Messages

256

General Radio Discussion / Re: marine traffic map site

« on: June 06, 2013, 1554 UTC »

Yes, thanks for this, it is a great "real time" tracking map for ships.

Any idea if there is any sort of online database like this for aircraft?

[UDXF] Marine traffic map‏

Ian Wade G3NRW

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To: UDXF@yahoogroups.com
Picture of Ian Wade G3NRW

Here's a nice marine traffic map site:
 
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/
 
May be helpful in correlating monitored messages.
 
--
73
Ian, G3NRW

257

General Radio Discussion / Please Make Some Suggestions for Seattle SWLing

« on: June 06, 2013, 1526 UTC »

Hello:

I live in Seattle, Washington USA.  I am pretty new to SWLing and find the entire subject to be endlessly fascinating.  I was drawn into the hobby by a life-long interest in World War II history, codes and code-breaking, and from my subsequent discovery of numbers stations via The Conet Project CD set.  Since then, I have read quite a bit on the subject of shortwave and my favorite area of shortwave oddities (the book Underground Frequency Guide: A Directory of Unusual, Illegal, and Covert Radio Communications by Donald W. Schimmel is a good primer on this, though seriously outdated in some aspects).

My two radios are a Radio Shack DSX-350, AM/FM/LW/SW1-9 12-Band Portable Receiver and a Radio Shack Multiband PLL Digital with SSB.  I also have a Sangean ANT-60 Short Wave Antenna which really helps to pull in some of the weaker signals.  I hope to have a good desktop receiver in the future.  For now, I must satisfy my SWL habit through those two cheap portables.  However, I have been able to find some pretty interesting stuff on both of those radios, including the Cuban V2A numbers station.

I am hoping that members of this board will be able to make some suggestions for frequencies and stations that I can likely find and hear from my location here in Seattle, using the radios that I currently have at my disposal.  Any suggestions would be a big help.

Thanks!

258

General Radio Discussion / Re: Special "Operation Overlord - D-Day Remembered" program

« on: June 06, 2013, 1449 UTC »

Thanks for the link. Downloaded and listening to this now. Its really well done.

For those who are interested... with the following
link - you can DOWNLOAD the complete D-Day Special
(including Special Jingle & End of Program with National Anthems)
total playtime = more then 4 hours / feel free to relay!
total Download = ± 82.4 Mb

#  D-Day Special  -  part I                                          38.1 Mb.
#  D-Day Special  -  part II                                         26.1 Mb.
#  D-Day Special Jingle                                               2.1 Mb.
#  D-Day End of Program with National Anthems         15.9 Mb.

http://we.tl/fKM8tkoqVi

259

Other / Re: Need Help Identifying This Beacon on 6320 kHz

« on: June 04, 2013, 1739 UTC »

Here is a link to an .mp3 file that I found at Archive.org, featuring a recording of a KLB voice message: http://archive.org/download/ShortwaveOddsSodsTransmissions/MaritimeStationUnidPolytone8806khz1905z-1907z01-10-11.mp3

The CW ID is KLB.

I think what you've found is their PACTOR email service on 6318.0 (ship receive). What mode was your radio in?
http://www.shipcom.com/frequencies.html

Pictures:
http://www.interceptradio.com/wiki/index.php/Marine_Coast_Station_KLB

260

Other / Re: Need Help Identifying This Beacon on 6320 kHz

« on: June 04, 2013, 1532 UTC »

I got a good chuckle out of this! I sailed with the US Coast Guard and merchant marine for 15 years and I suppose it is possible that one of your "grabbed grocery lists" could possibly have come from a ship I was on. Yeah, 900 eggs seems like a lot, but it is nothing when it comes to feeding a hungry ships crew on a daily basis.

Back in the late 80's/early 90's, I used to grab the RTTY from the ships. My favorites were when they'd send in their grocery lists. There was one where they wanted over 900 eggs (the rest of the list was of very large quantities too). Printed that thing out... but unfortunately, its long gone.

261

Other / Re: Need Help Identifying This Beacon on 6320 kHz

« on: June 02, 2013, 1629 UTC »

Great advice, great link, thanks for both.

Set it to 6318 and then turn the clarify knob until it sounds good.

There's a lot of fun stuff out there. I was listening to Voice of Greece on 9420 kHz earlier tonight and now listening to a very weak pirate (unlicensed broadcaster) on 6925 USB. Later on, going to see if I can pick up Voice of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) on 15180. They have an English language broadcast at 0400Z (9:00pm PDT), also on 13760 and 11735 kHz at the same time.


In case you haven't found it yet, the following link is pretty good for shortwave broadcast schedules:
http://www.short-wave.info

262

Other / Re: Need Help Identifying This Beacon on 6320 kHz

« on: June 01, 2013, 0226 UTC »

Yes, the radio was in SSB mode (thanks).  I'm going to give another listen for this signal later tonight, but will dial it up on 6318.0 to see if that improves the reception.

Man, I just love this stuff!

By mode, I meant is the radio set for AM, USB, LSB, or CW?  For listening to the utility stations (like that one), USB would be the desired mode. Broadcast stations are normally AM. Amateur radio bands under 10 MHz are LSB.

On shortwave, I've found scanning to be fairly useless as the radios don't stop on the weak stations or even the moderately strong stations. If you only care about strong stations, then that's fine, but there's a lot of weak things lurking out there that the radio would never stop on.

The great thing about being a new to this is now you need to listen more for practice.    


Edit: Looked up that radio and looks like it has AM or SSB (no selection of USB/LSB/CW). From the sound of the video, it sounds like it was in SSB.

263

Other / Re: Need Help Identifying This Beacon on 6320 kHz

« on: June 01, 2013, 0115 UTC »

Thanks very much for your help, and yes, I think you likely have identified this one, as the links you supplied are very convincing.

I'm going to demonstrate just how much of a total SWL noob I really am by saying that I have no idea what you mean by which "mode" my radio was in.  I was simply auto-scanning the 49 meter band on my cheap Radio Shack PLL portable radio when I found this one.

The CW ID is KLB.

I think what you've found is their PACTOR email service on 6318.0 (ship receive). What mode was your radio in?
http://www.shipcom.com/frequencies.html

Pictures:
http://www.interceptradio.com/wiki/index.php/Marine_Coast_Station_KLB

264

Other / Need Help Identifying This Beacon on 6320 kHz

« on: May 31, 2013, 1833 UTC »

Below is a link to a YouTube video that I created of a shortwave station I discovered on 6320 kHz, broadcasting what sounds like it may (possibly) be pulses from a PACTOR II radio modem, followed by the letters "DLB" in morse code. 

I have not been able to learn anything about this particular transmission after searching online. If anyone has any information, please share it either here or in the comments section of the video. Thank you.

http://youtu.be/30YDLOwYo_s