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Loggings => HF Mystery Signals => Topic started by: caylorman on July 31, 2020, 0311 UTC

Title: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: caylorman on July 31, 2020, 0311 UTC
Need some help identifying a digital transmission I'f found on 6.775 MHz, 7.68MHz, 10.267 MHz, all in USB.  Sometimes it's the short MFSK burst, sometimes its longer runs split up with  4, 6, and 8 carrier PSK streams.  It's pretty loud at my location (NE Indiana).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1muzOtXHHL8aGDUZ130l6JgVCZPBg7LWX/view?usp=sharing


Thanks,
Caylorman
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: Strange Beacons on July 31, 2020, 1940 UTC
I tried decoding your sound file using several different modes in FLDIGI. The only mode that even attempted to decode it was MFSK128L. And as you suggested in your post, yes, I'm pretty sure that it is a type of MFSK.

So from what you have posted, you have heard this signal at the three frequencies you provided. Was this an intermittent signal, or did it run for many minutes at a time? Or hours at a time?

I just checked all three frequencies that you provided, using a KiwiSDR located in Edinburgh, Indiana. Nothing heard.

But this is definitely an interesting signal.

Curt | W9SPY | Strange Beacons
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: caylorman on August 04, 2020, 0349 UTC
As an example, here's how often it was observed between 0354 and 1518 UTC on July 31, 2020:

7.680 MHZ, 0435 UTC: 10 repeats of the MFSK pattern over approximately 30 seconds, 30 second pause, 15 repeats of same pattern over 40 seconds, 22 second pause, 15 repeats of new longer pattern over 40 seconds.

7.861 MHz, 1158UTC: 21 repeats of MFSK pattern over approximately 1 minute.

7.860 MHz, 1205UTC: 15 repeats of MFSK pattern over approximately 45 seconds.

7.680 MHz, 1258UTC; Approximately 7 minutes of what sounds like two stations, one strong and one faint, in two way comms link using MFSK.  Here's a link to this recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lDgLdziVpiHHnuWMxSoFj-Nghbj2kk9B/view?usp=sharing

Caylorman
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: CoolAM Radio on August 04, 2020, 0619 UTC
Have you already tried

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/shazam-style-automatic-signal-identification-via-the-sigidwiki-database/ (https://www.rtl-sdr.com/shazam-style-automatic-signal-identification-via-the-sigidwiki-database/)


André
CoolAM Radio - Shortwave
Radio Nova International/Netherlands
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: caylorman on August 04, 2020, 1822 UTC
Yeah.  The closest thing I think it sounds like is Serdolik, but to my ear it still sounds off in its operation. 
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on August 15, 2020, 2239 UTC
I have heard this same signal. Im in Colorado. Freq is 14.102. There was some cw right before it transmitted. Was just a callsign.
W0ECM. No qrz page. I have many recordings of this signal and have been tracking it for a while now. I have also heard it at 40 meters. Hope this helps!
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: Token on August 16, 2020, 1615 UTC
I have heard this same signal. Im in Colorado. Freq is 14.102. There was some cw right before it transmitted. Was just a callsign.
W0ECM. No qrz page. I have many recordings of this signal and have been tracking it for a while now. I have also heard it at 40 meters. Hope this helps!

Do you have a recording of the signal you heard?  There are many similar ham radio MFSK modes, and 14102 kHz would be in a ham band.  14102 is also around the location of a lot of different MFSK modes, like DominoEX, Olivia, Contestia, etc.  However the signal being discussed here has not been reported in a ham band.  The take away is that it is very possible the two modes, the original and yours, are not the same but may sound similar.  A recording of your signal would help.

T!
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on August 16, 2020, 1834 UTC
ive got lots of recordings. No clue how to get them here. Im sure its the same signal. Just heard it a few minutes ago. No cw at the begging this time. Might not be related. Ive also heard it at 14108.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on August 16, 2020, 2245 UTC
nevermind cw is related. heard a lot of this signal. all had cw at the end, but it didnt make any sense. if i can figure out how to put files here i will put my folder with all of the info on this cw and signal.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on August 18, 2020, 2255 UTC
Think this might work. Its a zip file of my folder that has a lot of sound files and a text file with some analysis of the different types of transmissions i have heard. The other day i heard this signal at 10.72. There is a sound file that has most of the ways ive seen this signal. The file is called mysteryalltypesandcw.wav
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on August 18, 2020, 2256 UTC
Here is the link. Hopefully it works. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eT0oMkP3tCZfDfdgF_rBq1790jrchWgE/view?usp=sharing
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: Josh on August 20, 2020, 1749 UTC
You might consider splitting this up into files a bit less than 300mb.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on August 20, 2020, 2052 UTC
No clue how to do that.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: caylorman on September 30, 2020, 1851 UTC
Giving this a bump.

Monitored this transmission again today, 30 September @ 18:49UTC on 6775kHz.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on October 05, 2020, 0203 UTC
Hello. I think this might be Vara HF. It was made by the same guy who did ROS. Sadly I could not find any samples of it. There is a video by Ham radio connections. In this video, he lets you hear Vara HF for a little while. That is the best sample i could find. I downloaded the vara terminal, and could hear the selcall that vara uses, but no links will be established, as i do not own a tranciever yet. When i do, which should be in january, i will record the full email. Vara is a protocol that winlink can use. After i make some good samples of vara, i will make a sig id wiki page about it.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: caylorman on October 05, 2020, 1402 UTC
Interesting.  It is in the neighborhood of other SHARES stations, so this very well could be a possibility.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on October 05, 2020, 1454 UTC
What are SHARES stations? Is it just winlink?
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: wormworm on October 09, 2020, 1616 UTC
Here is a good sample of Vara HF. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke4V0pWVPaw&feature=emb_logo It seems to be a different speed than the stuff ive heard. I downloaded the modem for vara hf, and there is a monitor function. Doesnt work sometimes. But, it was able to decode some of the transmissions. So i am pretty sure its vara.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: MegatonRange on January 17, 2021, 0158 UTC
It's definitely VARA. You'll also find it on 4560.0, 4906.0, 7680.0 & 10267.0. CFARS stations are using it on 6981.0.
Title: Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
Post by: liduck on January 24, 2021, 1637 UTC
Also used by the Winlink system on the ham bands.  They should do a CW ID after the QSO, so that's why you heard what you did on 20m.  They use other soundcard modes too, ARDOP and formerly Winmor (just "sunsetted" recently)  VARA is favored at the moment due to it's speed.  MARS had a parallel system of Winlink also, many of the MARS ops also do SHARES, so that can account for the non-ham sigs.