Fishing Beacon 1730 kHz

[mapleleaf]

It looks like kluging up a directional antenna is going to require more effort than I thought. My ferrite loopstick is optimized for 1600 kHz and below. I could wind another coil on it but it seems that putting the effort into an air loop would yield better results.

I have some more loggings to post but I need to format them.

There is a beacon at 1725 which has a different format than all the others I have heard. While listening for an extended period, I heard several short bursts of fsk/psk data. This warrants further monitoring, I think.

[mapleleaf]

Beacons heard Oct 12 0730-0830 UTC

1705  3SUM
1713  HW212
1725  ET53
1828  IO5
1871  5AJV
1872  4FJT
1939  AV0
1970  4PFK
1970  4QNA
1970  AB8
1989  4IKT
2049  4COI

[weaksigs]

Turned the radio on at UTC 0140 in heavy static caught
4QQC   1998 Khz  followed by a long dash, repeats every 3-4 minutes
Using my loop signal was solid copy except for the heavy static.

Now on same frequency 4LJW and following dash at 0147 UTC
Again would be fun copy without the noise.

[weaksigs]

Got another beacon at 1993 Khz 0201  4MYK

I hear another signal at 1986 kHz but static prevents ID at the moment.
This may be a lot of fun in the winter for me.
The noise is building so will probably shut down for tonight
Got got Got it at the last moment

OE1 1986 Khz 0220 Utc

Static is miserable....

[mapleleaf]

jFarley:

Signal strengths have been all over the place.Most of my loggings have been with an R75 and a 1/2 Vertical which is supposed to be for 14-30 Mhz. It is my least noisy. Most have been readable but not strong. Some move the s meter significantly. They must be fairly close.

[weaksigs]

On signal strengths-
Yes I agree that signal strengths did vary a great deal.
Seeing as some of these buoys may be 1300 miles or more
varying signal strength seems quite understandable. If the
static last night was moderated at least some several signals
may have moved the S-Meter some down her in central Florida.

I quite surprised by hearing so many signals. I just turned my
radios on tuned down and almost immediately found one. I
wonder if there are buoys of this type further south than the
"Grand Banks" general area. You may be picking up signals from
as close as the Sable island area. Since the Labrador current
and Gulf Stream meet in that general area fishing must be good.

This is a neat project and hopefully we'll be able to better understand
these buoys, their placement and use, so we can be better prepared
to listen in and log a few.

I'll try and put some more time into buoy listening soon!

[weaksigs]

I have an audio copy of Fish Net beacon 4QQC as received last evening.
If you want to hear what they sound like from my location let me know!
Its about  240 Kb MP3

My email: w1vr73@gmail.com

The recording was made at 400 Hz IF bandwidth, all of my noise
blanker controls were on line attempting to dig out the signal. The
recording was done merely putting my audio recording device next to
the speaker but sounds good.
 

[weaksigs]

Couple more Fisn Net beacons

I sat down this evening at the grey line and 4QQC on 1998 Khz was loud @ 2312 UTC
Logged him last night but no where near this signal strength. The noise was
somewhat reduced as well.

BL4 1979 Khz @ 2332 UTC very strong, moved the S-meter and estimated to be 15 db over noise.
This was quite a surprise considering the others have been so weak. This beacon was so strong
as I could easily pick up its hard keying characteristics including some clicks. If it wasn't some effects
of greyline this guy almost has to be down in this part of the ocean or gulf at the strong signal levls!
+++++++++++++

10-12-11  EP51 1963 Khz @ 0016UTC

Static building to last nights proportions so calling it quits for sack time.
 

[mapleleaf]

I have a few more new ones for the log.

I made some recordings too. I'm wondering if I should put them up on a file hosting site.

copied between 0000 and 0100 UTC:

2040 EK3
1998 AZ9
1980 BQ4
1956 AH5
1940 CG5
1905 UF?
1826 EE2




1940 CG5

[weaksigs]

Hello Mapleleaf!
I for one would like to hear your recordings.
My loggings thus far have produced signals good enough to make three recordings.

Last evening I caught at least one buoy with a cycle repeat time of about 2 1/2 minutes.
It may be that the owner has done this to help find his string or perhaps cycle time can
be altered remotely.  ??
I wonder if a master list of buoys and their calls is available or are they also programmable?

Do owners simply select their own call signs?
If they do perhaps there is a data base available that would list all the currently assigned calls.

It almost seems reasonable that the calls are factory set as not to cause confusion. Of course the question then must be asked how multiple suppliers would correlate the call assignment unless a master data base available.

Have you logged any of the same call on a different frequency?

Just curious but would love to know the approximate position or general area where the buoys are when logged!

If you find anyhting out please post. It seems though you would be in a better position to actually visit fisherman who use these devices as they may be bale to shed some light on these curious entities.

Cheers!

[QRP]

"These transmitters send periodic identifiers that repeat along with a carrier and long pauses. They generally have numbers in the identifier, repeat the identifier in groups of three, and then have long silent periods. They are battery powered and low power, but they can be heard for hundreds or thousands of miles. They are most frequently found between 1.8 and 3.6 MHz, and are very common on the 160-meter band.

The identifier has nothing to do with the location, it is something programmed by the manufacturer, installer, or his technical support. They often contain a receiver and can be turned off and on remotely by the owner.

The most effective way to get rid of one is to operate on or very close to the beacon frequency. It takes some period of time, but if the owner can't hear the beacon reliably he will program a new frequency. Several nights of heavy activity near a beacon often results in a channel switch.

The same is true for illegal fishing vessel transmitters. They often coordinate operation on or near a beacon's frequency on USB. They often take the hint they are operating illegally when they hear legal activity on or near their frequency. Illegal marine operations often occur on 160 and 80 meters. It isn't always the Japanese or Korean boats that are problem, there are fishing boats based out of Canada and the United States operating on illegal frequencies."

https://bmoran.onehub.com/app/hub/16078a1da35b4354a252f47ecfcdec75df742a69/content_item_previews/show/76a9a64254512ca70eca964e446a8cce2ef5caa8/1-563jpg-preview

[mapleleaf]

Here are a couple of recordings. The first one is an example of one of the stronger beacons I've heard.
The second one is interesting in that it is a different format from all the other ones, as you can hear.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/45626319/3ZTA.mp3

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/45626319/1725%20kHz.mp3

[mapleleaf]

Loggings from Oct 18 0930-1030 UTC:

1704  4LLR
1707  3ZTA
1748  95R971
1773  4PEC
1812  TR4
1826  4PEC
1826  EE2
1839  3ZDY
1862  UE6
1924  AG6
1942  IC526
1956  AH5
1989  4IKT
2049  4COI
2049  4IFE

The two beacons at 2049 are interesting as they are txing their IDs at the same time, less than 1 sec apart. 4IFE is slightly higer in freq so I could split them apart.

[weaksigs]

Great loggings Mapleaf! It is obvious you have better signals especially confirmed after listening to your recordings on the drop box site! Looks like were going to get a tropical front through the area so my noise level will probably preclude much listening in the short time.

Earlier you mentioned a loop! With the signal strengths you receive, I would think that using a loop of almost any kind, including yours optimized for lower frequencies, would still work pretty well as is! I’m a WWII history buff and I couldn’t help but relate the fish net buoys, and your talk of a loop, to the same procedure for tracking U-Boats. Two ships in a convoy would hear the U-Boats reporting convoy information and then use the two direction finding data to roughly pinpoint the U-Boats position. This simple procedure worked very well and spelled the end for many a U-Boat sailor. Depending on your interest of course the same procedure could be used from your location with multiple reports and the azimuth information providing a rough area of fish net buoy deployment. If it is possible (in the fall and winter??) to hear the same buoy from two different locations such as from your vehicle driven to a good listening spot this could prove to be an interesting past time. I’m not sure if this is practical from my location down here in Florida as only a couple of buoys I have logged thus far have been potentially strong enough for direction finding.

Well, that’s just a thought as it could prove very interesting if one was inclined with the possibility of adding a significant extension of SWLing.

I’ll be watching for your posts as I really appreciate your comments! 

[mapleleaf]

This screen shot of SpectraVue will give some idea of the number of beacons I may be able to track.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/45626319/27..jpg