For the past few days I have been following an unknown dasher that uses two frequencies (but not in the same time periods), 5137.5 kHz and 6861.5 kHz.
I stumbled on this dasher Feb 18, 2018, on 5136.5 kHz, at about 1400 UTC. The dash is about 1.5 seconds long and occurs about every 26 seconds, it was reasonably strong, on the order of S8. At the time propagation supported the probability that the source was Pacific or Asian, antenna bearings indicated the same thing. I looked around for other active freqs and found none, as near as I can tell the dash was on only 5137.5 kHz at the time.
On Feb 19 I noted the signal left the air at 1501 UTC.
On Feb 24 at 1515 UTC I found the same dasher on 6861.5 kHz. I monitored it off and on, checking back every 15 or 20 minutes, until about 1830 UTC, when propagation faded out with the signal still active.
Today, Feb 25, I saw the 5136.5 kHz signal as soon as I turned things on at about 1150 UTC. It went off air at 1500 UTC. I did not find it on another freq after that, although I continued to look for it, off and on, for the next hour.
At various times I thought it looked like some kind of texture on the dash, but not any specific modulation I could ID, more like a click inside the dash at times.
I have no idea what this signal is about.
I have heard it on remotes from Russia to the Rockies, so it is not a pirate or hobby dasher. I have only seen it active on one frequency at a time. I have not see anything outside these dashes on the same freq with the same propagation characteristics, so it does not see to be related to other activity.
T!
Topic: Unknown dasher, 5136.5 and 6861.5 kHz, 25 February, 2018 (Read 1024 times)
