Topics

1

HF Mystery Signals / Mystery "Pips" On 3549.6, 3899.6 and 7049.6 at 0820z

« on: March 27, 2023, 0854 UTC »

Tonight from 0820z to 0830z I am hearing a "pip" signal on 3549.6, 3899.6 and 7049.6. When listening in the CW mode it sounds like a CW carrier with a bit of modulation. Tonight it is about a half-second beep with about a three second interval.

There was no ID when it stopped.

Signal was about S7 here in central California and about the same strength on the KFS omni SDR up north.

Several hams on the QRZ forum have heard it also in the central US, also around the same time.

Any cluess?

2

HF Beacons / Rapid Ditter On 4097.3 & FT8 (?) On 4095

« on: December 12, 2022, 2301 UTC »

This afternoon around 2245z I was using the KB6C Kiwi SDR in Ventura county, which has far better "ears" than my long wire antenna in Santa Barbara. 

The Desert Whooper was coming in fairly well.  On 4097.3 I heard a weak rapid "ditter", which I could also just barely hear on my home station.  Listening also while in the CW mode I heard what sounded like amateur FT8 on 4095, which I could not hear at all on my own station. It was sending a short burst about every 30 seconds. I am set up for FT8 and know that sometimes nearly inaudible FT8 will sometimes decode, so I turned on WSJTX and tried both USB and LSB near that frequency, but could hear or decode nothing.

Both signals are still there on the KB6C SDR at 2300z.

3

HF Beacons / Letter "F" Beacon on 4100.4 @ 0715z

« on: December 03, 2022, 0724 UTC »

Here in central California I am hearing the letter "F" at about 12wpm CW at 0715z.  Also some Asian langauge QRM on 4100 USB.

Anybody else hearing it?  Evidently it has been on before--last heard about ten months ago.

FWIW, the Desert Whooper is currently weak and I can't here the Coastal Slider at all.

4

Spy Numbers / 6989.2 CW Letter & Number Groups-- 0755 UTC-- 16 SEP 2022

« on: September 16, 2022, 0815 UTC »

Here in central coastal California at 0755 UTC I heard several minutes of a CW transmission that I believe is spy-related.  It was around 20wpm, a little faster than I can reliably copy.  Appeared to be number and letter groups--letters did not seem to be words or usual ham abbreviations, but my fast CW copy is marginal.  Off at 0800 UTC.

5

HF Beacons / Coastal Slider Back On 4109.5

« on: April 26, 2022, 0658 UTC »

The Coastal Slider on 4109.5 is back, about S3 here in central California at 0650z.  Wonder what repairs were needed to get it back on the air again?

6

HF Beacons / Long Dasher On 4069.4

« on: March 30, 2022, 0752 UTC »

At 0745z here in Santa Barbara I am hearing a long dasher on 4069.4.  It does not quite have a pure CW note--a pirate beacon or just another utility signal?  It is stronger on the Token SDR and very weak on the KFS omni.

And what happened to the Desert Whooper and Coastal Slider?  No copy either on the usual SDRs.  Perhaps "Uncle Charlie" got tired of the unlicensed fun?

7

HF Beacons / "5 Dits And A Dah"--4108.0 0730z --New Beacon?

« on: March 10, 2022, 0738 UTC »

Tonight here in Santa Barbara I am hearing in CW mode on 4108.0 five dits and a dah repeatedly being sent.  No other characters sent so far.  Fairly strong--about S4 with some fades.

A new beacon?

The Coastal Slider on 4109.7 is very weak but copyable.

8

Spy Numbers / High Speed CW On 4081.4--Mostly Numbers--Spy?

« on: January 30, 2022, 1035 UTC »

Listening at 0600z on the Token SDR on 4081.4 I heard some high-speed CW, about 30wpm.  I can't copy much at that speed, but could tell it was mostly numbers with a few single letters. 

Another spy numbers station, or? 

9

ID and Translation Requests / UNID CW--0100z on 4075.3--40 Minutes Of Random Dits & Dashes

« on: January 28, 2022, 0321 UTC »

While listening today in the CW mode on 4075.3 at 0100z I heard a 40 minute transmission of random hand-sent dits and dashes, sometimes with a short CW letter, A, N, K.  It sounded like a straight telegraph key was being used by someone who was just learning how to send Morse.

I was hoping it was someone tuning up a transmitter for a new pirate broadcast or beacon, but it stopped after 40 minutes.

My location is coastal Central California.  Any guesses?

Thanks for reading.

10

Spy Numbers / UVB-76 On 4625 Being Spammed/Jammed By Pirates?!

« on: January 23, 2022, 0307 UTC »

There's an article on Vice.Com that Russian spy station UVB-76 on 4625 is being interfered with by pirates, possibly from the Ukraine.  Crazy 4chan-type "meme" images and music are being viewed or heard on SDRs.

However, the article's writer does not know much about radio, as he states that SDRs are being used by pirates to transmit the interfering signals.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3vbjj/pirates-spammed-an-infamous-soviet-short-wave-radio-station-with-memes-uvb-76

Link to one of the copied images:
https://ibb.co/FgJRyN4

11

HF Beacons / 4110 Whooper-Type Signal At 1035z

« on: January 22, 2022, 1039 UTC »

At 1035z on 22 Jan 2022 on 4110 I am hearing a signal similar to the Desert Whooper's "whoop", but with no CW characters.  It is about one second long, with a one second pause between transmissions.

A pirate beacon or a utility signal of some kind?

--Lee in Santa Barbara.

12

HF Beacons / 4100 Letter "F" Beacon

« on: January 20, 2022, 0742 UTC »

At 0730 UTC on 20 Jan 2022 on 4100.0 I am hearing a F beacon in Santa Barbara. Wonder if it is from the same site as the H beacon, which I have not heard in several weeks?

13

HF Beacons / Windy - Letter "S" CW Beacon 4103 0830 utc 21 Dec 2020

« on: December 21, 2020, 0849 UTC »

I tried listening for the Windy beacon tonight, but could not hear it on 4103.  Instead I am hearing the letter "S" sent about every two minutes. Speed is about 12wpm.

FWIW, while I normally hear the Desert Whooper beacon in the early evening, I can't hear it tonight at midnight, although it has a good signal now on the KFS omni antenna.

My location is Santa Barbara, Calif., and I am listening on a 50' long wire antenna with an Icom 7200.

14

Spy Numbers / 6990 LSB 0845 UTC 3 Feb 2019 --Asian Numbers?

« on: February 03, 2019, 0852 UTC »

While listening on the Calif. KPH SDR, I'm hearing a robotic male voice reciting short Japanese-sounding words--very repetitive.  Off at 0850, but with weaker-signal "live" Asian language voices. 

Any idea of what I'm hearing?

--Leigh in Santa Barbara.

15

Peskies / 6987 USB Unid Asian Language 0658 UTC 29 July 2018

« on: July 29, 2018, 0709 UTC »

I'm hearing an Asian language spoken by two or three men on 6987 USB on both my 50' long wire in Santa Barbara, Calif., and on the KFS SDR.  They do not sound like the Indonesian "chanters" who sometimes operate nearby.  Off at 0700 UTC.