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Author Topic: Currently Active Beacons Chat  (Read 16521 times)

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #60 on: February 16, 2022, 0357 UTC »
Just added in beacon "L" on 4095.03
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #61 on: June 16, 2022, 1515 UTC »
Both the Active & Inactive lists are updated. I moved Windy to inactive but hope it comes back soon.
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #62 on: July 21, 2022, 1602 UTC »
Since Windy has not been heard since December, 2021 I went ahead and tidied up the Beacons No Longer In Operation blurb.
https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,9478.msg252777.html#msg252777

I think Windy was on the air before 2009 but I don't have a firm date. If it truly was built by Edson Hendricks then someone else maintained it for a while but maybe gave up in December 2021. Hendricks died in August 2020 so any source code or schematics may be lost forever....
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #63 on: July 22, 2022, 0254 UTC »
I can confirm Windy was on the air before 2009. I first caught it on Radio Shack DX-398/Sangean 909 clone that crapped out well before 2009. The antenna was a 40 meter dipole. I used to hear it in the mid-late afternoons here in the southern Appalachians. I was knocked out when I found out how little power it was running. It was a regular, reliable catch.

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #64 on: July 22, 2022, 0408 UTC »
I can confirm Windy was on the air before 2009. I first caught it on Radio Shack DX-398/Sangean 909 clone that crapped out well before 2009. The antenna was a 40 meter dipole. I used to hear it in the mid-late afternoons here in the southern Appalachians. I was knocked out when I found out how little power it was running. It was a regular, reliable catch.

Thank you Pigmeat! I appreciate the contribution to the story.

McGreevy has claimed that Edson Hendricks built Windy (the "Wind" beacon) and after reading a bunch of things about Hendricks I could believe that to be possible. What is interesting is that Windy went off the air in May of 2020, McGreevy posted a weird cryptic message about Windy in June, Edson died in August of 2020 then Windy reappears in September.  I think that was when Windy's voltage telemetry seemed to indicate the lead-acid battery was gone and Lithium-ions were substituted and I also suspect the external temp sensor was stuffed inside the box. Temp readings were ridiculously high to be true outside air temps.  I also suspect the charging circuitry was not changed so the LiIon batteries were never properly charged, indicating low voltages or just going off the air for days. In early 2021 Windy's signal on the SDRs was showing signs frequency pulling as if the batteries can't supply enough current. Around May the signal from Windy and the battery voltage jumped up a bit as if fresh LiIons were installed. 

Over the following months Windy's health again trended downwards until in September it appeared to get new batteries again. By November it was ailing and in December it was off the air again.

So if Ed is dead, who kept going out there and jamming the (wrong chemistry?) batteries into the box? I'm glad they kept at it but sorry that Windy still gave up the ghost.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2022, 0410 UTC by Teotwaki »
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #65 on: July 23, 2022, 2338 UTC »
If anyone wants a portable to listen to beacons, I'd recommend the Sangean 909. They do a heck of a job in pulling in weak CW with their narrow bandwidth. Plus, they'll handle a lot of wire without overloading.

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #66 on: July 23, 2022, 2347 UTC »
If anyone wants a portable to listen to beacons, I'd recommend the Sangean 909. They do a heck of a job in pulling in weak CW with their narrow bandwidth. Plus, they'll handle a lot of wire without overloading.

Thanks for the pointer!! I see a button for “SSB”. How does one get it into CW mode?
https://www.amazon.com/SANGEAN-Ultimate-Multi-Band-Radio-ATS-909X2/dp/B08MSXX6LH/ref=asc_df_B08MSXX6LH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475810000983&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14507048853880206025&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1013962&hvtargid=pla-1215320111644&th=1
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #67 on: August 06, 2022, 2356 UTC »
I can confirm Windy was on the air before 2009. I first caught it on Radio Shack DX-398/Sangean 909 clone that crapped out well before 2009. The antenna was a 40 meter dipole. I used to hear it in the mid-late afternoons here in the southern Appalachians. I was knocked out when I found out how little power it was running. It was a regular, reliable catch.

Thank you Pigmeat! I appreciate the contribution to the story.

McGreevy has claimed that Edson Hendricks built Windy (the "Wind" beacon) and after reading a bunch of things about Hendricks I could believe that to be possible. What is interesting is that Windy went off the air in May of 2020, McGreevy posted a weird cryptic message about Windy in June, Edson died in August of 2020 then Windy reappears in September.  I think that was when Windy's voltage telemetry seemed to indicate the lead-acid battery was gone and Lithium-ions were substituted and I also suspect the external temp sensor was stuffed inside the box. Temp readings were ridiculously high to be true outside air temps.  I also suspect the charging circuitry was not changed so the LiIon batteries were never properly charged, indicating low voltages or just going off the air for days. In early 2021 Windy's signal on the SDRs was showing signs frequency pulling as if the batteries can't supply enough current. Around May the signal from Windy and the battery voltage jumped up a bit as if fresh LiIons were installed. 

Over the following months Windy's health again trended downwards until in September it appeared to get new batteries again. By November it was ailing and in December it was off the air again.

So if Ed is dead, who kept going out there and jamming the (wrong chemistry?) batteries into the box? I'm glad they kept at it but sorry that Windy still gave up the ghost.

I found a McGreevy published photo of a visit to Windy from Spring of 2001 so Windy was kept on the air over a span of at least 21years!
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline stendec

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #68 on: September 12, 2022, 0350 UTC »
Hey Chris,

It seems the active beacon list has the wrong frequency for HIKER. It should be 7998.2

See the current "UNID ditter beacon:7998.2" thread on the HF beacons forum.

Many thanks for maintaining the list  -- its very useful!
/ STENDEC

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #69 on: September 12, 2022, 0457 UTC »
Hey Chris,

It seems the active beacon list has the wrong frequency for HIKER. It should be 7998.2

See the current "UNID ditter beacon:7998.2" thread on the HF beacons forum.

Many thanks for maintaining the list  -- its very useful!

I looked at a bunch of threads and see conflicting information. As recently as July 17, 2021 Hiker was on 8005. older threads show Hiker and Shorty transmitting separately. 

Then there is this which sounds, ahem, authoritative...

The beacon list is not correct at this point in time ,the correct freq. is 7998.2 Khz. 
Months ago I copied a cw message on the beacons freq. it referred to the beacon as the hiker beacon.
What you and I  heard was the slow dasher or ditter if you prefer. It has a ditter at a bit faster rate. It even has a very slow long  1.5 sec dash with a space of about 2 sec.
It has been a few months since the operator has sent cw.  I don't think many of the HFU listeners ever caught the morse messages.
The speed is pretty slow 10-13 words per minute sent  by a military leg key from the Vietnam period of time.  The operator was a high speed intercept operator. 
I forgot, the cw messages seem to follow the Long dash mode. The beacon is in a jeep with a tuner and a whip antenna. I think this info. is probably on this web site.
This summer the op. was fishing a lot of small streams and therefore the location of the beacon was in a state of flux.

I find it strange that after years of Hiker being on 8005 it suddenly changes to a frequency that overlaps Shorty.
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #70 on: September 12, 2022, 1842 UTC »
If anyone wants a portable to listen to beacons, I'd recommend the Sangean 909. They do a heck of a job in pulling in weak CW with their narrow bandwidth. Plus, they'll handle a lot of wire without overloading.

Thanks for the pointer!! I see a button for “SSB”. How does one get it into CW mode?
https://www.amazon.com/SANGEAN-Ultimate-Multi-Band-Radio-ATS-909X2/dp/B08MSXX6LH/ref=asc_df_B08MSXX6LH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475810000983&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14507048853880206025&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1013962&hvtargid=pla-1215320111644&th=1

When the 909 is set to SSB it's tuning rate is 40 hz., set it to the narrow audio bandwidth and there you go.

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #71 on: April 14, 2023, 0344 UTC »
added in 4096.15  send L every 7 seconds. Strong in SoCal. Maybe it's the L beacon from 4095 that showed up a year ago February and went away?
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: Currently Active Beacons Chat
« Reply #72 on: June 23, 2023, 2141 UTC »
I added in the new SFI beacon that Mark-n-nut caught on 4094.8 KHz. It sends SFI twice in slow Morse then 8 dashes
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half

Offline Leftover.tech

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5198 kHz XKO + RST?
« Reply #73 on: February 21, 2024, 0432 UTC »
Hopefully, this is the right place for this.
Listening between 0200 and 0430Z this date, on 5198 kHz.
Earlier CW "XKO". Checked back just now, receiving "RST".
Repeats roughly 5 seconds. ~10 wpm.

Offline Teotwaki

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Re: 5198 kHz XKO + RST?
« Reply #74 on: February 21, 2024, 0510 UTC »
Hopefully, this is the right place for this.
Listening between 0200 and 0430Z this date, on 5198 kHz.
Earlier CW "XKO". Checked back just now, receiving "RST".
Repeats roughly 5 seconds. ~10 wpm.

Hello and welcome to HFU!

This area of HFU is dedicated to "pirate" radio beacons and what you've found might be commercial, government or military.. I did a few quick searches and one came back as   
5198 Canadian Forces Maritime Command Network Worldwide but I have not found much on CKO but what you described sounds a little like a RTTY station. I'll let a radio sit for a little while on the frequency. I won't move this post until I can see what a better place might be.
Jim
NRD-525, Elecraft KX3 and Elecraft PX3 Spectrum Display
76' end fed long wire & 66' off-center fed dipole for 10/20/40 meters
Orange County, SoCal, The better half