixed period, but instead are intermittent. The signal is quite strong.
Gone by 1135z. But then more dashes heard starting 1213z, but with a long dead time between them.

I checked between 5 and 9 MHz and did not observe any other dashes, so I don't think this is one of the occasionally observed dasher networks. I am not sure of the source, whether hobbyist beacon, or some organization. Might be worth hanging out on 6940, or checking your SDR recordings.

Further checking back in the SDR recording, I see the dasher was here as early as 0254.

This is pure speculation... but this pattern fits perfectly with a beacon that transmits dits based on wind speed.
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on August 18, 2016, 1242 UTC
Now on 6943 this morning at 1242z, good signal.
Sorry, I had the radio in the wrong sideband. It is still on 6940, and still hearing occasional dashes at 1615z.
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on August 21, 2016, 2027 UTC
Heard again 21 August 2016 at 2025z with irregularly spaced dashes. I still suspect it is a hobbyist beacon, and could be transmitting dashes based on the wind speed.
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: jFarley on August 21, 2016, 2122 UTC
I have been looking for this since Chris first posted, w/o luck.  Noting them now around 2122z w/ a fair to good signal.

(http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s387/jFarley44/Screenshot-2016-08-21-165318_zps619yr41b.png) (http://s1049.photobucket.com/user/jFarley44/media/Screenshot-2016-08-21-165318_zps619yr41b.png.html)
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: Kilokat7 on August 22, 2016, 0117 UTC
Good copy here @ 0116z, irregularly spaced as noted above.
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: Token on August 22, 2016, 0142 UTC
I have been hearing these off and on since August 11.  They are never strong here, never heard during broad daylight, but often start fading in about an hour and a half before sundown.  The dashes appear to be about 0.295 second long, and the rate is very irregular, sometimes many seconds between each.

(edit) And at 0205 I have it weak but copiable on the Twente SDR in the Netherlands.

T!
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: MDK2 on August 22, 2016, 0203 UTC
Is this transmitting in AM mode?

EDIT Thanks T! for the reply and the tip. Copying on utwente right now.
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: Token on August 22, 2016, 0210 UTC
Is this transmitting in AM mode?

It is, as near as I can tell, unmodulated CW, dashes, just like Morse Code, but only sending one length element, over and over, with irregular spacing, sometimes over a minute between dashes, sometimes only a few seconds.  Occasionally it will send 4 closely spaced dashes.

T!
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on August 22, 2016, 2024 UTC
I noticed this on my overnight SDR recording, transmitting as usual with random dashes (or dits, depending on your point of view).
Last observed at 0910, and I do not notice it on the air today.
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: Token on November 26, 2016, 0451 UTC
This appears back at 0430 UTC on Nov 26 2016.

T!
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on November 26, 2016, 1527 UTC
Noted here first at 0329Z 26 Nov 2016 on the SDR recording, sending actual CW before sending the dashes.  Token decoded the CW as:
37 87 30 37 87 30 37 87 30 37 87 30 WKN WKN WKN AR
Title: Re: Irregular dashes 6940 1025 UTC 16 Aug 2016
Post by: Token on November 26, 2016, 1637 UTC
Looking back through my logs I find the first log entry for this dasher on Aug 11, 2016.  The first recording I find in my server is Aug 12, 2016.  But there is a very similar signal recorded April 28, 2016, that could be related.

T!