Messages

3001

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: XLR8 on 6955 usb at 0230 utc, 3 Dec 16

« on: January 03, 2016, 0253 UTC »

Hearing music right at the noise level on 6955 kHz USB at 0252 UTC 03 January 2016.  Noisy conditions tonight at my local RX location and at the K2SDR WebSDR remote RX location.  

Good frequency choice.  Over the horizon radar (OTHR) at 6940-6950 kHz and then again at 6965-6975 kHz.

0254 - Dropped below the noise
0256 - Coming back up, can hear music again...but can't tell what kind of music or the song at this point
0310 - Tuned back in, signal has improved slightly.  I can hear some hip-hop music right above the noise floor.
0312 - FM-CW OTHR bursts, again at 0313

3002

North American Shortwave Pirate / Captain Morgan Shortwave 6924.2 AM 0225 UTC 3 Jan 2016

« on: January 03, 2016, 0231 UTC »

Hearing music right at noise level, now with some guitar.  Carrier seems to be at 6924.20 or 6924.21.  Some sort of pulsing noise QRM/QRN at points as well as some peskies on the LSB.

Fading up a bit now, can hear vocals and horns (I think).  Lots of noise coming in with the signal.  

0233 - ID heard.  Captain Morgan Shortwave!  Into more music.  Seeing a weak carrier right on 6925.0 as well come and go with the fading.  
0236 - Captain Morgan ID (with email address)
0237 - Signal has come up a bit more.  Can actually make out the music a bit better.  Carrier a LOT brighter on the waterfall.  S7 signal level, just barely touching S9 on the peaks.  
0241 - Fading has become more pronounced, but I can hear some great blues music on the peaks.  
0243 - Email address/ID, into more music.  Holding a S7 signal level with a bit less noise then there was ~10 minutes ago.  Nice audio on the peaks.  
0248 - OFF?

3003

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6935 USB 1804 UTC 1/2/16

« on: January 02, 2016, 1813 UTC »

Hearing The Cars - You're All I've Got Tonight at a pleasant S9 signal with a bit of slow fading down to S7.

1814 - ID, a bit weaker than the music audio levels but readable.  DJ chatter into music at 1815.  A bit of noise on the signal now.  
1817 - Computer-generated YL ID "Network 51 Pirate Radio" and email address.  Signal down to S5
1838 - Weezer - Hash Pipe
1841 - Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way.  Still around a S5 signal level

3004

10/11 meters / 11 meter DX Logs 2 January 2015 1500 UTC +

« on: January 02, 2016, 1534 UTC »

Plan on updating this throughout the day:


26465 AM - Spanish language QSOs, heavy fading
26555 LSB - Spanish language station calling CQ
26575 AM - Similar to 26585 AM
26585 AM - Loud signals from Mexico, with music (I hear the intro to "Better Off Alone") under this guy's voice
26705 AM - Spanish language, likely Puerto Rico/southern Florida
26725 AM - YL Taxicab dispatcher - Spanish language with various roger beeps
26805 AM - Music, roger beeps (I've heard similar on this freq before)
26905 AM - YL Taxicab dispatcher - Spanish language
27455 USB - Latin American DX Calling Frequency.  Stations from California, Venezuela and Mexico heard talking
27560 USB - Ops discussing working stations in Mexico and Europe, weak (English language, European accent...14SD141 callsign)
27815 AM - YL Taxicab dispatch - Spanish language with single roger beep

More logs:

26525 AM - S9+30 very strong signals, Mexican Spanish language
26575 AM - Spanish language
26635 AM - Spanish language, with roger beeps
26715 AM - This frequency is basically the same as Channel 6 - 27025 AM.  Operators yelling over each other, splattering several channels up and down
26915 AM - "King Crab waving a hand" - several other Southern US stations heard
26945 AM - Truckers, English language
27425 AM - YL Taxicab dispatcher - Spanish language, on top of 27425 USB
27425 USB - Spanish language, getting obliterated by dispatcher on 27425 AM
27455 USB - Latin American DX Calling Frequency.  Very active
27460 USB - Spanish language
27465 LSB - English language, southern accents, with heavy QRM from 27460 USB
27470 LSB - English language
27480 USB - Spanish language QSO, very strong signals and quality audio.  Stations discussing working DX
27505 USB - Spanish language
27515 AM - YL Taxicab dispatcher - Spanish language
27525 USB - Spanish language
27555 USB - Stations calling CQ, heard operator from Aruba calling
27625 USB - Weak
27665 USB - Usual activity on this frequency
27695 LSB - Spanish language, S9 to S9+30
27695 USB - Spanish language, with QRM from 27700
27700 USB - SSTV, various signals.

3005

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 2144 UTC 1/1/16

« on: January 01, 2016, 2259 UTC »

The guys talking on 6925 LSB are likely fishermen.  They are commonly referred to as "peskies" - from the Spanish word for "fishermen" (pescadores).  You'll hear them all over 43 meters, usually in LSB mode.  Sometimes they can cause some pretty heavy QRM to pirate broadcasters, especially when somebody is trying to use 6925 AM and they're yakking away on 6925 LSB.  You'll hear Spanish, Portuguese and sometimes even English two-way communications from time to time.  They seem to stick with LSB and will generally use 5 kHz steps (so 6925, 6930, etc).  I've seen them use 6800 LSB all the way up to the very bottom of the 40-meter ham band.  These operators are similar in many respects to the stations that populate the empty frequency space from 25000 kHz to CB channel 1 (26965) and between CB channel 40 (27405) and the bottom of 10-meters at 28000 kHz.  So the "freebander" moniker is accurate.  I'm sure some of these transmissions are of the genuine commercial/business communications type but 43 meters isn't a maritime mobile band so in the end they're still [radio] pirates.  

Sometimes they'll play music to each other, in which case, you may see a log on this forum for "Peskie Party Radio"

Looks like Skip beat me to the punch  

3006

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 1937 UTC 1 Jan 2015

« on: January 01, 2016, 2033 UTC »

I'm looking at the K2SDR WebSDR waterfall and I see two different carriers.  One on 6925.00 kHz and the other on 6924.75 kHz.  No audio on either of them though.  Looks like similar signal strength on the waterfall (at least right now at 2030 UTC).

Watching the waterfall at 2034ish.  Both carriers are moving up and down the band, almost like they're chasing each other!  Now I see just one on
6925 kHz.

2041 UTC - CW (on the USB only per the waterfall display).

There's got to be at least two stations on 6925 right now.  

2137 UTC - Music back on.  Stronger on my end (different station?)  Sounds like "Golden Brown" by The Stranglers

3007

10/11 meters / 11 meter DX Logs 30 December 2015 2000 UTC +

« on: December 30, 2015, 2043 UTC »

Band conditions seem to be all over the place, but I've been hearing some DX.  

Logs:

26715 AM - The usual busy, overmodulated signals.  I'm hearing one station from 26715 splattering nearly 1 MHz up and 1 MHz down the band.  
26735 AM - Somebody asking for a radio check
26875 AM - "How about it, 814?"
26885 AM - Truckers, English language, Midwestern US accents
26905 AM - Taxi dispatch, Spanish language, heavy fading w/bleedover from 26915 AM
26915 AM - Very busy, Southern US accents.  Stations in Georgia, Carolinas, "Channel Cat", "Running Bear" and various other handles heard
26955 AM - YL talking, Southern US accents.  Other stations down in the noise
27025 AM - CB Channel 6 - The Superbowl.  Very busy with strong overmodulated signals.
27085 AM - CB Channel 11 - Stations from Tennessee, Georgia, very busy, similar to 27025 AM
27125 AM - CB Channel 14 - Truckers
27185 AM - CB Channel 19 - S7 to S9 heterodyne QRM, hearing various stations on peaks but mostly just a mess
27195 AM - R/C Channel, a.k.a. "Channel 19A" - Several stations in Atlanta talking to each other, S9+30 signal strength
27205 AM - CB Channel 20 - Very busy, similar to 27025 and 27085
27225 AM - CB Channel 22 - "Panama City Florida" and other stations
27265 AM - CB Channel 26 - AM DX Calling Frequency, very busy
27285 AM - CB Channel 28 - AM DX Calling Frequency, not as busy as 27265
27325 AM - CB Channel 32 - "144 Tampa Bay Florida"
27385 LSB - CB Channel 38 - SSB DX Calling Frequency, lots of stations from Southern USA
27395 LSB - CB Channel 39 - Similar to 27385 LSB, common channel to QSY from 38
27405 AM - CB Channel 40 - "Big 51 they call me the Skullcracker" with a Spanish speaking YL down in the background
27430 USB - Spanish language
27455 USB - Spanish language
27475 LSB - "Yeah so I've got 'em pointed different directions, over" - stations discussing building antennas
27505 AM - Truckers, likely US based, talking about traffic conditions
27515 USB - Spanish language, very weak (not the usual taxicab dispatcher on 27515 AM)
27555 USB - International Calling Frequency

3008

10/11 meters / Re: 11 meter DX 15 December 2015 1700 UTC +

« on: December 28, 2015, 2130 UTC »

I myself wonder why there isn't more pirate use of 11 meters.  Well, pirate broadcasting use of 11 meters, I should say.     There are plenty of stations who play music, either to each other or just to play music.  I suppose those could technically be considered broadcasting pirates.

Since the legal 11 meter shortwave broadcast band covers 25600 kHz to 26100 kHz there should be open frequencies in that portion, even when the band is open.  Although the taxicab companies and other land mobile radio users of 11 meters tend to use the lower parts of the "export" or "RU" band plan, which starts at 25615 kHz, one may have to venture higher into the middle section of 26MHz, where there seems to be a dip in activity, at least in my listening experience.  Probably somewhere around 26300-26500 and then the higher part of 27MHz, that is roughly 27800-27995.  Of course, the UK CB allocation is 27601.25-27991.25 so if propagation favors Europe you'll likely get QRM from there as well, on top of SSTV on 27700 and 27735.  Not to mention the heavy use of the higher parts of 27MHz by South American stations.  The legal CB band in Brazil, for example, is from 26965 to 27855 in 10 kHz steps. 

I have heard Latin American (likely originating from Mexico, going by the Mexican Spanish accents heard) taxicab dispatchers and other stations playing music from time to time on 11 meters.  One even IDed several times as "La Ciudad de Mexico" (Mexico City) on 26805 kHz AM.  This station was, of course, interfering heavily with another Spanish language taxi dispatcher on the same frequency, and eventually went QRT.

I know Radio 9th Dimension has tried broadcasting on 27825 USB as per a thread in this sub-forum.  Probably one of the better frequency choices out there, provided the band is open of course. 

Too bad the Spanish language taxi dispatchers don't QSL 

3009

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 1311 UTC 28 Dec 2015

« on: December 28, 2015, 2115 UTC »

Looks like the carrier has completely disappeared from the K2SDR WebSDR.  I can't hear anything on my local RX setup either as of 2115 UTC.

3010

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID 6925 AM 2000* UTC + 12/28/2015

« on: December 28, 2015, 2101 UTC »

There's been a carrier on 6925 AM on the K2SDR WebSDR waterfall since I started listening to the UNID on 6925 USB that was playing Beavis & Butthead audio.  Per Dimbulb in that station's log thread, there's somebody re-transmitting an amateur radio net on 6925 kHz AM as well.  I saw the carrier stay the whole time there was activity on 6925 USB but was not able to hear any audio in LSB mode.  Carrier dropped off at 2030 UTC and then came back up, noticeably stronger, at 2032 UTC.  

After the Beavis and Butthead station on 6925 USB signed off at 2053 UTC, I'm still seeing the carrier on 6925 at 2100 UTC, much weaker than before but its still there.  No audio on AM or USB/LSB can be heard on the WebSDR or on my local RX setup, but I do hear the carrier on my local setup as well.  

Wanted to give this retransmission/rebroadcast its own thread...if there's already one floating around somewhere feel free to merge this with it admin
guys

MUCH stronger carrier popped up at 2102 UTC for roughly a minute and then disappeared.  

As of 2104 I'm hearing very weak music (I think) on 6925 AM.  Carrier is fading up and down, disappearing off the waterfall completely at points.

Beavis & Butthead on USB S6, off sometime before 2055z

 - and also -

Net on AM at S4, can only copy this if I listen on LSB to cut out Beavis & Butthead.
Must be live or recent recording since net control station is wishing folks "Happy New Year".
Signal is in/out of the noise and have not copied any net ID.
Hearing net control "Alpha Two Quebec?" working various ham callsigns (mostly from 7-land), just quick contacts.
Still going at 2055z, better copy with B&B signed off.
Net off at 2100z - Finally got the Net ID, "The Noontime Net"   http://www.noontimenet.org/
Music now...

3011

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 1959 UTC 28 Dec 2015

« on: December 28, 2015, 2027 UTC »

I'm only seeing a carrier on 6925 AM (got nothing on the local RX, listening through the WebSDR in NJ).  Seems like the carrier has been on since before the Beavis & Butthead station signed on 6925 USB.  Dimbulb, can you tell which net is being rebroadcast on 6925 kHz AM?

Hearing music by The Prodigy with Beavis and Butthead talking over the audio at 2029 UTC.  Still around S7 signal levels with good audio.

Looks like the AM carrier went off air at 2030 or 2031 UTC.  Beavis and Butthead still on 6925 USB.
EDIT: Carrier back on at 2032 UTC, seems a bit stronger on the waterfall, roughly S5 or so.  Still not hearing any discernible audio on 6925 LSB at 2034
UTC.

2035 UTC - "That kid looks like a criminal."
2038 UTC - Talking about Iron Maiden
2039 UTC - "Hey look its that warden dude"
2043 UTC - "This sucks, nothing's on" repeated x2
2044 UTC - Metallica song "One" intro playing with Beavis & Butthead talking about how "this part of the song sucks"
2045 UTC - "Metallica rules!" into more Metallica music
2047 UTC - Talking about political correctness
2050 UTC - "Share your feelings with the group" "Don't edit yourself" - into more music video commentary
2053 UTC - OFF or a very rapid fade.  Still seeing the carrier on 6925.0 kHz AM, but no more audio heard in AM/LSB/USB

3012

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 1959 UTC 28 Dec 2015

« on: December 28, 2015, 2006 UTC »

Hearing Beavis & Butthead audio at 2003 UTC on 6925.0 kHz USB.  Nice audio on the K2SDR WebSDR receiver.  Bouncing around between S7 and S9 on the peaks.  I'm also seeing a carrier on 6925.0 kHz, but there's nothing on the LSB so I'm guessing the carrier is coming from another station.


2005 UTC - Beavis and Butthead critiquing music videos
2007 UTC - Audio gone, carrier still there on 6925.0 kHz
2009 UTC - More rock music with Beavis and Butthead talking over the audio.  
2016 UTC - More laughing, into music
2017 UTC - "They stole this from Popeye" then intro music.  Even when the SSB audio is gone, the carrier is still there on the K2SDR WebSDR waterfall.
2019 UTC - Hearing patriotic music with Beavis/Butthead voices over it
2022 UTC - USB audio still there, AM carrier seems to be getting weaker
2030 UTC - "And now, back to The Deer Hunter", sounds like Beavis and Butthead changing channels

3013

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Old Time Radio 6770 AM at 0016 UTC, 4/6/15

« on: December 28, 2015, 1347 UTC »

Seems like I can always check 6770 kHz AM on the K2SDR WebSDR and at the very least see a carrier on 6770.  Same goes with spinning the VFO around 6770 in SSB/CW mode and hearing the carrier "tone".  Like Chris says, it seems to disappear for a few days but that very well could be due to propagation.

3014

North American Shortwave Pirate / UNID Carrier 6934.7 kHz AM 12/28/2015 0305 UTC

« on: December 28, 2015, 0309 UTC »

Seeing a carrier slightly below 6935 kHz.  Looks like 6934.75 kHz or thereabouts.  No audio but there's definitely a carrier there of some kind.  S5 signal level, just above the noise floor at this point.

Gone at 0309 UTC.  Anybody else see/hear this? 

3015

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 AM 2150 UTC 27 Dec 2015

« on: December 27, 2015, 2202 UTC »

Some sort of echo ID at 2201 UTC.  "We won't let them..." back into music at 2202.  Real killer AM signal.  

2210 UTC: "Tell me something good"