Messages

1636

Other / Re: constant music 15630

« on: August 11, 2013, 1703 UTC »

Not all web sites are up to date.

The NASWA schedule does list that freq and time for Greece.  You might want to join the swskeds Yahoo group and download the latest (and updated almost daily) schedule.

T!

1637

HF Beacons / Re: Ditter 13558 at 2053z

« on: August 07, 2013, 2243 UTC »

Keep in mind that frequency is inside an ISM Band allocation (13553 to 13567 kHz) and there is no telling what kind of man made, intentional, but not meant for human consumption, signals you will find in that range.

Only a very small fraction of the signals I have seen in that range are “real” radio signals, most are by products of some other system, such as RFID.

T!

1638

Spy Numbers / Re: Something briefly heard night before last...

« on: August 07, 2013, 0335 UTC »

This is a regular scheduled time slot for the Cuban HM01 (hybrid mode) voice and digital numbers station.  And what you are describing matches that station.

T!

1639

Equipment / Re: Official yard sale find thread.

« on: August 05, 2013, 1651 UTC »

The SX-99 was my first "real" SW receiver.  I used it for a while with my 75 W rock bound home brew Novice transmitter.  And I think I paid about the same as you for my SX-99, but that was over 40 years ago.

By the way, I still have my SX-99:


There were 3 or 4 runs of the SX-99, each with slight differences.  Metal dials vs plastic, etc.  It might say "Run 1" or "Mark 1B" or something like that on the chassis when you open the lid and look down at the area between the tubes.  Some had the run number on the back skirt.  The first run had no run designator on them that I remember.

T!

1640

Other / Re: Pip network active again 3 Aug 2013

« on: August 04, 2013, 0303 UTC »

The problem of the above list is that it is 55 frequencies, and I have since found a couple more.  And the timing of the pulses, 125 msec duration and 6.0 seconds pulse to pulse on a given frequency, only allows for 48 frequencies in a network with no overlap of pulses.  And I have not noted any overlap of pulses.  There pretty much has to be at least 2 networks.  So far I have seen no indication of more than 2.

T!

1641

Other / Re: Ditter Network Active 2 Aug 2013 1355 UTC

« on: August 04, 2013, 0004 UTC »

Ary, it has been caught in Europe before, but only once or twice.  I feel pretty sure, based on antenna bearings, that this network is in the US.  I am also pretty sure that there is more than one transmit site.

I have no idea what it is, but my guess is it is related to sounders in some way.  Several of the frequencies are shared with "pre-beeps" used by a very few chirp sounders, and the pulse length originally seen with this network matched the pulse length of the chirp sounder pre-beep.

T!

1642

Other / Re: Pip network active again 3 Aug 2013

« on: August 04, 2013, 0001 UTC »

After seeing the Pips this morning and making a recording I was gone for the rest of the day.  Grandson and I went to Chino Planes of Fame, they were flying their F4U Corsair and we needed to see it

The recordings I made were about 1430 UTC.  Keep in mind this station has, in the past, changed frequencies over time through a day.  So no idea what it looked like after about 1435 UTC.  I have only taken a quick look at the recordings, but I probably got most freqs, I will take a detailed look later, but as that will take a couple hours for the 6 or 8 minutes of recordings I have there is no telling when I will get to it.

Frequencies I saw this morning:

4450
4900
5450
5575
5600
6225
6550
6725
6750
7700
8000
8275
8825
8900
8975
9050
9225
10050
10450
10575
11025
11150  (double pulse)
11225
11300
12025
12450
13100
13250
13325
13450
13500
13875
14400
15100
15550
15625
16000
16350
16550
16725  (double pulse)
17475
17650
17950
17975
18050
18100
18450
18625
18675
19300
19650
20100
20175
20250
21150

Note that 2 frequencies fall inside ham bands, 18100 is inside the 17 meter band and 21150 is inside the 15 meter band.  I have never caught them there before, but now that I have I will go back and check old recordings to see if they were always there.

T!

1643

Other / Re: Ditter Network Active 2 Aug 2013 1355 UTC

« on: August 02, 2013, 1852 UTC »

Back on again, 1527 UTC.

Pips frequencies seen here, 1527 to 1559:30 UTC, some differences from previous hour:

6225
6550
6725
6750
7700
8275
8825
8975
9050
9225
10050
10450
10575
11025
11150 (x2)
11225
11300
12450
13100
13250
13325
13875
14400
15100
15550
15625
16000
16350
16550
16725 (x2)
17475
17650
17950
17975
18050
18625
19300

Note that 11150 and 16725 kHz are still double pulsed.  Based on the relative timing of each other freq (one at a time, working away from those) to those two frequencies a person could probably break out what frequencies are related to the two possible networks.  But I just don't have the time for that today, grandson would get mad


T!

(edit)  Added two frequencies found on review of recordings.

1644

Other / Re: Ditter Network Active 2 Aug 2013 1355 UTC

« on: August 02, 2013, 1711 UTC »

The ditter network is active again, observed on:

Off at 1410z.

I refer to this signal as "Pips" in my logbook to keep it seperate from the "ditters" name I use for short pulse pirate beacons.  My log is a Filemaker Pro database I built years ago, and using the term Pips helps me find past transmissions of this signal in the DB as needed.

1357 to 1410 UTC frequencies observed:

4900
5450
5575
5600
6225
6550
6725
6750
7700
8275
8825
8900 (timing)
8975
9050
9225
10050
10450
10575
11025
11150 (x2)
11225
11300
12025
12450
13100
13250
13325
13875
14400
15100
15550
15625
16000
16350
16550
16725 (x2)
17475
17650
17950 (timing)
17975
18050
18100
18450
18625
19300
20175

The frequencies marked "timing" appeared to have a different timing cycle form the frequencies around it.  The pulses are the same length, and they were still 6 seconds between pulses, but the timing of those pulses did not line up with the timing of the pulses around them.

The frequencies marked "x2" showed 2 pulses in 6 seconds, and are possibly common frequencies to two different pulse networks.

T!

(edit) added 5 more frequencies that I found on reviewing the recordings again.

(edit 2) added 4 more frequencies found on even further review of the recordings.

1645

Spy Numbers / Re: QSL?

« on: August 01, 2013, 2330 UTC »

Not a dumb question at all.

The only one I am aware of was S05 and M05, a Czech run station under the callsign OLX (an actual issued callsign for the station, and they sent it in transmissions).  They did QSL.  Several other semi-numbers/spy stations have QSLed over the years.  One of the problems, of course, is that unless they send a callsign how do you know who to send the reception report / QSL request to?

T!

1646

North American Shortwave Pirate / Mysterious Mystic Radio, MMR, 6925.6 AM, 0331 UTC, July 29, 2013

« on: July 29, 2013, 0349 UTC »

Mysterious Mystic Radio with a nice signal into here this evening, 10 to 20 over S9.  Audio was overdriven a bit in the beginning, but then seems to have cleared up.  Gave a Blue Ridge Summit, PA mail address for QSL.

T!

1647

Other / Re: Ditter network active 7/28/2013.

« on: July 28, 2013, 1838 UTC »

I posted this over in the HF Beacon forum, but then saw this post so moved my entry to here:

The mystery ditter network was back this morning.  I carry this network as “Pips” in my logbook.

At around 1621z quantegy in the #wunclub IRC chat asked if anyone heard beeping on 17474 kHz.  This turned out to be the ditter network hitting one of its normal frequencies, 17475 kHz.  The pulses were about 124 msec in length and happening every 6 seconds.

As normal this network was hitting multiple frequencies, freqs received here between 1621 and 1649 UTC:

8275
10050
10575
11300
12025
13250
13325
13875
14400
15100
15550
15625
16000
16550
16725
17475
17975
18050
18625
19300

As normal the pulses were sequencing low to high, pulsing first on the lowest freq and then stepping up to the next and pulsing there.

The network went off air at 1649 UTC.

T!

1648

Utility / Re: NFM 12750KHZ 1545UTC WEFAX 07/28/13

« on: July 28, 2013, 1754 UTC »

AHhh, it is a good thing I never make such mistakes (tongue planted firmly in cheek...).

T!

1649

Utility / Re: NFM 12750KHZ 1545UTC WEFAX 07/28/13

« on: July 28, 2013, 1613 UTC »

Was it honestly NFM?  Or do you mean USB transmission, with FM (vs AM) FAX data?  Or was that a typo of the callsign, NMF?

T!

1650

HF Beacons / Re: Dasher, about 29351.5 kHz, July 26, 2013, 2015 UTC

« on: July 28, 2013, 1349 UTC »

As near as I can tell it was over South America at the time.

T!