Messages

631

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: UNID 6950 USB 0333 UTC 6/18/17

« on: June 18, 2017, 0356 UTC »

This was Solar Centric Radio.  He was about S8 into the Mojave Desert tonight.  Freq was about 6950.05 kHz.  Off air at 0355z.

T!

632

North American Shortwave Pirate / Re: YHWH 7585khz AM mode at 04:18UTC

« on: June 04, 2017, 1241 UTC »

YHWH has changed the order he plays his CDs in, so the music is often still sent (every night I have listened to the entire transmission, which is only occasionally) however the music might play in the middle of the show, vs end / beginning.

Also he started before 0300z, his shows have grown to over 2 hours.  7585 kHz has been his favorite for a while now, before that was 7615 kHz.

633

Spy Numbers / Re: S25? 13883

« on: June 01, 2017, 1737 UTC »

02:30z  13883kHz
…104 104 104 23384 23384 11111 11111 00000 00000
The start of the transfer was missed.
Last Thursday, May 25, also aired.
S25 probably.

The format does sound like S25.  Wheere was the receiver used located?

T!

634

Huh? / Re: A North Korean Nuclear EMP Attack? … Unlikely

« on: May 31, 2017, 0150 UTC »

The NK sats haven't emitted a peep since launch and are at the perfect altitude for a textbook emp pop. There's also the rumour that NK bought super emp tech from Russia and China.

It is arguable if they are at the perfect altitude, they are around 500 km alt (varies +/- about 30 km).  The perfect altitude must be matched with the technology of the device used, what is the "perfect" alt for one sized device is not so much for a different sized device.

Now 320 miles is a really nice zone for EMP, assuming you have a device of correct yield.  A large enough one at that alt would have a footprint covering much of the contiguous US.  However a relatively low yield device, say on the order of 10x the size NK has yet actually detonated, would actually be hampered at that altitude, and would have a more effective footprint (not larger, but higher intensity) at a good bit lower alt.

Would Russia or China sell NK a tailored EMP device in the 1 MT or larger range?  This is not 1991, Russia is not that hard up for hard currency.

As I type this KMS 3-2 just passed over the Russian heartland.  Its next two orbits will take it over China.  Such a weapon could easily be used by NK against China or Russia, and there would be nothing those nations could do to stop it.  Providing a tailored EMP device small enough to fit on an NK rocket would be as dangerous to China or Russia as it would be to us.  ANd NK has demonstrated that it will not be controlled by external nations.

Could NK have built a 1 MT or larger device themselves?  Nothing they have done so far, no test, indicates they are anywhere near ready for that.  And if they can, after the limited success they have had so far, could it fit on a sat they could lift to orbit?  The KMS 3-2 is 1.6 meters, by 0.6 meters, by 0.7 meters, and is estimated to weigh about 100 kg.  That has to hold whatever they want it to hold (such as a weapon) and all the TM and control stuff.  We could build one to fit in that footprint, but we could not for the first 15 or so years of the most ambitious and public nuclear weapons development program seen so far.  It took us about 7 years, and more than 30 successful tests, after our first test to get to our first multi-stage device, and more than 1 MT.  And that device would hardly fit in a delivery truck, let alone a 100 kG payload rocket.

I see no indication, at all, that NK is at about the same level of weapons development as the US was at in 1960.  They have had 5 tests, one fizzle at about 0.7 kt, the next 4 ranged from about 5 to about 25 kt.  It was claimed, by NK, that the last one was of a correct size to be mounted on a missile / rocket.  At the time of that test both the KMS 3-2 and the KMS 4 were already in orbit.  Their demonstrated weapons tech as of the last launch was on the order of 20 kt.

At the altitude of the KMS birds 20 kt, or even several times that, is just about a firecracker.

Am I worried that they will get there?  You bet, if not stopped or if they don't change their mind it is almost assured they will.  But not yet, and probably not for a few more years.  I think they need to pop a right size weapon in test before I start worrying about them maybe getting one to orbit.

T!

635

Spy Numbers / Re: M89 & VC01 Chinese Military logs for May.

« on: May 30, 2017, 1553 UTC »

All well and good Token...but what is their purpose, they chant for hours?  

As far as I know it has never been confirmed, but the leading theory is it is part of a Chinese Air Defense/Tracking network of some kind.  You can plot the numbers over time and see that the groups are slowly changing, as if they are coordinates of moving targets.  

There is also a Morse version.  I don’t remember its designation off the top of my head, maybe MC01?  You can find more information on both, including formats, at the Numbers and Oddities web site.  Unfortunately I cannot access that web site from this computer right now or I would provide a link.  Later when I can access I will grab the link and edit this post, if you have not already found the data yourself.

(edit)  My mistake, I was thinking of VC03 that has a Morse counterpart.  Some data here  http://www.numbersoddities.nl/Chinese-military-nets.pdf

T!

636

Spy Numbers / Re: M89 & VC01 Chinese Military logs for May.

« on: May 30, 2017, 0231 UTC »

VC01 changes frequencies about once a month, around the 10th of each month.  Each month there are at least 4 frequencies in use, typically 2 frequencies at any one time, possibly a night time set and a day time set.  This month I have heard VC01 on 3936, 4818, and 5883 kHz.   There is probably a 4th freq active at the same time 5883 kHz is, but I have not found it yet.  Conditions have just not been good enough.

I believe there are generally 2 nodes on any frequency, each in a separate location.  They often alternate, first one node and then the other.  And yes, sometimes they are slightly off freq from each other, that is why you heard one deeper pitched than the other.

T!

637

Spy Numbers / Re: M89 & VC01 Chinese Military logs for May.

« on: May 29, 2017, 1351 UTC »

3.936MHz  USB  VC01 Chinese Robot with two female "chanters"

What makes you say there are two female chanters?

Yes, there are often two sources, and they can sound slightly different, so I agree two is often correct, I was just wondering what specific queues were telling you two?

You might also check 4818 kHz LSB and 5883 kHz USB.  I have caught 3936 kHz USB and 4818 kHz LSB on at the same time, but typically 5883 kHz USB is not on when either of those are on (or if they are propagation kills them here at the time I can hear 5883).  There is probably a 4th freq in use while 5883 is active, but I have not found it.  Typically it is on at least 2 freqs at once, and changes sets as the day progresses.

All of the freqs will change around the end of the first week or beginning of the second week of June.

T!

638

Other / Re: Unknown, IDed as probably Arecibo, 5125 kHz, May 21, 22, and 23, 2017.

« on: May 27, 2017, 0140 UTC »

Wonder what the gain is on hf for that thing.

If we assume 65% efficiency (a good middle of the road number, could be slightly higher or lower, at a bet lower is more likely) it would be about 26.5 dBi on 8175 kHz, and 22.4 dBi on 5125 kHz.  If the antenna is very efficient you might add as much as 2 dB to each of those.

(edit)  Found this paper here :  http://www.naic.edu/~astro/ao50/Arecibo_50th_Paper_Breakall_revised_Oct_23_2013.pdf  which calls the gain on 8175 kHz as 25.5 dBi and the gain at 5125 kHz as 22.2 dBi.  That comes out to about 52% on 8175 kHz and 62% on 5125 kHz.

(edit 2)  Looking at that paper it describes the transmitter as 6x 100 kW transmitters repurposed from a former HF OTHR, and the lower freq of 5100 kHz selected because the OTHR was not designed to go below that freq.  I wonder which OTHR that was?  The power and frequency limits are correct for the FPS-118 (5 to 28 MHz, 100 kW per transmitter module, either 6 or 12 transmitter modules per site).  However I thought the FPS-118's were not scrapped until after the new HF transmitter was added to Arecibo?  I guess it could the FPS-112 transmitter, but I did not think that one did CW.

T!

639

Other / Re: Unknown, possible HAARP, 5125 kHz, May 21, 22, and 23, 2017.

« on: May 25, 2017, 2110 UTC »

Yep, looks like Arecibo is the answer.  Very cool, that is a new one for me in the log, or at least new with this much confirmation.

T!

640

Other / Re: Unknown, possible HAARP, 5125 kHz, May 21, 22, and 23, 2017.

« on: May 25, 2017, 0513 UTC »

Also up daily on 8175 kHz before shifting to the 5125 kHz freq.  I had not noticed it before, but it was pointed out to me today and checking my recordings it is indeed there.

T!

641

Other / Re: Dasher 5170 USB 03:27 UTC 26 April 2017

« on: May 25, 2017, 0138 UTC »

Yes, there is, and has been for a while, a Link 11 CLEW on 5171 kHz.  Sometimes USB, sometimes ISB or DSB.

T!

642

Other / Re: Unknown, possible HAARP, 5125 kHz, May 21, 22, and 23, 2017.

« on: May 25, 2017, 0136 UTC »

I've been getting it intermittently this evening, a strong carrier coming on and off at seemingly random but probably planned intervals.

It came on air with a steady carrier at 0010z, 25 May, 2017.  There may or may not have been low freq modulation on it, it was not strong enough at that time to tell (this was well before sundown).  Staid up for 10 minutes until 0020z then off air.  Came back up at 0025z, with a 3 sec on, 1 second off cycle.  Off at 0030z.  Since that time it has continued that cycle, 5 minutes off air, 5 minutes on air with OOK and a 3 sec on, 1 sec off cycle.  Stop times are XXX5z, and start times are XXX0z.

T!

643

Spy Numbers / Re: 7.553MHz USB M95?

« on: May 24, 2017, 1848 UTC »

M95 has a voice sister station, called V26.  It also has a digital sister station that has no specific ENIGMA ID but uses the Chinese 4+4 digital modem.

These stations will run back to back, so you might hear the digital modem, and then a few minutes after that ends you might hear M95, and then a few minutes after that ends you might hear V26.

I do not know if they always do so, but I have seen the same data sent by each, first on the 4+4, then on M95, then on V26.

These stations are typically on three frequencies at one time.  4283 // 7553 // 9153 (or 8073) might be used as a set, and another might be 4243 // 7345 // 9054.  Sometimes M95 is on frequency, sometimes it is shifted 1 kHz up or down as if in either USB or LSB modes.  Typically the voice and digital signals are in USB.  However the station does make relatively frequent mistakes in modes, for example I have seen the three frequency set each using a different mode, so that at one time LSB, USB, and AM was in use, each on a different one of the three freqs.

T!

644

Other / Re: Unknown, possible HAARP, 5125 kHz, May 21, 22, and 23, 2017.

« on: May 23, 2017, 1824 UTC »

Also can't they steer the array and alter the take off angle at will? That could explain some of the differences noted in x and o signal strengths.

Yes, they can steer the beam.  However typically during an experiment they are interested in a specific portion of the sky / ionosphere, and they often point at the same point in the sky for hours at a time.

During the February batch of tests I got some good baseline data with relative signals strengths while pointed at the same part of the sky and confirmed X / O mode changes.

T!

645

Other / Unknown, IDed as probably Arecibo, 5125 kHz, May 21, 22, and 23, 2017.

« on: May 23, 2017, 0402 UTC »

For the last couple of days I have been looking at a signal that has some of the earmarks of HAARP.

Starting about 2130 UTC on May 21 and 22, 2017, what appeared to be a dead carrier came up on 5125 kHz.  The carrier transmitted on a 3 minute cycle every 10 minutes.

On May 21 it came up at XXX7:00z and off at XXX0:00z.  I mean for example, the carrier started at 2337:00z and stayed on the air until 2340:00z.  Then it was off air until 2347:00z, and transmitted until 2350:00z.  Then on at 2357:00 and off 2400:00.  Etc, etc, 3 minutes every 10 minutes, starting on the XXX7:00 mark.  It did this from about 2130 UTC on May 21 until about 0750 UTC on May 22, or roughly 10 hours of operation.

Further, there occasionally appeared to be some very low frequency modulation on the carrier, for example at 0400:00z - 0403:00z tonight it had swept modulation on it, starting at about 15 Hz and going to about 23 Hz, or possibly half those frequencies and I was seeing the harmonics, although most of the time all I could detect was a little 120 Hz hum (which I have seen on HAARP before.

And then on May 22 at about 2130 it started up again.  Still on a 3 minute on per 10 minute cycle, but tonight it starts at XXX0:00z and ends at XXX3:00z.  I mean it starts on air at 0020:00z and goes of air at 0023:00z, then back on the air at 0030:00z and off at 0033:00z, etc, etc.

Right now (0400 UTC, May 23) the signal is still cycling.

I have seen these kinds of signals for the last few months, off and on, but never really looked at them closely until yesterday.  By the way, these signals are heard on remotes across the US and in Europe.

Why do I say this might be, maybe, to be considered, HAARP?  The signal strength and characteristics are consistent with past HAARP observations.  The bearing of arrival is consistent with past HAARP observations.  The low frequency modulation is consistent with past HAARP observations.  And finally the 120 Hz hum is consistent with past HAARP observations.  Not one of these things, by themselves, is a good indicator, but taken together I think it is worth considering HAARP as a possible source.

Chris, if we had the GPS DF thing going we could tell

T!

(edit)  Added screenshot;

The following is a screenshot of about 35 minutes of waterfall looking at signal in detail.  4 transmission cycles, every other transmission has low frequency modulation on it.





(additional edit)  Further information;

At 0600 the transmissions changed.  It was still the 3 minutes per 10 minute cycle, however now the 3 minute transmission was broken up into a 3 second on and 1 second off cycle within the 3 minutes.

Also noted that alternating 3 second cycles were stronger and weaker, and the strong ones appeared to have the VLF audio modulation on them.  This lead to a closer look yet, and I now believe that every transmission may have the VLF audio on it, however I was not initially able to detect it on the slightly weaker ones.  At a guess, HAARP was alternating X mode and O mode operations, as the power delta between the strong / less strong transmissions is about equal to the delta observed between confirmed X and O mode operations.

In past confirmed HAARP operations O mode was about 10-12 dB stronger than X mode, and that tracks with these observations.