HFU HF Underground

Loggings => HF Beacons => Topic started by: syfr on March 08, 2021, 2345 UTC

Title: Power output of MX beacons?
Post by: syfr on March 08, 2021, 2345 UTC

I suppose this is information that is beyond obscure, but has anyone ever seen a reference that might define the power output of the various MX beacons?

Hard to imagine they'd intentionally run huge power given their stated purpose.

Title: Re: Power output of MX beacons?
Post by: Looking-Glass on March 14, 2021, 0342 UTC

This has been debated before, would probably range between 15 and maybe 100w on an A1A emission. No one has ever found out, be interesting to know as they are good propagation indicators for me.

The antenna array used would be very interesting too. Especially on the 20MHz and 3MHz transmissions.

Currently been getting "A" Astrakhan on 20.048.1MHz nearly every afternoon for around the last two weeks, sometimes "F" Vladivostok joins it on 20.048.2MHz but is never that strong being 319 report and in/out, where Astrakhan is very steady peaking 539 at best.

Another mystery is "V" Khiva in Uzbekistan, I hear it strong on 3.227.0MHz early mornings up to 559 report but its sister on 3.657.0MHz is very much weaker around 310 to 419 report at the same time. Different antenna or different power levels?

Title: Re: Power output of MX beacons?
Post by: syfr on March 14, 2021, 2204 UTC

Thanks for the comments. Those power levels would make sense (to the extent that any of this makes sense) given their purported purpose.  At those levels, and keeping in mind their mission , I'd guess the antenna systems are not extravagant, but who knows?

Thank you for your logs of them here. They finally got me interested in trying to logthem. It's interesting to listen/watch  them over time on my Kiwi given their regular presence. I've only heard some of the LF versions so far, but they are regular visitors in the early evening here.  When I get my rotator fixed on my tribander I'll be in a better position to listen for the upper HF versions.

We have to thank the Soviets for leaving perplexing HF signals scattered around the spectrum to listen for and ponder.  :-)

Title: Re: Power output of MX beacons?
Post by: Teotwaki on March 25, 2021, 2311 UTC

I've been thinking about this topic for a while. From what I had read the beacons were used by the Russian Navy as propagation indicators and channel markers. If so, they would want radiated power similar to the ships and airplanes that might be looking to use a particular frequency to contact their bases. Antenna arrays might be omni unless they wanted to designate channels paired with particular areas of operation and employ directional arrays.