Asian Drift Net Beacons 2MHz...

[Looking-Glass]

As winter approaches the lower frequencies are starting to open up, especially the NDB band up to 4MHz.  The 2MHz band is populated with dozens of Asian drift net fisheries beacons and some are quite strong, just a sample:

1328z  1.977MHz  CW  "FQ?" tuned in at tail end maybe, however, did not return after five minute key off period unlike fishing net beacons. 529 report.

1902z  2.035MHz  CW  "CK8 CK8 CK8" preceded with a carrier at start & end of transmission, approx five minute key off period. 429 report.

1331z  2.055MHz  CW  "JS9 JS9 JS9" preceded with a carrier at start & end of transmission, approx five minute key off period. 529 report.

1341z  2.059MHz  CW  'SA8 SA8 SA8" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period. 569 report.

1339z  2.079MHz  CW  "DP3 DP3 DP3" preceded with a carrier at start & end of transmission, approx five minute key off period. 559 report.

1301z  2.127MHz  CW  "RJ7 RJ7 RJ7" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period.  579 report.

0921z  2.138MHz  CW  "ST3 ST3 ST3" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period. 529 report.

1306z  2.170MHz  CW  "GW4 GW4 GW4" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period. 599 report.

1316z  2.205MHz  CW  "BH4 BH4 BH4" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period.  559 report.

1317z  2.215MHz  CW  "DG9 DG9 DG9" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period.  569 report.

0926z  2.235MHz  CW  "XY1 XY1 XY1" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period. 559 report.

I remember when I was on Nauru Island a few years back these beacons would wash up on the beach, huge orange drum base with long whip antenna.  They break loose from the anchoring lead to the net during huge Pacific storms. The transmitter was sealed in the drum base.

[Strange Beacons]

As winter approaches the lower frequencies are starting to open up, especially the NDB band up to 4MHz.  The 2MHz band is populated with dozens of Asian drift net fisheries beacons and some are quite strong, just a sample:

1301z  2.127MHz  CW  "RJ7 RJ7 RJ7" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period.  579 report.

1306z  2.170MHz  CW  "GW4 GW4 GW4" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period. 599 report.

1316z  2.205MHz  CW  "BH4 BH4 BH4" preceded with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period.  559 report.

1317z  2.215MHz  CW  "DG9 DG9 DG9" preced with a carrier at start and end of transmission, approx five minute key off period.  569 report.

I remember when I was on Nauru Island a few years back these beacons would wash up on the beach, huge orange drum base with long whip antenna.  They break loose from the anchoring lead to the net during huge Pacific storms. The transmitter was sealed in the drum base.

I would love to hear any recordings that you might have of these drift net beacons.

Curt / W9SPY

[Looking-Glass]

Curt, just added some more from last night and this mornings tune around, that will do it I think, they are scattered all over 2MHz this way. 

Nets adrift in the Pacific raping/harvesting our precious resource of all fish stock, not just the ones the fishermen are after.  The net is not selective it what it catches, should have been banned decades ago.

The majority of these beacons are made by two companies in Taiwan and one in Japan, variety of power levels can be set, found the website for one of them a couple of years or so back, interesting read.

Not sure where you are in USA but you should be able to hear them with a decent LW or SW antenna, I run quite a decent length of wire this way.  Will try and record one for you via my mobile phone and post it here for you, think the file size maybe too big though but will give it a try.

Jack VK2XQ.

[Token]

I would love to hear any recordings that you might have of these drift net beacons.

Curt / W9SPY

Curt, I have a video on my YouTube channel.  Beacons like this are heard here pretty regularly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl6Q4m-mivw

T!

[Looking-Glass]

Token:  Good recording, it appears that the beacons you have logged on the top end of 1MHz have a different format that the ones on 2MHz have, also the call signs are different, the 2MHz ones all have two letters by one number combination.

Also noted that your ones start with one number plus three letters whilst the 2MHz ones all commence with the two letters plus one number format, interesting, yes?

So are they really marine drift net beacons on the top of 1MHz?  Strange the formats are totally different between the 1MHz and the 2MHz loggings.

What is their key off period?  Is it a full five minute cycle like the ones on 2MHz?

A number of years back there were Papua New Guinean beacons between 1600KHz to 1737KHz, not sure if they were for aviation or maritime purposes though:
1737KHz  KUT  Kumul Oil Rig Platform PNG
1725KHz  GA  Gorokoa PNG
1689KHz  MHU  Mount Hagen PNG
1632KHz  OKT Ok Tedi Mining PNG
1615KHz  NZ  Nadzab, PNG

Above are just an extract from the full listing, think they have all been retired now, their format is akin to LW NDB's. Not like what you have on YouTube posting.

Fascinating, will make an effort tonight to listen 1600-2000KHz despite the heavy crud from MW splattering over...

[Token]

I have caught both formats in the below and above 2 MHz areas, I think it just matters who the nets belong to.  For example, I have heard BC0 and BC1 in the 17XX kHz area.

The formats I have copied have included cycle times from 3 minutes to 6 minutes, although a given beacon, or family of beacons, typically maintains a consistent cycle time.  Is it possible the cycle time, and format of ID, are related to the model of the beacon?  If so I would suspect different models might be more prevalent in different areas of the world.

T!

[Looking-Glass]

Token:  You are probably correct, the majority of these drift net beacons in the Pacific region belong to Taiwan, Japan, China or South Korea and there would be variants in the beacon transmissions as laid down by the manufacturer.

Picked up an interesting one tonight, with the longest call sign ident heard yet:

1148z  1.762MHz  CW  "2AFVW 2AFVW 2AFVW" with a five minute cycle, heard it weak 319 report at around 1143z so waited for the cycle to confirm the call which was around 519 report, got it clear on the second run. 

Wonder how Curt W9SPY is going and if he's logged any as yet, after all, Curt started off this discussion, an interesting one at that too...

[Boriken]

Here's my list logged from western North Carolina. Several different ID formats. Most have tended to be 3 min cycles.

Scott

3SNZ,20090319,1811
3ZCW,20071014,1798
3ZLB,20070801,1778
4BKE,20070903,1986
4CAL,20090320,1957
4COK,20070803,1906
4CYH,20070903,1915
4DJQ,20110924,1979
4DQX,20070903,1998
4EWS,20090320,1956
4FAC,20070807,1935
4GZZ,20090326,1924
4HCD,20090320,1949
4HED,20080127,2014
4HNJ,20070830,2004
4HUC,20070830,1988
4HXV,20070906,2018
4IAW,20070801,1976
4IGS,20070802,1918
4ISZ,20070903,1993
4JBA,20070903,1900
4JBH,20071114,1924
4JIG,20070903,1942
4JSJ,20090320,1927
4JSN,20070803,1943
4JSO,20071022,1975
4JSW,20071113,2009
4JSX,20071113,2015
4JSZ,20090319,1990
4KDG,20120930,1787
4KFZ,20170113,19xx
4KLN,20110924,1790
4KPH,20110924,1776
4LEZ,20170116,19xx
4MNG,20070803,1943
4MUI,20090320,1981
4MVZ,20071113,1884
4OKA,20090319,1944
4OQW,20090320,1923
4OSC,20090911,1818
4OSD,20121013,1804
4OUL,20091121,1824
4OWJ,20141213,1812
4QGB,20110924,1958
4QPF,20110924,1757
4QSW,20110924,1913
94W167,20070802,1775
95W153,20080725,1798
ACE1,20161116,1971
AD3,20090427,1847
ADR0,20110924,1989
AGA4,20170113,19xx
AIO1,20161114,1974
ALT9,20161114,1940
AQ7,20161114,1987
AWW4,20170220,19xx
AX3,20161115,1903
AXC7,20161115,1944
AXK6,20161114,1989
AXL9,20170116,19xx
AXP9,20161111,1993
AXS5,20161114,1969
AXW9,20161114,1987
BCD9,20161118,1927
BMF4,20170113,19xx
BN9,20110924,1985
BQ8,20161213,1969
CW89,20171102,1990
DF46,20161115,1933
DK98,20071022,1968
FF32,20070803,1784
GP1,20161115,1903
GQ9,20161114,1962
HO2,20071114,1955
HW184,20070808,1785
IL9,20170613,2050
IT5,20161115,1980
JF74,20071022,1961
JK27,20171102,1990
JW288,20070801,1905
KQ64,20071022,1970
LW0,20090326,1808
MK75,20070802,1798
NR95,20071022,1975
OE0,20171102,1990
OR81,20171203,1960
PF76,20071022,1960
PV24,20071022,1986
QA78,20071114,1962
QA9,20080428,2182
QK93,20071114,1958
RD88,20070802,1953
RL33,20090319,1969
RM69,20070802,1983
TR61,20070801,1769
UB1,20120930,1817
VH7,20091105,1811
VP2,20121013,1782
WK92,20070903,1978
XE5,20091105,1843
XG3,20161213,1984
XM7,20120930,1848
XT7,20120930,1868
YP8,20120930,1803
YX07,20171102,1990
ZB56,20090319,1989
ZE29,20071114,1960
ZL84,20070802,1983

[Looking-Glass]

Great list there Scott, you have been diligent.  I noted QB9 on 2.182MHz CW on your list too, 2.182MHz is an International Distress monitoring and calling frequency too, helps keep the frequency clear eh?

Sometimes I have heard two using the same frequency too, usually one is much stronger than the other so a fair distance apart.

[Tim Bucknall]

how much power do you think these things use?

theres too much noise on 2mhz here but i have heard the ones on 28mhz during the solar maximum

[Strange Beacons]

Curt, just added some more from last night and this mornings tune around, that will do it I think, they are scattered all over 2MHz this way. 

Nets adrift in the Pacific raping/harvesting our precious resource of all fish stock, not just the ones the fishermen are after.  The net is not selective it what it catches, should have been banned decades ago.

The majority of these beacons are made by two companies in Taiwan and one in Japan, variety of power levels can be set, found the website for one of them a couple of years or so back, interesting read.

Not sure where you are in USA but you should be able to hear them with a decent LW or SW antenna, I run quite a decent length of wire this way.  Will try and record one for you via my mobile phone and post it here for you, think the file size maybe too big though but will give it a try.

Jack VK2XQ.

Awesome, thank you for the recordings, Jack.

And I live in Seattle, Washington, so chances are, I should be able to tune some of these in. I use an IC-7300 with an Alpha Loop antenna and can generally tune in 160 meters just fine. So, I should be able to catch some of these.

And by the way, I'm a life-long lover of the ocean (ex-Coast Guard, ex-Merchant Marine), so I share your feelings about the damage that nets can do to our fish populations. I've personally seen too much marine life caught in the many "ghost nets" that are abandoned and floating around out there.

Curt / W9SPY

[Strange Beacons]

I would love to hear any recordings that you might have of these drift net beacons.

Curt / W9SPY

Curt, I have a video on my YouTube channel.  Beacons like this are heard here pretty regularly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl6Q4m-mivw

T!

Excellent catch, thank you Token.