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Author Topic: Argentina Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018  (Read 8880 times)

Offline ChrisSmolinski

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I noticed a few transmissions like this around this time, starting with alternating beeping tones, then into a SS OM, here is a recording of one transmission: http://radiohobbyist.org/blog/mypics/6920usb-0106z-5Oct2018.mp3

My Spanish is rusty, I think I heard some numbers and maybe a mention of a frequency?
« Last Edit: December 18, 2018, 1109 UTC by ChrisSmolinski »
Chris Smolinski
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Offline R4002

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2018, 2129 UTC »
Sounds like military or other land mobile traffic out of Latin America - its pretty noisy but I distinctly heard "frequency" and several series of numbers mentioned

EDIT: listened to it a couple more times

almost sounds like an alert or emergency type "broadcast" - the tones at the beginning aren't like anything I've heard the freebanders or peskies use before...."15" "frequency" "45", "75" and a possible mention of "la plata" (literally "silver" but a better translation is "money" or "cash" - could have been another similar sounding term though, perhaps "la playa" [the beach] or "la plaza" the plaza which is a term used by Mexican drug cartels to indicate areas of operation or influence of a particular cartel...) - heard "45" a couple times, could be a numerical ID for a station or a frequency/channel.  Difficult to make out what else is being said.  This could be related to the tropical storm developing in the Gulf of Mexico 
« Last Edit: October 07, 2018, 2218 UTC by R4002 »
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Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2018, 2159 UTC »
Thanks for your insights, R4002.

I don't recall hearing this before, not recently anyway. It stood out on the SDR recording vs random peskies due to the tones.
Chris Smolinski
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Offline R4002

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2018, 2202 UTC »
The tones remind of me of a marine weather broadcast or something like that...or could be part of a land-based fixed/mobile network.  Maybe oil rigs in the Gulf?  I think I recall 6920 kHz USB being one of the frequencies they've been heard on in the past.  Some sort of alerting system to get an operator's attention I would guess, or maybe some obscure selective calling system.

This doesn't have the characteristics of freebanders or the rural radiotelephone link systems that are often heard closer to 6700-6800 kHz which leads me to be believe its a more traditional "professional" HF radio network that you've stumbled upon.  It could be net control "waking up" a net on the frequency or a reminder to switch to "frequency 15" at a certain time....something like that.  So much of what's said is impossible to make out for sure though (and my Spanish is nowhere near perfect, especially if slang terms are used).

Yet another mysterious HF radio transmission out of Latin America :D
« Last Edit: October 07, 2018, 2206 UTC by R4002 »
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Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2018, 2226 UTC »
Yet another mysterious HF radio transmission out of Latin America :D

There's a tremendous number of them. While other parts of the world are cutting back on HF use, it seems to be constant if not growing there. Lots of things to listen to!
Chris Smolinski
Westminster, MD
eQSLs appreciated! csmolinski@blackcatsystems.com
netSDR / AFE822x / AirSpy HF+ / KiwiSDR / 900 ft Horz skyloop / 500 ft NE beverage / 250 ft V Beam / 58 ft T2FD / 120 ft T2FD / 400 ft south beverage / 43m, 20m, 10m  dipoles / Crossed Parallel Loop / Discone in a tree

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2018, 0003 UTC »
Their usage of 11 meters is insane too.  Mexican taxicabs with Superstar 3900 export radios and 600 watt amplifiers to talk to their dispatcher 10 miles away. Latin America and Oceania are both still heavy users of HF.  I imagine certain parts of Asia and Africa are too. 

U.S. East Coast, various HF/VHF/UHF radios/transceivers/scanners/receivers - land mobile system operator - focus on VHF/UHF and 11m

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2018, 1222 UTC »
6920 USB is active again at 1221 UTC Oct 8th not sure if this is the same group heard on the 5th but it sounds like it could be.  Several mentions of two and three digit numbers....there are several other Spanish language QSOs going on in the 6765-7000 kHz range right now...
U.S. East Coast, various HF/VHF/UHF radios/transceivers/scanners/receivers - land mobile system operator - focus on VHF/UHF and 11m

Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2018, 1323 UTC »
I noticed this again last night, around the same time, 0103 UTC on 6920 USB.  Hey - 7 days later. Is this a weekly net ???
Chris Smolinski
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netSDR / AFE822x / AirSpy HF+ / KiwiSDR / 900 ft Horz skyloop / 500 ft NE beverage / 250 ft V Beam / 58 ft T2FD / 120 ft T2FD / 400 ft south beverage / 43m, 20m, 10m  dipoles / Crossed Parallel Loop / Discone in a tree

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2018, 1121 UTC »
Sounds like it could be!  We might have stumbled upon civil defense or another type of emergency service net (maybe the Latin American version of the FEMA SHARES network?)

U.S. East Coast, various HF/VHF/UHF radios/transceivers/scanners/receivers - land mobile system operator - focus on VHF/UHF and 11m

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2018, 1407 UTC »
Hopefully somebody can keep an ear on or near 6920 kHz USB tonight and see if this is indeed a weekly net...would be further proof of organized HF-SSB networks mixed in with the fishing fleets and land-based freebanders/outbanders. 
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Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2018, 2058 UTC »
It will be on my regular 43m SDR recording.
Chris Smolinski
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netSDR / AFE822x / AirSpy HF+ / KiwiSDR / 900 ft Horz skyloop / 500 ft NE beverage / 250 ft V Beam / 58 ft T2FD / 120 ft T2FD / 400 ft south beverage / 43m, 20m, 10m  dipoles / Crossed Parallel Loop / Discone in a tree

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #11 on: October 20, 2018, 1130 UTC »
Heard again at 0057 UTC on 20 Oct 2018 on 6920 USB, weaker signal this time, but the warbling tones are distinctive.
Chris Smolinski
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netSDR / AFE822x / AirSpy HF+ / KiwiSDR / 900 ft Horz skyloop / 500 ft NE beverage / 250 ft V Beam / 58 ft T2FD / 120 ft T2FD / 400 ft south beverage / 43m, 20m, 10m  dipoles / Crossed Parallel Loop / Discone in a tree

Offline R4002

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2018, 1959 UTC »
We've discovered another regular net!   Nice work, Chris
U.S. East Coast, various HF/VHF/UHF radios/transceivers/scanners/receivers - land mobile system operator - focus on VHF/UHF and 11m

Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #13 on: October 26, 2018, 1416 UTC »
I guess we can move this thread to utility?
Chris Smolinski
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netSDR / AFE822x / AirSpy HF+ / KiwiSDR / 900 ft Horz skyloop / 500 ft NE beverage / 250 ft V Beam / 58 ft T2FD / 120 ft T2FD / 400 ft south beverage / 43m, 20m, 10m  dipoles / Crossed Parallel Loop / Discone in a tree

Offline R4002

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Re: Peskies? Military? Other? 6920 USB 0106 UTC 5 Oct 2018
« Reply #14 on: October 26, 2018, 1529 UTC »
Indeed, Utility it is.  I have a feeling its either part of a civil defense or government net (perhaps the Cuban or [insert Latin American country here] version of SHARES)?
U.S. East Coast, various HF/VHF/UHF radios/transceivers/scanners/receivers - land mobile system operator - focus on VHF/UHF and 11m