HFU HF Underground

Loggings => Spy Numbers => Topic started by: Looking-Glass on January 29, 2017, 1053 UTC

Title: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Looking-Glass on January 29, 2017, 1053 UTC
The last few nights and early mornings I have been happening upon beacon L6YC on 3.860MHz CW tranmsitting L6YC over and over with no other traffic noted.  Any clues?

3.860MHz  CW  L6YC  0955z & 1640z Beacon, location/purpose unknown.  559 report.
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Token on January 29, 2017, 1430 UTC
I have this here also, fair signal, if not strong, however US 80 meter voice traffic makes it a little hard to pull out.

I doubt this is an HF beacon that really belongs in this section, probably the Utility forum or something similar might fit it a little better.  However lets leave the post here until we see more from the signal.  Based on direction of arrival I suspect the source is China, and this is probably a channel marker for something like M89.  The format of the "callsign" is also the same as those stations use.

While writing this post the signal went off air at 1425z, I tuned to it in progress at 1418z.  During that time the only thing it sent was L6YC repeatedly.

(edit)  Back on air between 1445z and 1446z and off at 1455z.
(edit)  On air at 1515z, off air at 1525z.
(edit)  On air 1545z, off air 1555z.
(edit)  On air 1615z, off air 1625z.

T!
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Looking-Glass on January 29, 2017, 2149 UTC
Thanks Token, just done a search of the net and it appears L6YC is widely reported, as far back as 2005 and on 1.720MHz and mostly on 3MHz over the years. 

Someone suggested on one site that L6YC is M94 Chinese group.

I see mention of it, plus reports by your esteemed self...on Numbers & Oddities newsletter via PDF.  You sure get around the traps. 

It went off air at 0958z too, not sure when it came back on as I move around the band looking for the unusual.  Thanks for the heads up on Chinese Military...Jack.
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Token on January 30, 2017, 0130 UTC
Thanks Token, just done a search of the net and it appears L6YC is widely reported, as far back as 2005 and on 1.720MHz and mostly on 3MHz over the years.  

Someone suggested on one site that L6YC is M94 Chinese group.

I see mention of it, plus reports by your esteemed self...on Numbers & Oddities newsletter via PDF.  You sure get around the traps.  

It went off air at 0958z too, not sure when it came back on as I move around the band looking for the unusual.  Thanks for the heads up on Chinese Military...Jack.

M94 would not be Chinese, that would be South Korean, however M94 has not been active for a couple of years, and did not use this format.  I would be interested in knowing what site suggested L6YC might be related to M94, still got the link?

Looking at Numbers and Oddities newsletter #180, Sep 2012, shows L6YC on the same freq, 3860, with the same format, on air H+15 to H+25 and H+45 to H+55.  Speculation then was Norther China or far western Russia, both fit my direction of arrival (from here they are on the same bearing).

Looking further back to 2005 the same signal was thought to be Russian.  The earliest mention I can find of this freq used with this callsign (L6YC) is in Feb of 2005, so it has been around a while.

In 2011 the same freq was used with the same cycle but callsign KTR4.

Numbers and Oddities has assigned the temporary designation UM-10 to this signal, and has noticed it on many frequencies with many callsigns.

Next time you hear it you might look at 3207 kHz and see if you have it on that frequency also.  That frequency has variously been reported as 3205, 3206, or 3207, I suspect all but 3207 are errors on the part of the reporting parties.

Since this station appears to be being followed primarily by the numbers folks I am going to move this thread to the Spy Numbers forum, although I suspect it is mil, not spy.

T!
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Looking-Glass on February 01, 2017, 0722 UTC
Cannot understand why the topic was moved to here as I have never heard L6YC give out any numbers traffic, just the L6YC call over and over which suggests a beacon style function?

Judging by the signal reports and propagation paths applicable at the time the fair bet would be L6YC is in Asia somewhere, or the Asian part of Russia too. 

As for the M94 suggestion, I read it somewhere clicking various sites that came up from the Google search and some variants I typed into Google.  I too picked up mention of L6YC back in 2005 also so it's nothing new and has been floating about for 12 years.

Will check 3.207MHz CW for it next time I hear it, although I suffer horrific noise on that band as it's the thunderstorm season this way.  Jack VK2XQ.
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Ary-B on February 01, 2017, 1519 UTC
Hi Jack,

It seldom sends messages. See http://www.numbersoddities.nl/UM10-profile.pdf for some additional info

Cheers

Ary
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Looking-Glass on February 02, 2017, 0338 UTC
Thanks Ary, will check out the other frequencies too... :D
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Ary-B on February 02, 2017, 0523 UTC
These were active during the past weeks

5880 kHz, 17-01, 0715 UTC   4DAG //6782 kHz
3192 kHz, 20-01, 1010 UTC   OBCD //3207 kHz
3860 kHz, 29-01, 1718 UTC   L6YC //3115 kHz

Ary
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Looking-Glass on February 03, 2017, 0435 UTC
Have duly noted the three, thanks Ary, will check tonight and in the wee hours.  Nothing heard from them last night, some M89 beacons but that was all. Jack VK2XQ.
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Token on February 03, 2017, 1325 UTC
These were active during the past weeks

5880 kHz, 17-01, 0715 UTC   4DAG //6782 kHz
3192 kHz, 20-01, 1010 UTC   OBCD //3207 kHz
3860 kHz, 29-01, 1718 UTC   L6YC //3115 kHz

Ary

Ary, that is interesting.  I logged L6YC on 29/01 (and several other days) at 1615 - 1625 UTC, 1645 - 1655 UTC, and 1715 - 1725 UTC on 3860 // 3207 kHz, I never checked 3115 kHz.  However if your L6YC log above is not in error that means at 1718 UTC L6YC would have been on 3 frequencies, 3860 // 3207 // 3115 kHz.

As I write this (1315 UTC, February 02) L6YC just started on 3860 // 3207 kHz.  I don't see it on 3115 kHz, however the 3207 kHz signal is so weak I might be having bad conditions at the low end of 3 MHz.  So it is possible it is on 3115 kHz and I just don't hear it.  3207 kHz is so weak if I was not specifically looking for it I would miss it.

T!
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Ary-B on February 03, 2017, 2203 UTC
Hi T,

L6YC was on 3115 // 3860 a number of times in January.

I didn't hear them myself on 3207 but received 2 reports of OBCD. On 8-1 in time slot 1940-1950 and on the 29th in timeslot 1710-1720

I don't know if there was a mistake in the log.

Ary
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Looking-Glass on February 04, 2017, 0714 UTC
Nothing at all heard last night and early in the morning my time on the three frequencies and at the times quoted. 

L6YC was last heard on 3.860MHz CW quite a few nights back, ex January 29th. I printed off the list from the link you gave me and checked out many of the frequencies published but nothing, although some Chinese were chatting on two, or three of the frequencies on USB mode.

Noise and propagation probably the reasons this way Ary, some nights/mornings very good and others very poor.  Noise is also very high on low bands here due to thunderstorm season.  Jack ::)
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Token on February 04, 2017, 1353 UTC
Pretty much every time I go look for this signal, assuming it is a time in their schedule and I have propagation to the region, I find it.  For example, right now (February 4, 2017, 1349 UTC) I have L6YC on 3860 // 3207 kHz.  I checked 3115 kHz also, but nothing there.

T!
Title: UM10 network
Post by: Token on January 11, 2020, 1424 UTC
And just to revisit this, because you know, why not every few years.

Frequency sets seem to have shifted around.  I have been hearing OBCD on 3207 kHz at H+10 and H+50, and L6YC on 3860 kHz at H+15 and H+45.  I have not yet found the second freq for either of them, and I have looked at all the freqs in this thread.

T!
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Looking-Glass on January 14, 2020, 1003 UTC
Thanks for the heads up:

1015z  3.207MHz  CW  Unident CW unreadable.
1017z  3.860MHz  CW  L6YC  539 report.

1511z  3.207MHz  CW  OBCD 319 report.

Observation:  1405z 3.860MHz LSB, no beacon evident but two Indonesian men chatting back/forth in Bhasa Indonesian langauge, long overs, one 5X7 and the other 4X3 report, conversation ended at 1415hrs & 20 seconds, then strongest station took up with another station very weak at 4X2 report, long overs and concluded at 14.27z, still nothing heard from L6YC.  Again very weak CW noted on 3.207MHz around 1410z but unable to ident. 1445z L6YC beacon recommenced transmission at 429 report.
Title: Re: L6YC beacon...
Post by: Looking-Glass on January 15, 2020, 1914 UTC
Wednesday 15th January 2020:

L6YC observation:  The Indonesian men were again chatting on 3.860MHz LSB between 1410-1435z, however, this morning L6YC was clearly heard transmitting at the same time so their meeting/conversation probably not related to L6YC.

Comparing the signal strength and propagation path available in this time frame with that of some M89 beacons between 3 & 4MHz suggests to me that there is a possibility that L6YC is in South East Asia, probably China? :)