Messages

1996

HF Beacons / Re: TR on 6926

« on: May 31, 2011, 1542 UTC »

I have a recording of that FM-ey AM mode around here someplace, both on 4060'ish and 6926.1.  I think it was up in AM earliier the same evening I made this video of it in CW mode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wDmTGZBoN8

T!

1997

Spy Numbers / Re: V24 and M94 changes, May 01, 2011

« on: May 03, 2011, 2019 UTC »

Hello all,

A further update to my May 1, 2011 posting about recent V24 / M94 schedule and habit changes.  It appears at the time I wrote that particular entry that V24 and M94 were not done with their changes.  So pretty much forget everything I wrote about V24 and M94 on May 1, 2011, as it appears to have all further changed later that day and since then.

On May 1 I wrote that the old schedule was only about 25% correct, today it appears less than 15% correct.  Most transmissions seem to have changed.  And some frequency / time combinations have new music, possibly indicating that although the frequency and time are the same the recipient might be different.

On May 1 I also wrote that although V24 / M94 was in transition the frequencies used and time frames were the same as before, 4500, 4600, 4900, 5115, 5715, 6215, 6330, and 6730 kHz between the times of 1200 to 1630 UTC.  This is incorrect after May 1 (although was correct up until that day, through the end of April).  While I can not yet confirm all frequencies (only 4600, 5715, 6215, and 6330 have been used so far this month that I have been able to receive) I can for sure say V24 / M94 has moved outside the 1200 to 1630 time frame it has used for years.

This morning there were transmissions at 1100 (6215 kHz), 1120 (5715 kHz), and 1140 UTC (6215 kHz) in addition to transmissions inside the 1200 to 1630 time frame.  Nine transmissions total in one day, all V24, from 1100 to 1500 UTC, I have never seen V24 / M94 send that many in one day before.  And I did not start looking until 1100 UTC, so there could have been transmissions earlier.

Because of this I can say only a few things about V24 / M94 at this time, and most of them are statements of what I don’t know, vs what I do.

V24 / M94 has shifted to using time slots outside the traditional (for them) 1200 to 1630 UTC window.  Exactly what these time changes are is unknown at this time, but includes multiple transmissions before 1200 UTC.  I have not been able to confirm any transmissions after 1630 UTC, but because of propagation I may not be able to confirm them even if they are happening.  The transmission times seem heavily weighted to earlier, instead of later.  Most of the transmissions for the last few days appear to be before 1400 UTC.  It is possible this weighting of times is caused by my propagation conditions and I might be missing latter transmissions.

V24 has started using time slots ending in 20 and 40 (such as 1120 and 1140), something it has not done in the past several years, and possibly has never done.  Time slots ending in 00 and 30 (such as 1300 and 1330) are still being used but so far the 30 time slot has not been seen in combination with a preceding 20 or a following 40 time slot.

Since May 1 no M94 transmissions have been noted, in the same time frame last month there were two.  The two M94 time slots and frequencies that should have happened did have transmissions, but they were V24 instead of M94.  However, this happened January 1, 2011 also, and eventually M94 fell back into its old time slots.

It is simply going to take some time to figure out the details of all of these changes.  In the mean time look for V24 / M94 on all of its old frequencies and in any time slot from at least as early as 1100 and as late as 1630 (and maybe outside of these times as well).


T!

1998

Spy Numbers / V24 and M94 changes, May 01, 2011

« on: May 01, 2011, 1421 UTC »

Hello all,

It has been a while since I submitted an update on Korean numbers stations V24/M94.  Unfortunately, it may be a while longer before I submit a good, full update.  For the past several years, and as near as I can figure for the last decade or more, V24/M94 has been using start times that end in 00 and 30, in other words at the top and bottom of the hours, on the hour and the half hour, with one notable exception, there was an occasional 1620 time slot used.  Around 1 January 2011 V24/M94 stopped using 1620 and went to only 00 and 30 start times.  For the past three months I have been working on a new schedule to predict V24/M94 after this change.  As of last month the schedule was complete and averaging about 95% accuracy.  Last month I was confirming it before putting it out on the web.  And, in the middle of this past month, V24/M94 again changed its habits and schedules.

It appears that V24 and M94 are now using XX00, XX20, and XX40 time slots and several new songs have been added to the lead-in music line-up, XX30 may or may not still be in use, I have not been able to confirm.  At this time the schedule I had built, that was 95% accurate last month, appears to be less than 25% accurate today, indicating that the majority of transmission windows have changed.  As of this writing and after the schedule changes I have not yet heard M94 so I do not know if both V24 and M94 have changed, or if it is only V24.  I also have not heard any XX30 time slots used, but I do not know if that is because the sample set is too small or if XX30 has been abandon.  Similarly, I have not yet heard any M94 since the schedule change, but again it could just be because so few M94 transmissions are sent each month and the sample set is still small.

To make matters worse, this time of year propagation on these frequencies fades badly for me about 1500, so I cannot confirm any of the time slots from 1500 on.

The end result is, for right now and starting sometime in April, 2011, that V24/M94 appears to still be active from 1200 to 1630 UTC on frequencies of 4500, 4600, 4900, 5115, 5715, 6215, 6330 and 6730 kHz.  Lead-in music for some transmissions have changed, new transmissions in new time slots sometimes include new and previously unheard music.  New start times are in use for many transmissions.

T!
Mojave Desert, California, USA

1999

HF Beacons / TR on 6926

« on: April 12, 2011, 0054 UTC »

Howdy all,

The transient beacon "TR" that normally shows up around 4060 kHz is currently on 6926.1 kHz.  Been there for the past couple hours and fairly strong.

T!

2000

Spy Numbers / Vietnamese numbers station back to normal, 10255 kHz USB

« on: March 20, 2011, 2035 UTC »

Hello all,

It has been a little while since I reported on the Vietnamese numbers station on 10255 kHz, USB.  Mostly this is because the VTN has been sending nothing but an approximate 1kHz tone for a few months.

To recap, the VTN most commonly sends three identical messages per day starting at about 1600 UTC.  Actual start times vary but typically the first message starts between 1557 and 1603, with 1600 being the most common.  The station was first reported in February of 2010 with a Vietnamese language YL and 5f format.  The message is read by human but recorded on a PC (PC error sounds have been noted in the audio).  From March of 2010 to September of 2010 all messages have been OM, although it was probably not all the same OM.   The station typically sent the same message many days in a row, so that in the period from February of 2010 to September of 2010 only 5 unique messages were actually noted, despite there being well over 100 individual transmissions.

The last numbers transmission I heard from this station was on September 14, 2010.  Starting September 26, 2010 an approximate 1 kHz tone was noted on the frequency starting within seconds of the anticipated start time for the numbers station.  This 1 kHz tone lasted about 5 seconds longer than the anticipated numbers transmission.  From September 26, 2010 to March 6, 2011 this activity continued, with the tone occasionally changing duration, as if the message length had changed.  These changes in length were about as frequent as changes in message length when voice was being sent.  It should be noted that the 1 kHz tone did not contain data, it was a simple 1 kHz tone.  My initial assessment the first few days was that a test tone had been accidently sent instead of the numbers audio.  I still believe that is the most likely case for the entire 6 month period, however I am at a loss to explain how such an error could go on so long and remain unnoticed by the operators.  Possibly there are other frequencies in use, and this is a backup, that might explain why they were so slow in fixing it or why it went so long undetected if that was the case.

On March 7, 2011, numbers again were noted on the frequency in a post to the E2K Group.  This time it was again YL in Vietnamese in 5f format.  I have no recordings of March 3 to March 6, 2011, so I am not sure exactly what day the numbers resumed, when the tone transmissions had gone on for so long I started recording only every few days instead of daily.  Interestingly, on March 8, 2011, the day after the report to E2K of voice, the tone again was sent, again a few seconds longer than the message on March 7 and since March 11.

Since March 11, 2011, the station has transmitted three identical messages each day.  The start time for the first message is about 1600 UTC.  All messages sent since then have been the same 30 group message with the same IDs being sent, each message is identical to all of the others and is apparently a single recording played three times a day.  The current 30 group message length is  about 6 minutes and 16 seconds.

03/11/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:29 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:06 UTC msg 2, 1613:44 UTC msg 3
03/12/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:30 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:08 UTC msg 2, 1613:43 UTC msg 3
03/13/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:32 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:08 UTC msg 2, 1613:44 UTC msg 3
03/14/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:29 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:05 UTC msg 2, 1613:42 UTC msg 3
03/15/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:29 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:05 UTC msg 2, 1613:41 UTC msg 3
03/16/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:27 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:03 UTC msg 2, 1613:39 UTC msg 3
03/17/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:24 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:51 UTC msg 2, 1615:17 UTC msg 3
03/18/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:24 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:49 UTC msg 2, 1615:15 UTC msg 3
03/19/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:23 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:50 UTC msg 2, 1615:15 UTC msg 3
03/20/2011, 10255 kHz USB, 1600:21 UTC 30 grp msg 1, 1607:47 UTC msg 2, 1615:13 UTC msg 3

I’ll get around to updating my web site (http://token_radio.home.mchsi.com/VTN.htm ) of this station shortly, but for now I have a pretty nice recording of the first message of the day on March 16, 2011.  http://www.token.hpathome.net/SharedFiles/VTN_2011_03_16_1600_25_10255USB.mp3

T!

2001

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6950 AM

« on: February 26, 2011, 0121 UTC »

I believe this was Radio Ronin SHortwave, although I had RRS freq as actually 6949.3 AM.  I tuned in at 0036 and heard the first RRS ID at 0037.

2002

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: KARR 6925U

« on: February 26, 2011, 0120 UTC »

Odd that sat_dxer is hearing distorted audio.  Most of the time here the audio is really very good and the singal level is down to S9 at the bottoms of the fades.  Slightly over 3 kHz wide and bottom end roll-off is below 50 Hz.  Between songs during dead air there is some pretty large hum though.

2003

Spy Numbers / Re: 5800 Khz numbers

« on: February 25, 2011, 1726 UTC »

QLF?  How would sending with your left foot defeat gathering techniques?  Better yet, OTPs are secure enough when properly used why worry about gathering techniques?  Let listeners, hobby folk, professionals, and anything in between gather all they want, what good will it do them other than as a curiosity?

T!

2004

Spy Numbers / Re: 5800 Khz numbers

« on: February 22, 2011, 2010 UTC »

For sure for the 0500 UTC, 22 Feb 2011 transmission the frequency was 5898 kHz and not 5900 kHz.  There was a carrier up on 5900 (as there often is) that was associated with a broadcast station.

With a receiver in the AM mode it is possible, especially with a strong signal, for you to be one or two kHz off and still seem to be tuned correctly.  This is particularly true when there is a close carrier.

There is a technique of switching to SSB and back and forth between USB and LSB that can be used to zero beat the carrier, and give you the true frequency.  Alternately, if you switch to either SSB mode (assuming fixed SSB detectors and not a BFO) and the audio stays the same you are correctly tuned.

2005

Spy Numbers / Re: 5800 Khz numbers

« on: February 22, 2011, 0511 UTC »

Active agn @0600 2-19
(2-20)carrier on 5900kHz 0500 to 0550...
switched to 5800kHz which has carrier, then 5F groups at 0600 to 0634, carrier until 0650UT.
(2-21) 5900kHz 0500UT 5F groups to 0535 then carrier to 0555UT.. switch to 5800kHz carrier on, 0600 5F groups...

How sure are you of that 5900 kHz?  I have not seen 5900 in use for a while, and right this minute (0505 UTC) M8a is up on 5898, the frequency I have seen V2a, M8a, and SK01 up on recently.

2006

Spy Numbers / Re: 5800 Khz numbers

« on: February 18, 2011, 2334 UTC »

The Cuban stations, V2, M8, and SK01, are day of the week specific.  That means each day might have a different station on a different frequency at any specific time, such as 0500.  The 0500 time slot is one of the more stable.  The last data I have lists for the 0500 slot (days and times are UTC, list includes possibles and backups):

Monday           5898
Tuesday          12180/13380/5898
Wednesday      12180/13380/5898
Thursday         13380/5898
Friday             12180/13380/5898
Saturday         5898
Sunday           5898

You'll note 5898 listed every day, however several of those are "possible", not 100% of the time.

2007

HF Beacons / WO, 4106.48, Feb 11 2011, 0350

« on: February 11, 2011, 0355 UTC »

WO is still plugging along on 4106.48 tonight.  Still no idea who, what, where on this one?

Note that it has drifted up in freq a little from where I reported it last month.

2008

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: 6YCAT Voice of the Cat

« on: February 09, 2011, 0032 UTC »

Pretty fair signal into the Mohave Desert.

Kit Kat Marley, broadcasting from the top of a Peyote tree.

T!

2009

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Tripwave Radio 6965 USB

« on: February 06, 2011, 1517 UTC »

TRIP Wave Radio, 6965 USB, before 0020 to after 0115, multiple comedy skits, including South Park and a couple of times the Cheech and Chong skit of Jesus at the Tijuana Border crossing, as well as an excerpt from the radio show "The Texas Rangers". Most of the time the signal was arm chair copy, but there were some deep fades near the end.

Had trouble with the ID at first, could not decide if it was STRIP, DRIP, or TRIP Wave Radio. They fixed that near the end by saying it phonetically, "T as in Tango, R as in Radio, I as in India, and P as in Pussy, TRIP Wave, Tripping, Tripping, Trip Out, Tripping Out, lets trip out", my assumption is the op is a cat person who likes to travel.

This station might have been on 6940 U for a while starting at about 2334 having some technical difficulties. If that was the same station it then moved to 6965 U and initially had the same tech problems. But eventually everything got straightened out (assuming it was the same station) and the audio was good for the last hour and a half at least.

2010

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Wolverine Radio 6925usb (River Theme)

« on: February 06, 2011, 1515 UTC »

Was strong here in the Mohave Desert for the entire show, at the low point about S8, sign-on was 0109 with the typical musical version of "testing 1, 2, 3" a couple of times and then "Wolverine Radio". I had to run out and pick up dinner near the end, so the last four songs and the SSTV I heard from the truck.  Was clear in the mobile except for one spot near the center of town, but not quite as strong as at home naturally.

Nice audio for SSB, as usual, looks to be about 3.5 kHz wide.