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Author Topic: Need help on multi-tone signal ID  (Read 5114 times)

Offline caylorman

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Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« on: July 31, 2020, 0311 UTC »
Need some help identifying a digital transmission I'f found on 6.775 MHz, 7.68MHz, 10.267 MHz, all in USB.  Sometimes it's the short MFSK burst, sometimes its longer runs split up with  4, 6, and 8 carrier PSK streams.  It's pretty loud at my location (NE Indiana).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1muzOtXHHL8aGDUZ130l6JgVCZPBg7LWX/view?usp=sharing


Thanks,
Caylorman
Generally recording from Northeast Indiana
Kenwood TS-570D, SDRPlay RSP2, 107' longwire @ 30'
QSL's appreciated, caylorman@gmail.com

Offline Strange Beacons

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2020, 1940 UTC »
I tried decoding your sound file using several different modes in FLDIGI. The only mode that even attempted to decode it was MFSK128L. And as you suggested in your post, yes, I'm pretty sure that it is a type of MFSK.

So from what you have posted, you have heard this signal at the three frequencies you provided. Was this an intermittent signal, or did it run for many minutes at a time? Or hours at a time?

I just checked all three frequencies that you provided, using a KiwiSDR located in Edinburgh, Indiana. Nothing heard.

But this is definitely an interesting signal.

Curt | W9SPY | Strange Beacons

Offline caylorman

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2020, 0349 UTC »
As an example, here's how often it was observed between 0354 and 1518 UTC on July 31, 2020:

7.680 MHZ, 0435 UTC: 10 repeats of the MFSK pattern over approximately 30 seconds, 30 second pause, 15 repeats of same pattern over 40 seconds, 22 second pause, 15 repeats of new longer pattern over 40 seconds.

7.861 MHz, 1158UTC: 21 repeats of MFSK pattern over approximately 1 minute.

7.860 MHz, 1205UTC: 15 repeats of MFSK pattern over approximately 45 seconds.

7.680 MHz, 1258UTC; Approximately 7 minutes of what sounds like two stations, one strong and one faint, in two way comms link using MFSK.  Here's a link to this recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lDgLdziVpiHHnuWMxSoFj-Nghbj2kk9B/view?usp=sharing

Caylorman
Generally recording from Northeast Indiana
Kenwood TS-570D, SDRPlay RSP2, 107' longwire @ 30'
QSL's appreciated, caylorman@gmail.com

Offline CoolAM Radio

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2020, 0619 UTC »
Have you already tried

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/shazam-style-automatic-signal-identification-via-the-sigidwiki-database/


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Offline caylorman

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2020, 1822 UTC »
Yeah.  The closest thing I think it sounds like is Serdolik, but to my ear it still sounds off in its operation. 
Generally recording from Northeast Indiana
Kenwood TS-570D, SDRPlay RSP2, 107' longwire @ 30'
QSL's appreciated, caylorman@gmail.com

Offline wormworm

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #5 on: August 15, 2020, 2239 UTC »
I have heard this same signal. Im in Colorado. Freq is 14.102. There was some cw right before it transmitted. Was just a callsign.
W0ECM. No qrz page. I have many recordings of this signal and have been tracking it for a while now. I have also heard it at 40 meters. Hope this helps!

Offline Token

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2020, 1615 UTC »
I have heard this same signal. Im in Colorado. Freq is 14.102. There was some cw right before it transmitted. Was just a callsign.
W0ECM. No qrz page. I have many recordings of this signal and have been tracking it for a while now. I have also heard it at 40 meters. Hope this helps!

Do you have a recording of the signal you heard?  There are many similar ham radio MFSK modes, and 14102 kHz would be in a ham band.  14102 is also around the location of a lot of different MFSK modes, like DominoEX, Olivia, Contestia, etc.  However the signal being discussed here has not been reported in a ham band.  The take away is that it is very possible the two modes, the original and yours, are not the same but may sound similar.  A recording of your signal would help.

T!
T!
Mojave Desert, California USA

Offline wormworm

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2020, 1834 UTC »
ive got lots of recordings. No clue how to get them here. Im sure its the same signal. Just heard it a few minutes ago. No cw at the begging this time. Might not be related. Ive also heard it at 14108.

Offline wormworm

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2020, 2245 UTC »
nevermind cw is related. heard a lot of this signal. all had cw at the end, but it didnt make any sense. if i can figure out how to put files here i will put my folder with all of the info on this cw and signal.

Offline wormworm

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2020, 2255 UTC »
Think this might work. Its a zip file of my folder that has a lot of sound files and a text file with some analysis of the different types of transmissions i have heard. The other day i heard this signal at 10.72. There is a sound file that has most of the ways ive seen this signal. The file is called mysteryalltypesandcw.wav

Offline wormworm

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #10 on: August 18, 2020, 2256 UTC »

Offline Josh

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2020, 1749 UTC »
You might consider splitting this up into files a bit less than 300mb.
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Offline wormworm

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2020, 2052 UTC »
No clue how to do that.

Offline caylorman

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2020, 1851 UTC »
Giving this a bump.

Monitored this transmission again today, 30 September @ 18:49UTC on 6775kHz.
Generally recording from Northeast Indiana
Kenwood TS-570D, SDRPlay RSP2, 107' longwire @ 30'
QSL's appreciated, caylorman@gmail.com

Offline wormworm

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Re: Need help on multi-tone signal ID
« Reply #14 on: October 05, 2020, 0203 UTC »
Hello. I think this might be Vara HF. It was made by the same guy who did ROS. Sadly I could not find any samples of it. There is a video by Ham radio connections. In this video, he lets you hear Vara HF for a little while. That is the best sample i could find. I downloaded the vara terminal, and could hear the selcall that vara uses, but no links will be established, as i do not own a tranciever yet. When i do, which should be in january, i will record the full email. Vara is a protocol that winlink can use. After i make some good samples of vara, i will make a sig id wiki page about it.