Messages

61

Utility / Re: HFGCS Force Directional Message (FDM) and Emergency Action Message (EAM) Log

« on: July 08, 2022, 1405 UTC »

Just an FYI, as of May, 2022 (and possibly before that, but May I know for sure), the use of the SKYKING format has resumed on the HF-GCS.

T!

62

HF Mystery Signals / Re: UNID Wideband 6986 to 7002 kHz 0000 UTC 21 JUN 2022

« on: June 24, 2022, 2107 UTC »

This is an OTHR, but not PLUTO 2.  PLUTO 2 does not go below 8000 kHz.

This is the Russian 29B6 Container radar.  The actual modulated width is fairly narrow, only about 14 kHz.  However, it is FMOP vs the FMCW of some other radars, so there is more splatter invovled.

29B6 started on that frequency, on 20 June, at about 2300z, and went off that freq at about 0220z, on 21 June.

T!

63

HF Mystery Signals / Re: Signals around the Russian Buzzer

« on: April 23, 2022, 1610 UTC »

I just check to see what signals were on now (4/22 2247Z).  It looks like two CODAR signals are on.  The one in my screen shot is definitely closer to me.  The STANAG 4285 with a carrier is also present, but, much lower in signal strength.  I wonder if the carrier may be a fault within the generating equipment.

I expanded the STANAG 4285 signal.  The carrier is definitely not part of STANAG signal.  It is about 600 Hz below the STANAG signal.  Thanks Token for the help.

I have seen part time CODARs, that do not transmit all the time, and of course normal propagation can bring one up or down for your location.  It is common for a given CODAR frequency to have multiple CODARs around the world on it.  Overlapping or intermingled CODAR is not uncommon.

Re the STANAG 4285 with possible carrier, the carrier may still be part of the transmission.  If the transmitter was in USB+carrier mode (H3D, H3E, or H3W) the carrier would be roughly 600 Hz below the bottom edge of the data.  The carrier is not part of the data, there is no pilot tone or Doppler tone in S4285, but still could be part of the same transmission.

Most often S4285 is sent USB or LSB, and no carrier is present, but the presences of the carrier might just be an operator mode selection (accidental or intentional) to USB+carrier.

T!

64

HF Mystery Signals / Re: Signals around the Russian Buzzer

« on: April 22, 2022, 0151 UTC »

The sweeping signal is a CODAR.  CODAR is a specialized coastal radar that monitor ocean wave and current activity.  CODAR can, and do, sweep either direction, up or down.

The other signal you describe is STANAG 4285, a digital modem used by NATO forces.  Normally it does not have a carrier present, why it is there I can't say.  Maybe someone selected the wrong mode, or maybe it is an unrelated signal on the same frequency.

T!

65

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: KMUD 6935 AM 0255 UTC 17 April 2022

« on: April 17, 2022, 1554 UTC »

Token,

Your remarkable report and the near-abrupt shift from short skip to long skip on 6.9 MHz band / 43m was likely the X1 flare that began a radio blackout over s.e. Asia at 03:34 UT! A proton stream struck at the time of the UV and X-rays, so it immedisately affected the night and terminator ionosphere, also... 73MB

Yeah, I saw that flare and assumed that was the cause.  I was a little surprised that 6930 USB came up as a result of the flare, but that was a short term impact, that signal also tanked a few minutes after my post.  Also, since this was well after sundown I was impressed by how much, and how quickly, the propagation was impacted by the flare.

Looking at my wideband waterfall the change in propagation, across the spectrum, was very clear, but the bands appear to have recovered by shortly after 0400z

T!

66

North American Shortwave Pirate / KMUD 6935 AM 0255 UTC 17 April 2022

« on: April 17, 2022, 0305 UTC »

KMUD on 6935 AM, with CW and voice ID, starting at about 0255 UTC, 17 April, 2022.

S8 here (edit, 10 over S9 on the right antenna).

T!

(edit) at about 0346 UTC KMUD took a big dive, from  10+ over S9 to S4 or less in about 60 seconds.  At the same time 6930 USB came up in signal.  Looks like a major band condition change at that time.

67

HF Mystery Signals / Re: 7939 @ 0350z - analog? digital? SigIDWiki fails me again!

« on: April 02, 2022, 1430 UTC »

This sounds very much like one of the jammers I have heard used, but can't remember which off the top of my head.  Maybe Cuban?

T!

68

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: X-FM, 6285 AM 0100 UTC 27 MAR 2022

« on: March 27, 2022, 0115 UTC »

XFM is S8'ish in the Mojave Desert tonight.

Also being heard on European remotes.

T!

69

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: Wolverine Radio 6915 USB 2358 UTC March 26th, 2022

« on: March 27, 2022, 0034 UTC »

Wolverine is S7 to S9 into the Mojave Desert this evening.  Myself, wife, and a couple of grandikids listening on the house sound system.

T!

70

HF Mystery Signals / MFSK Oddity, possible HFT, multiple frequencies and days

« on: March 21, 2022, 1732 UTC »

All,

I have been meaning to write up something on the MFSK Oddity that has been being reported by multiple people to this forum over the past year+.  Unfortunately, real life has gotten in the way and I have not had time to do it.

So I am going to pull all (well, all I can find) the threads together under this one thread and include a couple recordings I have made.

(edit)  Well, that did not work.  I will link the other threads to this one, not merge the threads.

For those not familiar, the MFSK Oddity is a signal that has been showing up since at least mid 2020, and I suspect it was around a bit before that.  Further, I think some of the phantom "1 PPS" signals before that time may be related.

Some listeners tie this signal to HFT (High Frequency Trading).  I do not think that has been proven, but geolocation via TDOA and HFDF, searches of related frequency authorizations for HFT license, and similar frequency use / habits of other HFT tied signals make the HFT association very possible, if not probable.  If not quite proven it is a best guess.  10Band LLC and related businesses are likely candidates.

The arguments against HFT are that the data rate is too slow to be useful for that service, and the data also appears static, unchanging, for very long periods of time.  If you are leveraging RF vs fiber to gain microseconds of advantage, why use a data format that sends bits in 10's or 100's of millisecond intervals?

I have measured bandwidths of about 2.6, 4, and 10 kHz, I have seen other bandwidths but they have been too weak for me to get a decent estimate of the occupied bandwidth.

I have seen pulse rates of between 200 Hz (5 msec pulse interval) to 1 Hz (1 second pulse interval).  I have seen repeating "bit patterns" (for lack of better term) of 8, 16, and 32 bits.

The signal appears to be MFSK like.  Since late 2020 it has generally appeared to be 4 channels of data (prior to that it was 3 channels, or less), each channel with 4 FSK like steps.  There may be some other modulation on each pulse, but if so I have not been able to confirm it.  Arbitrarily, for my notes, I have called the lowest frequency channel of data Ch1, and moving up in freq Ch2, Ch3, and Ch4.  Within each channel I have called the tones, again low freq to high, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

These signals move frequencies regularly, probably as needed for propagation.

Some videos below, sorry, they are not nicely annotated or explained, but at least they are recordings.  The frequencies listed are center frequency.

4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 16 bit, 1000 msec interval, 15910 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdzHIOUuJ-c


4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 16 bit, 100 msec interval, 14903 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTYZrmO6rxE


4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 16 bit, 66.7 msec interval, 10160 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKb2Z5LOdlE


4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 16 bit, 50 msec interval, 10170 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T18rzFeMG04


4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 16 bit, 33.3 msec interval, 13909 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz2eRqMXVyk


4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 16 bit, 20 msec interval, 13928 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM0o4jCjLHk


4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 16 bit, 10 msec interval, 10807 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6Riik2BGJU


4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 32 bit, 100 msec interval, 15905 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Kqwf3PGFY


4 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 32 bit, 5 msec interval, 14500 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhwsXmk77uc


2.6 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 3 step, 16 bit, 100 msec, 6993 and 6988 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V54EMvVuViI


2.6 kHz bandwidth, 4 Channel, 3 step, 16 bit, 50 msec interval, 14480 kHz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaoMYPot2ko


T!


Related threads:


UNID 9060 Digi
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,93053.0.html

UNID 6940.0 kHz (CF) 00:00 UTC 01 FEBRUARY 2022
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,92398.0.html

UNID 6985 (CF) 1310 UTC 09 JAN 2022
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,91412.0.html

UNID 6988 USB 2223 UTC 09 DEC 2021
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,90040.0.html

UNID 6965 (CF) 2200 UTC 09 DEC 2021
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,90039.0.html

UNID 6970 2019 UTC 19 NOV 2021--see waterfall
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,89284.0.html

71

Utility / Re: UNID ALE / VOICE / DATA NET 9019 USB 1744 UTC 15 MAR 2022

« on: March 16, 2022, 0827 UTC »

Both the UK and the US networks have been noted on this frequency.  With the 6Y8M5 ID I would assume what you have reported is the US network.

T!

72

Utility / Re: HFGCS Force Directional Message (FDM) and Emergency Action Message (EAM) Log

« on: March 12, 2022, 1425 UTC »

@SIGINT you have been hitting this thread often.  I have moved it to a Sticky to keep it at the top of the thread.  If it falls into disuse I can always remove the Sticky status.

T!

73

Utility / Re: 8992 anomaly

« on: March 06, 2022, 2056 UTC »

This signal seems stuck on now.  It has been on, one-stop for the past 45 minutes.  Earlier in the evening it did come on and go off a few times, but each on period got longer and longer.

(edit) It finally turned off after more than an hour and a half of non-stop operation.

T!

74

Utility / Re: 8992 anomaly

« on: March 06, 2022, 1422 UTC »

I was under the impression this was jamming. I hear it only on 8992 and not the other GF-GCS frequencies. I noticed ground units transmitting and airborne units do complain about interference.

Originally the signal was a few seconds every ~3 minutes or so, regular as clock work and really not intrusive at all.  Annoying, but no real hindrance.  Gradually, over the past few weeks, the signal has become longer and longer.  It is only hitting 8992, and none of the other HF-GCS freqs.  It appears to be Europe / North Africa, or that general region, sourced and during daylight hours that is the only region that can hear it.

It is just not a good candidate for an intentional jammer.

T!

75

Spy Numbers / Re: Spanish lady with numeric group 11320kHz AM @ 2246 UTC - 05 March 2022

« on: March 06, 2022, 1309 UTC »

This sounds like it is Cuban combined mode (voice and digital) numbers station HM01.  But how certain are you of the frequency?  That station is well known for errors, so it easily could have been on the frequency you mention, but it was supposed to be on 17480 kHz at that time.

T!