HFU HF Underground
Loggings => HF Beacons => Topic started by: Antennae on December 03, 2013, 0204 UTC
-
Amidst the din of other beacons on The List around these frequencies, I'm hearing this sequence repeated with about 1.5sec space betwixt each sequence: ".-. .-. -------"
On these ranges of frequencies:
4097-4100 LSB
SINPO
22443
4093-4096 USB
32443
Does anybody know what it is?
This is my first beacon post. Beacons are strangely addicting.
-
The beacon you are describing is on a center frequency of 4096.55 kHz at this time. It is sending the letters "RR" in CW followed by a long dash, the dash is slightly longer than each of the letter R's. The cycle repeats every 5.8 seconds, and the long dash is ~ 795 msec long (0.795 seconds). The signal is quite good at my location, will have to wait until later today to see if I have it in the daylight.
This signal was not present the first part of this past weekend, I did tune this specific range of freqs several times and it was not present then. I do not think I looked in this range Sunday though. Note that this is the same frequency as the "M" beacon I reported back on 24 November, it also appears to have similar signal characteristics. That beacon only stayed on the air a couple of days, we will have to see if this one hangs around a bit longer.
T!
(edit) A couple of hours after I posted this the signal went off the air, shut off, did not fade out.
-
Hi Token. I feel like I won the lottery or something for being first to post it.
Mojave Desert, Nov. 28th:
I was in the Mojave desert this weekend in Ridgecrest, CA. I was searching this frequency from the afternoon into the night and didn't hear the RR dash. I used 3 different random wire antenna orientations to get better reception of the Inyo Whooper.
Central Coast, Sunday, Dec. 1st 1428 UTC (Dec, 1st 6:28am gray line) and that evening, Dec. 2nd 0204 UTC (Dec. 1st 6:05pm dark):
I didn't hear it.
Currently, Dec. 4th, 0315 UTC (Dec 3rd, 7:15pm)
I don't hear it.
Edit:
Currently, 4096 usb, Dec. 4th 0437 UTC (843 pm)
I hear it!
23332
-
I checked at 1300 UTC Dec 4 and the signal was not present. Right now is 1530 UTC Dec 4 and still not present, and at this time yesterday it was S6 or better. So I assume it is back off now, instead of faded away.
The possible on-off nature of this beacon, the use of the same freq as M or TT a week ago, M or TT only being on until reported, and then off after that, might indicate a beacon someone is playing around with, or one only on the air periodically. Would not be the first time someone put up a beacon just until someone reported/noted it, and then changed or removed the beacon. Or maybe they are ironing out the bugs on a new beacon that will be more permanent later. I guess we will see in the future.
Unless the owner steps up and says something it is mostly guess work anyway ;)
Lots people were up in the Ridgecrest area around Thanksgiving, many folks come up to the desert and ride over that weekend and whole cities can spring up overnight. Were you up visiting or was it to play in the desert?
T!
-
2130 UTC Dec 4, at work so not were I can take good measurements, and the signal is very weak on this antenna, but it looks like another dasher is now up on the same frequency. This one looks like a simple dash, roughly 2.2 seconds long and just under 10 seconds apart. Frequency is a dead ringer for the M (or double T) last week and the RR earlier this week.
If I get home and can get more detail on this one, tell for sure it is a simple dash, I'll start a new thread on it.
T!
(edit) And it appears off air at 2215 UTC or so. I suppose it could be in a deep fade, but it looks gone.
-
I was visiting. I saw the small town of toy-hauler motorcycle RVs and it always amazes me how many people go out there.