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Messages - Exo

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61
HF Beacons / Re: 6 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: December 28, 2018, 2341 UTC »
Nice catches and screenshots, Exo. I have been trying for the 6 MHz beacons for years. I will have to live vicariously through your loggings  ;D

I do remember quite a few years ago hearing some of the west coast beacons like OR and S (which I think are gone now). Looking back at the old logs here, I was hearing the 4096 beacons back in 2009, and I think a few years after that, but no more.

Hi Chris,

Probably, HexY2k offers the best chance to catch.
On 6700.46 kHz CW, the HexY2k dasher beacon is by far the stronger signal among the 6 MHz beacons.
Rainy and Rocky are very elusive, even here on the west coast; they look and sound like RFI; and they change their modulation characteristics frequently, perhaps due to temperature or voltage :)
Rocky is especially rare, because one can tune right past it, thinking it is just RFI carrier crud.
They are never logged here at western USA night; perhaps all 3 of them require solar sunlight?
Or maybe it is just due to the nature of propagation.
If they are solar-only, and one is trying to predict a possible opening, remember that many of the western USA sites have sunsets that are shadowed due to the mountains or very high trees.
So, plan to watch at least 1 hour or more before official local sunset at the beacon site.


62
And in the 60 meter shortwave broadcast band!  Nice.

So many shortwave broadcasters have shut down over the past few years, that there are lots of clear gaps in-band now.

63
Report

2018DEC28 0341 UTC

4863.0 USB, "Mix Radio International", music, in a good clear spot, readable, wideband, high quality sound, some fading, a lot of lightning static tonight, -100 dBm.

PLAY AUDIO 4863 kHz USB Mix Radio International ID and music recorded in IQ -500Hz and +6kHz bandwidth 2018DEC28 at 0340UTC

64
HF Beacons / Re: 7 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: December 27, 2018, 2354 UTC »
Haven't heard HI in several days. Hearing a short dasher, about every 4-5 sec, ~7998 kc at 2315 UTC.

Here's the big question: "Is the HI beacon the new incarnation of Hiker?"

And yes, that 7998 kHz dasher or ditter is also logged here, weak readable.
But the timing seems somewhat irregular.
Makes one wonder if it is a beacon or not.
It could be one of the other mystery signals, because is very very much like many of the similar slow communication signals logged just like it in western USA, but on various other frequencies.

65
HF Beacons / Re: 7 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: December 27, 2018, 2059 UTC »
Highlight of this report: "HI" "Hiker?" CW Morse beacon at 7998 kHz

Report

2018DEC27 2058UTC

7998.08 kHz CW, Morse beacon, "HI", "Hiker?", weak readable, -122 dBm.

66
HF Beacons / 2 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: December 27, 2018, 0428 UTC »
A thread looking at some of the 2 MHz beacons in Western USA.
If you find these reports useful, please feel free to reply with comments or feedback.


Report
2018DEC27 0358UTC (local night time)

2008.41 kHz CW, UNID, ditter, beacon, land, weak readable, -120 dBm.
Note: This beacon's timing is somewhat variable, possibly due to voltage or temperature.   
Dit duration: approximately 170 to 200 milliseconds.
Dit repetition rate: approximately 1.5 to 2.7 seconds.
ON cycle: 90 to 100 seconds.
OFF cycle: 3.0 to 3.3 minutes.

2097.30 kHz CW, "A", Morse, beacon, 9.9 second repetition, good readable, -107 dBm.

PLAY AUDIO recording of 2008.4 kHz CW UNID ditter beacon 2018DEC27 0327UTC recorded in USB mode at 2008.0 kHz with 300 Hz bandwidth passband filter.

PLAY AUDIO recording of 2097.3kHz CW A Morse beacon 2018DEC27 0358UTC good and clear with a little background lightning static.

Image below shows the nearby Pt. Arguello Digisonde ionogram at the time of this recorded log, with good 2 MHz NVIS propagation, foF2 = 2.375 MHz and fxI = 3.0 MHz.

67
HF Beacons / Re: 6 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: December 24, 2018, 2001 UTC »
Highlight of this report: 3 western USA beacons on 6 MHz

Report
2018DEC23 1950UTC

6626.28 kHz CW, "Rainy", ditter, 311 millisecond repetition, 18 millisecond dit duration, good readable, -124 dBm
6626.56 kHz AM, "Rocky", 650 Hz audio tone modulation (USB 6627.21 kHz, LSB 6625.91 kHz), good readable, -118 dBm 
6700.48 kHz CW, "HexY2k", dasher, 893 millisecond repetition, 432 millisecond dash duration, good readable, -108 dBm


68
HF Beacons / Re: 4 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: December 23, 2018, 2342 UTC »
Highlight of report: 5 western USA beacons around 4.1 MHz

Report
2018DEC23 2320UTC

4095.76 kHz CW, Coxie
, dasher, wild beacon, distinctive chirp, weak readable, -118 dBm
4095.78 kHz CW, Viking, dasher, wild beacon, chirp/shift, good readable, -103 dBm
4096.34 kHz CW, Haystack, dasher, wild beacon, readable, -105 dBm
4096.84 kHz CW, MarinDit, ditter, QRPp attic beacon, weak readable, -125 dBm
4102.85 kHz CW, Windy, Morse telemetry, wild beacon, TMP=70, B=132, good readable, -100 dBm

At the time of this report, local late afternoon, 2018DEC23 2315UTC, there were favorable 4.1 MHz single hop and NVIS propagation conditions for California, USA.
Image below shows the ionogram of the nearby Pt. Arguello Digisonde ionosonde at the time of this report:

69
Shortwave Broadcast / Re: R. Timtron 5130.43 AM 0030UTC 23 DEC 2018
« on: December 23, 2018, 0154 UTC »
Hi EXO....Radio Timtron is a regular WBCQ program. WBCQ is a licensed shortwave broadcaster out of Monticello, Maine!  :)

It was a bit hard to tell due to not copying the ID at the beginning... and the sloppy drifting off-freq transmitter seemed like a non-professional station... it wasn't until a half hour later that the ID was copied as part of a program conversation :)
You would think that they might get a cheap disciplined oscillator for all that transmitter plant.

70
Shortwave Broadcast / R. Timtron 5130.43 AM 0030UTC 23 DEC 2018
« on: December 23, 2018, 0041 UTC »
Report
2018DEC23 0030UTC
"Radio Timtron Worldwide" (aka WBCQ)
5130.43 kHz AM

71
Shortwave Broadcast / Re: UNID 5130 AM 2227 22 December 2018
« on: December 23, 2018, 0018 UTC »
Report
2018DEC23 0015UTC

5130.44 kHz AM, UNID, drifting frequency, music, readable, fading, -95dBm average

72
HF Beacons / Re: 4 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: December 19, 2018, 2150 UTC »
Highlight of report: 6 western USA beacons around 4.1 MHz

Report
2018DEC19 2115UTC

4089.04 kHz CW, UNID, dasher, 0.5 second duration, 2 second repetition, weak readable, -125 dBm
4095.03 kHz CW, Viking, dasher, wild beacon, readable, -118 dBm
4096.06 kHz CW, Coxie, dasher, wild beacon, weak readable, -125 dBm
4096.35 kHz CW, Haystack, dasher, wild beacon, readable, -119 dBm
4096.84 kHz CW, MarinDit, ditter, QRPp attic beacon, weak readable, -126 dBm
4102.87 kHz CW, Windy, Morse telemetry, wild beacon, variable +/- 10 Hz, TMP=75, B=149, good readable, -116 dBm

Waterfall image below shows the 6 beacons as logged in this report at 2018DEC19 2115UTC:


Image below shows the ionogram of the nearby Pt. Arguello Digisonde ionosonde at the time of this report 2018DEC19 2115UTC with favorable 4.1 MHz single hop (foF2=5.663 MHz, fxI=6.33 MHz) and good NVIS propagation conditions for this geographic area:

73
At 2126 UTC, a very strong CW signal on 7002.2 kHz (S9+20db) and we have a CW QSO now.  Not sure if the 7000 USB users are still there...yes, they are.  Strong CW jamming signals do nothing. 

CW is a pitifully ineffective jamming mode. 
Most SSB radios have an auto-notch or else a manual notch filter.

Hams are quite defensive about their bands, perhaps rightly so.
There is probably no way that any lone ham operator could stop 7000 kHz USB and LSB from continuing to be a chaos frequency.

74
HF Beacons / Re: 6 MHz Western USA Beacons
« on: December 12, 2018, 2101 UTC »
Highlight of this Report: Rocky, Rainy, and HexY2k beacons with good signals

Report
2018DEC12 2039UTC

6626.34 kHz CW, "Rainy", ditter, good readable, -122 dBm
6626.63 kHz AM, "Rocky", 1.85 kHz tone modulation (USB 6628.48 kHz, LSB 6624.78 kHz), good readable, -121 dBm 
6700.48 kHz CW, "HexY2k", dasher, good readable, -108 dBm

Waterfall spectrum image below clearly shows the Rainy ditter beacon, and the Rocky AM beacon with its 1.85 kHz tone modulation sidebands 2018DEC12 2039UTC:




75
HF Beacons / Re: Teotwaki's Afternoon Beacon Log
« on: December 11, 2018, 0831 UTC »
2097.305 KHz Letter "A". Fair signal0
4102.850 KHz  Windy. Good signal. Slight breeze. Temp 55 Battery 12.4v

T! ,
Are you copying Rainy?
It is back again.

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