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Author Topic: 5696u open mic bridged comms channel?  (Read 1775 times)

Offline McRadioface

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5696u open mic bridged comms channel?
« on: July 27, 2021, 1441 UTC »
Over the past few days, theres been a streaming type of transmission on 5696, Rather than speculate on it with my crackpot theory, theres a ton of chatter on it with phone conversations, radio check-ins, search and rescue operations, windows dings, iphone ringtones and yes, ALE.
It only dropped out for about an hour and a half at 0500 UTC during the past 24 hours Ive been listening to it.
Often there are top of the hour radio checks or chatter and sometimes piped in music or entertainment audio.




Offline ~SIGINT~

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Re: Open Mic Bridged Comms Channel 5696 USB 1441 UTC 27JUL 2021
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2021, 2051 UTC »
20:46 UTC 27 JULY 2021
This is a US Coast Guard frequency in North America and is shared with Australia and UK.

20:46 UTC - I am picking up something in the background and will need for conditions to improve;
20:47 UTC - Female voice being heard;
20:50 UTC - Male voice being heard;

Switched to the HFU's 120 ft T2FD KiwiSDR, signal good and strong. Appears to be a VHF and other HF radio link bridged to the frequency.
20:58 UTC - Break-in tone;
21:00 UTC - COMMCOM with N16 status & position report;
21:06 UTC - UNID to COMMCOM for radio check;
21:07 UTC - Telephone conversation heard;
20:08 UTC - 2703: Outbound to Oakland, COMMCOM: secure your guard;
21:08 UTC - 2011: requesting to secure guard;
21:11 UTC - Telephone ringing heard;
21:21 UTC - N15 calling COMMCOM;
21:22 UTC - ALE being relayed;
21:30 UTC - COMMCOM Operations Centre notified;
21:58 UTC - Relay of audio appears to have ceased with only a carrier and humming noise left.


RSPduo | Barker & Williamson antenna | Toronto, Ontario Canada
« Last Edit: July 27, 2021, 2206 UTC by ~SIGINT~ »

Offline McRadioface

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Re: 5696u open mic bridged comms channel?
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2021, 1328 UTC »
Thanks for adding to this, I'm not crazy after all :) wow was there ever a ton of stuff to hear on this frequency during this period.



Offline ~SIGINT~

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Re: Open Mic Bridged Comms Channel 5696 USB 1441 UTC 27JUL 2021
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2021, 2137 UTC »
I can believe there was a ton of stuff to be heard on this frequency during that period being that of a hot mic in the COMMCOM Op Centre. The Op Centre has remote links to various receive and transmit sites and one can only speculate that the console was somehow latched in the TX position. I enjoyed listening for 30 minutes but by virtue of professional courtesy I had to advise them of the issue. Left to be seen if anyone reaches back and says thank you. Radio silence (no pun intended) so far.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2021, 2140 UTC by ~SIGINT~ »

Offline McRadioface

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Re: 5696u open mic bridged comms channel?
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2021, 2016 UTC »
Figured it was Cutter Healy, you get the same?

Offline ~SIGINT~

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Re: 5696u open mic bridged comms channel?
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2021, 0217 UTC »
It was US Coast Guard Communications Command (COMMCOM) Op Centre.

Here is a nice diagram of the communications systems network:
https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Atlantic-Area/Units/Area-Units/Communications-Command/Area-of-Responsibility/

This is the Atlantic region facility:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B033'34.6%22N+76%C2%B016'01.3%22W/@36.5593284,-76.2680129,269m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d36.559605!4d-76.267036

5696.0 kHz has 2 transmitter sites registered; Chesapeake, VA (transmitter apparently in Pungo, VA) and San Diego, CA (transmitter apparently in PT Reyes, CA).

I have looked around the base in Pungo using Google satellite images but have yet to locate the antennae field. Large area and nice looking base.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pungo,+Virginia+Beach,+VA+23456,+USA/@36.769032,-75.967534,2148m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89bac6cac8bfca73:0xda790b9b331e126c!8m2!3d36.7234837!4d-76.0177083

Common frequencies are 5696.0 kHz, 8983.0 kHz and 11201.0 kHz.

 

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