AM 530 kHz Morse Beacon RWE

[4405486]

I guess this goes here, I have:

San Luis Obispo, California  Sunday May 22 11:30 am pst, 530 khz AM  Morse Code Beacon  RWE  observed weak but useable
I don't know much about this; however, the listed frequency is 526 kHz and the location is evidently Camp Roberts, California
near Paso Robles. Power level unknown. Listed as non-directional. Purpose unknown. Activated irregularily.

Up half the night using M8a for Morse Copying Practice. Just submitted an article to eham.net regarding using M8a for copying practice.
Won't hold my breath on that ever getting published. Cheers.

P.S. Just found little more about this Morse Beacon "RWE" operates 25 watts from a T antenna strung between two 30 foot wooden
poles about 100 feet apart, barely visible from hwy 101. Camp Roberts is National Guard Base.

It's now Monday morning here, I can not receive this Beacon. I am in a valley with many obstructions; the Beacon could also be turned off. I hope it's not classified or anything?...I expect it does not perform much of a useful function...People around here watch the grass grow and wall paint dry for entertainment. I gather this is a dipole antenna oriented North-South.

[4405486]

Here Cal Poly Campus, San Luis Obispo, California I have:

Morse Beacon RWE heard AM 530 kHZ  Barely Discernible through noise. I suppose I could hike on up too the top of the Admin Building or something. 2:35 PM PST. I am sure some of the Locals know a lot about this; I'm not one of them. About does it for this Topic seems to me.

[4405486]

Hush my mouth, a little more to this than what I first thought. It is a Aeronautical Radio Navigation Beacon. I'm not a Pilot, so I don't know about this sort of thing. Wikipedia has a good article NDB Beacons. Marconi T Antenna looks like a dipole antenna but it is not. The top, horizontal member is for top-loading and the vertical member suspended from it provides the non-directional Transmission...had me fooled. Wikipedia has a good picture of one of these. Evidently, some of these sites will send QSL Verification Cards; however, I'm not too sure where to send it. FCC Frequency Allocation Chart shows: Radio Beacons 510-525 kHz and 525-535 kHZ...at least that is what I could discern with my eye-sight being what it is. In this obstuction filled Valley I am located in, I  have to search around for a "sweet spot" in order to receive this Beacon. Reception here is generally: barely discernible to weak but useable. Some of my earlier info came from a fellow who listed RWE from Simi Valley Calif...quite a distance for 25 watts. Changes the complexion of things a bit...nice MW Propagation Beacon.

[stevechisox]

Around here in Chicago that Cuban easy listening station is what I hear on 530 AM. I know there is a Canadian one as well.

[DOCTOR]

The only thing I hear on 530 is the Spanish station starting around sunset..never get the call..Spanish is limited<taco> ha ha
DOCTOR

[Pigmeat]

Around here in Chicago that Cuban easy listening station is what I hear on 530 AM. I know there is a Canadian one as well.

Yeah,navigation beacons and their antennas are interesting. There used to be one on hill near where I grew up. Similar set-up,flattop T and the transmitter housed in a metal shed with high chain link fence around it.

There used to be a nav-beacon outside of Columbus,OH. on 530 that was easily heard throughout the Midwest and upper South. I haven't heard it in ages,so I assume it's gone silent like many nav-beacons over the past 20 years?

[4405486]

I had not heard this beacon in well over a year here in San Luis Obispo, California. I had even climbed several of the local peaks so as to get an unobstructed signal path and could pick nothing up.

This past weekend I again noticed this beacon was evidently back on the air again and stronger than before. I no longer had to pick out sweet spots. Useable reception no matter what part of town I was in. Perhaps? it was just down for a tune up. Listened to it for awhile today. One can only hope this beacon transmits for many years to come. I'm not sure how many of them a left in the Country.

[BoomboxDX]

There's one in Western Montana on 520 khz or thereabouts, INE.  Sometimes I hear it, other times I don't.  Sometimes I get the RTTY from the NAVTEX station just below it.  Propagation seems a bit touch and go in that part of the MW spectrum.

You might want to try for INE sometime if the low band is in well.  I don't think there are too many other stations on that frequency.  If INE can make it 400 miles to my QTH without a loop, it might make it another 500 if you've got one.  It's been heard in Colorado, so apparently it does get out from time to time.

[4405486]

This is to much.

 From: "Radio Reference.com" I found the following and there is more where this came from: Morse Beacon RWE was decommissioned in 2007 but never turned off.

Furthermore: " Gentlemen its so funny That you know so much about this NDB than the personnel here at Roberts (Camp Roberts National Guard Base) LOL. I have been given the task to find out who this damn thing belongs to as we need to take it down. If anybody knows please email me at...."

Mr. Juan Ortiz please keep it operational, we will miss it!

[BoomboxDX]

That's a big 10-4! 
After all, I doubt it raises their electric bill by much.

[4405486]

 Evidently RWE runs 50 watts to a Marconi "T" Antenna. I think the Goverment can handle the electric bill Wikipedia does have a good article about these NDB Aeronautical Beacons.
 It occurs to me since my Extra Class Amateur License is in the 2 year renewal grace period (Free to renew online) that I could technically run 1500 watts (once license is renewed) that would be quite an electric bill. Local AM Broadcasters run 1,000 watts max. So far, I have operated strictly QRP. Throw those spent batteries out, works for me.
 RWE is sounding better than it ever has. Evidently there is an active Radio Community on Camp Roberts. Recently the : Military Radio Collectors Group and our beloved KSM (KPH) held an interesting event which involved Encryption using WW 2 vintage M-209 Encryption devices. This is strictly illegal for Amateurs, since these are commercial operators they can do this. I repaired the KW-7 Orestes and KG-13 Pontus Crypto Machines back in the day; as well as various Teletype Machines. Those start showing up count me in!
 P.S. Yes I did pass that 5 wpm code test and have subsequently surpassed every License requirement by far and operate Strictly by the rules. Although no longer a requirement, I would encourage some level of code expertise as it is encountered all the time...it's part of this Radio Legacy, as is Radio Cryptology in a wider non-amateur sense.
 I'm like thoroughly excited about these rare Radio Cryptology events just starting to show-up. What category it belongs in escapes me? I did not notice any observations of this event on the message board which was held this past April 26 and May 5th Camp Roberts (San Luis Obispo) and KSM (Port Reyes). I could think of all kinds of new, Unique, and interesting possibilities with this?. One could download various crypto machine simulators (I'm waiting for the KW-7!) and decipher. I assume one could decipher with one-time encryption and eat the pad! What fun!
 At any rate, most of you are way ahead of me with those fancy computer radios of yours, but  what a hobby this is!
 

[skeezix]

That is entirely funny that they know nothing about it, yet it somehow randomly(?) turns on & off.

Photos of RWE

Satellite photo of RWE

[4405486]

Thank you so much for the photos.
 No I did not know a damn thing about it. I'm primarily interested in the HF Bands and propagation and don't know that much about that either.
 All I am using is a tired old DX-396 compact portable and noticed Morse "RWE" being admitted past my excessively wide and blown out passband. Since than it has been a periodic education process.
 Best of my knowledge, based on my observations and not from any first hand knowledge as I am not in the chain of command "RWE" evidently was turned off for some time than put back on line. I'm not to sure that I would descibe this as Random as their does appear to be some purpose behind it and RWE sounds better than before. Judging by your photos "RWE" was long overdue a good scrubbing, facelift, and tuneup, that could explain it.
 If in fact RWE had actually been transmitting during this "blank" period of well over a year and I had just some how missed it while standing  atop of some of the highest peaks around here I could only offer up that I'm certifiably "crackers". Oh I get it, you think I have been randomly turning the thing on and off? There you go.
 At any rate it makes a darn good propagation Beacon.

[skeezix]

Kinda wish I could hear that one here, but no way ever that I could, unless they cranked the power way, way up & put a directional antenna on it.

Up here on 530 kHz, have a local TIS and at night, CIAO.

Back in the mid 80's, before I got into SW/LW radio, was tuning around on a analog car radio and found something below the AM band. One was ORC & the other at the _very_ end of the dial was RRQ. A bunch of years later I visited them again with my Sony ICF-2010. From my logbook , on 4/20/90 got freqs & IDs. 515 was RRQ (Rock Rapids, IA) and 521 was ORC (Orange City Municipal, IA).  

My all time favorite is AA on 365 in Fargo, ND (Kenie). Been listening to that one since 1988. When I hear 'im at night, I sleep better. Even just a couple of IDs does the trick, just to know he's out there.  

Tried to pick up 515, 521, and 365 on a Sangean ATS-909X now, but too light for yet. Went down to the shack and took a peek at those with the Perseus with a ALA1530S+. No problem at all. ORC & AA are still happily broadcasting, 23 years later. 515 is silent.

[4405486]

 Thank you so much for your information and enthusiasm.
 In my haste I misread your earlier comment, plus I'm in the middle of my seasonal allergy attachs, plus I'm commenting else where about these latest NSA developments and not feeling completely comfortable doing so...nothing on the Internet is secure and it is recorded forever. Therefore, if I came across as a bit of a jerk, I apologise. I'll try to pay closer attention next time.
 I grew up in Owatonna, Minesota.
 TNX VY DE KG6QNK ..