Beacon? 4347 kilohertz

[Claim Jumper]

On 2023/12/20 at 2250 UTC on 4347 kilohertz Lower Side Band. An unknown Beacon to me. Can't find it listed anywhere. Rarely post here not sure if I'm getting this right. The signal strength is 20 over in the Mojave Desert. It just cut off at 2255. And back on again at 2256.

[DYGradio]

Greetings!
Can you describe what you were hearing? Dashes, dits, sweeps, etc.? Timing of said signals (fast, slow, etc.). This will help as we monitor for it. Thanks!

[Claim Jumper]

I have a recording. I can't figure out how to attach it in here though. It went through a pattern of slight changes over and over. If I can't attach the recording I'll listen to it again and try to explain it. Any hints on how to attach this?

[Claim Jumper]

It sounds like a game of pong. High speed. Two beats per second. There's other sound as well but the predominant sound is the pong sound.

[DYGradio]

I believe you have encountered a radiofax (weather fax) station. I have one on that frequency right now and in LSB mode it sounds just like what you describe. I am on an SDR and can see the fax signals in the waterfall which makes it easier to identify. Switched to USB, brought up FLDIGI and tuned it in properly. It is sending oceanic surface charts from the NOAA weather service. That frequency would be NMC in Pt. Reyes, CA which would explain the strong signal at your location. The cutting off and coming back one minute later tags it as fax as well, they start and stop between pages of the fax. I can see where in LSB depending on where in the bandpass it is tuned it could sound like some sort of beacon. The published frequency is 4346 KHz which for tuning purposes on USB is 1.9 KHz lower in order to copy the fax - 4344.10 KHz. 21DEC23 00:05z Airspy HF+ Discovery 60ft SE/NW longwire

[Claim Jumper]

Nice! Thank you sir for the info. I have a waterfall display on my Icom as well, but I didn't see any signal next to it. Again I really don't know what I'm doing as far as beacons or number stations or Pirate Radio. Ham radio is my main Hobby, but I have a big interest in this as well.

[DYGradio]

No worries! There are so many digital beeps, buzzes, and bloops out there these days, but that adds to the great mystery of exploring these bands outside the ham bands. The more you listen the more you will start to recognize the characteristics of some of the more common ones and where they reside in the spectrum, others none of us will ever know for sure... as the motto says: "Signals That Go Bump In The Night". Lots of helpful information here on HFU. Always feel free to ask, 73 and keep tuning!

[Claim Jumper]

🤠👍

[Teotwaki]

Nice! Thank you sir for the info. I have a waterfall display on my Icom as well, but I didn't see any signal next to it. Again I really don't know what I'm doing as far as beacons or number stations or Pirate Radio. Ham radio is my main Hobby, but I have a big interest in this as well.

Welcome to our corner of the hobby!

The list we maintain will be helpful with identifying beacons that are known, The post is here

https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,9478.0.html


If you have comments about the list post in this thread

https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,68701.0.html