Messages

2866

Fishing Drift Net Beacons / Re: Two beacons on 27MHz CW, mystery? Can anyone id location/purpose for me?

« on: January 24, 2016, 2203 UTC »

These could be fishing net buoy beacons - used by fishermen to find drift nets.  They tend to operate in the 1600-2000 kHz (1.6-2.0 MHz) and 26-30 MHz range and usually transmit a CW identifier at low power.  The CW identifier is usually somehow related to the associated ship's radio callsign or name.

Here's a well-compiled list of 26/27 MHz fishing drift net buoy beacons and their IDs:

http://www.qsl.net/n2sln/driftnetbeacons.html

There are several "real" 27MHz 11 meter beacons as well, most of them in the 27500 - 27600 region, although there are others, mainly operating within the "legal 40" CB band (26965-27405) on 27125, 27140 and others.  27500 is the "official" 11 meter beacon frequency, apparently.  CW activity has been heard on this frequency as well as PSK31.

The frequencies you list - 27878 and 27003, aren't on any 11m / 27 MHz beacon lists I've found.  

Here's a list I've compiled from a couple different sites:

27125 kHz - 16mW power - California - 2QRP and AOH - "AOH" in CW
27140 kHz +/- 3 kHz - 500mW power - France, IDs in CW - 14RS000 followed by a long tone burst.  
27175 kHz - unknown power - Thailand - 153SD101
27405 kHz - 1W power - Germany - 1 pip a minute
27499.6 kHz - 2W power - Moscow, Russia - 50KS00 in CW
27500 kHz - unknown power - Mexico City - pips in CW
27500 kHz - unknown power - Greenland - Voice ID in USB "38 voice beacon"
27501 kHz - 25W power - Kansas - 2KP
27504.4 kHz - 1W power - France, IDs in CW/PSK31 - 14RS000 (may have moved to 27140 kHz)
27540 kHz +/- 5 kHz - 1W power - East Coast USA - FM signal modulated with tone, no ID.  10 kHz wide FM signal.
27550 kHz / 27610 kHz - 25W power - Costa Rica - IDs in CW as "69BY".  Apparently moves around in frequency.  Originally on 27500 kHz.  Also on 6775 kHz, 13555 kHz, and 40680 kHz.

2867

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 1611 UTC Jan 18, 2016

« on: January 18, 2016, 1642 UTC »

Other station(s) QRT or faded away.  Station discussing radio jamming is now all I'm hearing on 6925

2868

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 1611 UTC Jan 18, 2016

« on: January 18, 2016, 1634 UTC »

I'm hearing what sounds like three or four different stations on 6925 right now (with the one discussing Radio Free Europe the clear winner)

2869

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6930 USB 1419 UTC 18 Jan 2016

« on: January 18, 2016, 1616 UTC »

Appears to be off the air at 1613 UTC

2870

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6930 USB 1419 UTC 18 Jan 2016

« on: January 18, 2016, 1536 UTC »

MLK documentary on 6930 USB, talking about demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama

2871

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 1448 UTC Jan 18, 2016

« on: January 18, 2016, 1534 UTC »

I'm hearing all sorts of echo and sound effects on 6925 AM.  No actual voice?  

Seems like there's several stations at once.  At 1622 UTC, discussion of Soviet jamming technology, jamming against Radio Free Europe.  Discussion of using music over noise for jamming.  There's other voice traffic underneath this signal though. 

2872

10/11 meters / 27430 FM [141.3 Hz CTCSS/PL tone] 01/17/2016

« on: January 17, 2016, 1951 UTC »

The band is open a bit right now, not as much as it has been - however I have heard a CW ID on this frequency several times today (and on the previous couple days) in FM mode.  IDs are transmitted with a PL tone (141.3 Hz).  Maybe somebody is running a (legal) repeater on this frequency and I'm hearing the ID.  Most of the time when I hear a repeater ID it does it without whichever tone the system is using (so as not to annoy the users with a CWID).  

Usually I hear SSB traffic on this frequency and those around it so hearing FM here is a first for me.  Most FM I hear is UK "27/81" FM 27601.25-27991.25 and without PL tones.  27430 is a legal business frequency (as are 27450, 27470 and 27490) as per FCC rules Part 90.  

Another CWID heard at 2004 UTC

2873

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 1253 UTC 17 Jan 2016

« on: January 17, 2016, 1925 UTC »

I just heard a KE2xxx (ham callsign) as part of the audio on 6925.  Somebody is retransmitting all kinds of stuff.  

More police scanner audio at 1926 UTC

2874

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 1253 UTC 17 Jan 2016

« on: January 17, 2016, 1708 UTC »

Barely there down in the noise at tune-in at 1708 UTC. 

2875

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925.4 AM 1915 UTC 01/16/2016

« on: January 16, 2016, 2024 UTC »

Station went QRT or faded away before I turned my radios back on at 2020 UTC. 

2876

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Radio Azteca 6900 AM 1917 UTC 16 Jan 2016

« on: January 16, 2016, 1933 UTC »

ad for Hindenburg condoms 1933 UTC

2877

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6925.4 AM 1915 UTC 01/16/2016

« on: January 16, 2016, 1919 UTC »

Carrier come on right after Amphetamine Radio signed off.  6925.39 kHz or so.  Hearing OM talking down in the noise.  

2878

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6940 AM 1400 UTC 15 Jan 2016

« on: January 15, 2016, 1521 UTC »

S7 signal, OM talking about making a new will.  Noisy condx here but signal is readable.  This does remind me a lot of OTR.  I tuned down to 6770 kHz AM and they're playing a different radio drama (so at least we know they're not using the same stream at the same time!)

2879

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6935 AM 1754 UTC 14 JAN 2016

« on: January 14, 2016, 1806 UTC »

Booker T and The MG's at tune in (1805 UTC).  Nice signal on 6935 kHz AM.  Sounds best in AM narrow.  Some fading/QSB.  Heavy fading as I type this, now down at the noise floor.  Either the condx changed really quick or the station is adjusting power levels.  Back up to previous levels at 1806.

2880

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 1329 UTC 13 Jan 2016

« on: January 13, 2016, 1750 UTC »

1742 UTC: Heard tones (selcall of some sort?) or DTMF touch tone on 6925 USB.  The AM signal on 6925 is gone now as well (at least at on my local RX setup and on the K2SDR WebSDR).

1749 UTC:  I stand corrected.  There's something on the SDR waterfall on 6925 AM still.  Hard to tell if its music or the two-way comms on 6925 as the band seems to be getting noisier.
1751 UTC: An AM signal pops out of the noise on the waterfall.  Still fading up and down but I can hear music down in the noise in AM mode.  
1754 UTC: Fading is getting worse.  Signal disappears, comes back up nice and loud for a second and then its gone again.  Band is noisy, noise level is around S5.
1755 UTC: More business comms heard on 6925 USB.  
1800 UTC: Data bursts and other sounds on USB.  Then more voice traffic.  Still a very faint carrier on 6925.0 kHz.
1812 UTC: AM carrier comes back out of nowhere!  More swelling dramatic music for a few moments then back to just a carrier.  Very rapid fading/QSB.  Signal was nice and strong for a bit and then dropped back down to just above the noise level.  Weak two-way voice traffic back on 6925 USB, fading in and out with the AM signal.  

Tuned back in at 2000 UTC.  AM carrier still there on the WebSDR waterfall.  Nothing heard on the local RX setup.