Messages

1651

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

« on: July 28, 2013, 0523 UTC »

Yeah, the drift could be Doppler, that definately would explain it.  Interestingly there was not a pass over or near over my location at the time, so I had to be getting it via good old HF propagation.  I had not listened for this beacon for years (since the last time I worked it Mode A right after launch) and forgot all about it.  The last time I heard it the sag was not as pronounced as now.

T!

1652

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

« on: July 28, 2013, 0459 UTC »

Turns out this might not be a pirate dasher, but instead is probably the beacon from hamsat RS-15.

T!

1653

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6925 USB 02:04 UTC 07/28/13

« on: July 28, 2013, 0212 UTC »

Audio width and signal levels are consistent with Red Mercury, but no ID heard here yet.  S8 into the Mojave Desert.

T!

(edit) 0216z "The Highwayman", by the Highwaymen, I like that album

(edit) 0220z, ID, Red Mercury Labs, with heavy motor noises in background

1654

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

« on: July 27, 2013, 1506 UTC »

Ran across a new, to me, dasher yesterday morning, actually two of them close together.  The second, and stronger of the two, was on about 29351.5 kHz, with pronounced drift.

July 26, 2013, 2015 UTC.  29351.5 kHz, with a steady drift downwards.  About one dash each 800 msec, or about 75 per minute.  Dash length is approximately 275 msec but was difficult to tell length because of the severe sag on the dash, hard to tell exactly when it starts.  Bearing to the source appears to be east north east.

Video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7NOUyjx07c

T!

1655

HF Beacons / Dasher, 29341 kHz, July 26, 2013, 2015 UTC

« on: July 27, 2013, 1502 UTC »

Ran across a new, to me, dasher yesterday morning, actually two of them close together.  The first, and weakest, was on 29341 kHz. 

July 26, 2013, 2015 UTC.  29341 kHz, pretty stable and right on.  About one dash per second, or 60 per minute.  Dash length is approximately 350 msec.  There was pronounced fading on the signal and it was right in my noise floor, occasionally becoming audible.  Bearing to the source appears to be east north east.

Video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE7spIQc29M

T!

1656

General Radio Discussion / Re: As police crack down on pirate radio, broadcasters resist the move online

« on: July 26, 2013, 2158 UTC »

This may be an American thing, but WHAT are assault toilets?

Assault toilets are a particularly nasty form of toilet.  They can be descerned from a regular sporting toilet because of their evil visual features.  They are often painted tactical colors, such as black or dark green, instead of the regular sporting colors of white, avocado, or beige.

Assault toilets often have a higher flush and waste capacity than sporting toilets, because of this they have been outlawed in some areas.

Assault toilets have been said to have no waste removal purpose and are only used to kill the environment.  There has even been talk of bans, registration, and confiscation of the evil assault toilet.

T!

1657

Spy Numbers / Re: 7/24/13 2158z 10715 KHZ

« on: July 26, 2013, 1914 UTC »

I am not wrong...I guarantee that   But the reason I am not wrong is not because I am right, only that I was asking the question of if there was a possibility that the station had entered a different mode.  I was not saying it did, only asking for confirmation that the signal went away instead of changing.  If you listened a further 12 minutes (even just a couple more minutes) and did not hear an alternating voice and data pattern then you have confirmed it.

With the HM01 station, indeed any of the Cuban stations, anything is possible.  Errors at the station are common, and you easily could have heard exactly what you describe, no question.  But it did not fit the known schedule, so I suggested an option that could explain it.

What you probably heard was the beginning of the normal 2200 z HM01 transmission (normally on that freq and starts a couple minutes early), and then the station had a technical problem and did not continue the transmission.

T!

1658

Spy Numbers / Re: 7/24/13 2158z 10715 KHZ

« on: July 26, 2013, 1642 UTC »

How sure are you that it ceased, or might you have made a mistake converting to UTC?

The reason I ask is that Spanish language hybrid numbers station HM01 is scheduled for that frequency in the 2200 hour.  It normally starts about 4 or 5 minutes early, so say 2156 or so.  It starts with 5 figure groups sent for several minutes, and then it goes into a voice / digital alternating pattern.  This often starts about 2200z, and generally continues until about 2255z.

Is it possible you heard the lead-in voice, then the transistion to the first digital, and assumed the voice was done?

T!

1659

General Radio Discussion / Re: As police crack down on pirate radio, broadcasters resist the move online

« on: July 26, 2013, 1349 UTC »

Beerus, I was being tongue in cheek about it, and going with the whole "assault toilet" (assault weapon) theme.

Yes, low flow is the Federal standard (since the mid 90's), and anyplace you require a permit to change a toilet out you must use a low flow.  However here I do not require a permit to replace a toilet, and I can use whatever size I want.  To that end I can still, locally, buy a 3+ gallon toilet, and I can still install that toilet.  The toilets in the house are all low flow, but the one in the garage is a high capacity model, and I just replaced it 5 or 6 years ago.

T!

1660

Utility / Re: What RTTY Station Is That on 4905 KHz?

« on: July 26, 2013, 0326 UTC »

I heard this 4905 khz RTTY station pounding in tonight around 0629 UTC, and it was also there during re-check of that frequency at 0700.  Sounded like an S5 signal.

PS, I'm located in Washington state.

There's another one just as loud on 4985 khz., which I think I've heard more often.  Not having a decoder, I've no idea who that one is.

4985 is another 850 Hz shift FSK.  It is the same kind of signal as on 4900.  Even with a decoder youa re not going to figure out who it is (by decoding) as it is encrypted.

T!

1661

General Radio Discussion / Re: As police crack down on pirate radio, broadcasters resist the move online

« on: July 25, 2013, 2100 UTC »

C'mon guys. Hell if I'm not mistaken, it's a illegal to use a 2 or 3 gallon pre-ban assault toilet over a 1.5 gallon in your home. This surprises you?

The high capacity tank ban is a local or regional thing.  I have heard of localities with bans on full automatic thrones, on the basis that there is no “normal” need for a full auto system and that the wasted water of unwanted flushes can never be recovered.

T!

1662

Utility / Re: What RTTY Station Is That on 4905 KHz?

« on: July 25, 2013, 2052 UTC »

When does this station operate?  I tuned in to 4905 khz. earlier tonight and there was nothing but static.

It operates off and on 24 hours a day.  While it does not transmit constantly it does, generally, transmit for many minutes (guessing more than 20?) per hour.  It is there on freq more often than not when I bother to look for it.

T!

1663

Utility / Re: Station "Mainsail" Issuing EAMs on HF GCS

« on: July 25, 2013, 1606 UTC »

Yes, I saw the thread over there also.  This response by ground stations, as Mainsail, is unusual but not unheard of.  It used to be more common than it has been in recent years, possibly they are returning to that status.

As I said, Mainsail is the collective callsign for ground stations in the network, any ground station in the group can respond to or as Mainsail.  I suppose that the TACAMO aircraft could respond to or as Mainsail also, but I have never knowingly heard that.

T!

1664

Utility / Re: Station "Mainsail" Issuing EAMs on HF GCS

« on: July 25, 2013, 0246 UTC »

Mainsail is a genaric callsign for a group of ground stations in the network.  The call of Mainsail by the airborne unit is just asking for any of the stations to answer.  Any of the ground stations can answer Mainsail and can issue a call as Mainsail.  It is normal, however, the responding station will answer the Mainsail call with its own callsign, such as Andrews, Offutt, Comms West, etc.

T!

1665

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Red Mercury Labs 6925 USB 0055 UTC 22 Jul 2013

« on: July 23, 2013, 0121 UTC »

That sounded like PPVR here, but what he said was unintelligible.  Someone (poss RML?) replied "PeePee!", but it didn't sound like things went further after that.

California 777 tried to call RML after RML ended.  777 claimed to be out of Mojave California and "a fellow pirate" with a nightly show on 7520 AM, at 2030 Pacific time.  Someone, not RML, responded indirectly to 777.  It sounded like PPVR responding.

T!