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Author Topic: My First ALE 2G Logs  (Read 654 times)

Offline Charlie_Dont_Surf

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My First ALE 2G Logs
« on: October 25, 2021, 2124 UTC »
Running on a Kiwi SDR in Germany this afternoon and I let it run a scan on the UK DHFCS frequencies:

[2021-10-25 20:31:29 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 20:31:47 8182.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 11]
[2021-10-25 20:39:08 6845.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 17]
[2021-10-25 20:39:54 6251.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 20:40:02 8161.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 10]
[2021-10-25 20:40:09 8161.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 2]
[2021-10-25 20:40:46 7860.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 15]
[2021-10-25 20:45:01 4047.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 3]
[2021-10-25 20:56:11 4239.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 4]
[2021-10-25 21:01:50 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 14]
[2021-10-25 21:02:00 8182.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 23]
[2021-10-25 21:02:16 6706.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 2]
[2021-10-25 21:09:22 6845.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 21:09:59 6251.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 10]
[2021-10-25 21:10:21 2784.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 5]
[2021-10-25 21:12:20 3640.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 3]
[2021-10-25 21:15:07 4047.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]


I'm pretty new to ALE and I don't do a lot of data SWLing. I know what BER is but I don't know what THIS WAS is.

Also, now I know what ALE 2G sounds like. It's that chattery, bubble machine type of transmission (as heard in SSB) in 1-3 second duration bursts that I hear quite a lot these days.
« Last Edit: October 25, 2021, 2204 UTC by Charlie_Dont_Surf »
I don't STRETCH the truth.

"Every minute I spend in this room, my signal gets weaker.
Every minute Charlie squats in the bush, his signal gets stronger."

Offline Charlie_Dont_Surf

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Re: My First ALE 2G Logs
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2021, 2206 UTC »
Some more from this afternoon:


[2021-10-25 21:56:41 4239.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 20]
[2021-10-25 21:56:43 4239.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 19]
[2021-10-25 21:56:45 4239.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 2]
[2021-10-25 21:56:45 4239.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 12]
[2021-10-25 21:56:47 4239.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 21:56:53 5295.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: 810202] [His BER: 8]
[2021-10-25 21:56:54 5295.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: 810202] [His BER: 15]
[2021-10-25 21:56:55 5295.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: 810202] [His BER: 5]
[2021-10-25 21:56:56 5295.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: 810] [His BER: 7]
[2021-10-25 21:56:58 5295.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: 810] [His BER: 15]
[2021-10-25 22:02:12 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:13 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 15]
[2021-10-25 22:02:13 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:13 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:14 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 1]
[2021-10-25 22:02:14 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 1]
[2021-10-25 22:02:15 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 3]
[2021-10-25 22:02:15 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 3]
[2021-10-25 22:02:15 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 3]
[2021-10-25 22:02:16 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 7]
[2021-10-25 22:02:16 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 4]
[2021-10-25 22:02:17 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 5]
[2021-10-25 22:02:17 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 6]
[2021-10-25 22:02:17 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 7]
[2021-10-25 22:02:18 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 11]
[2021-10-25 22:02:18 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 20]
[2021-10-25 22:02:19 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 4]
[2021-10-25 22:02:19 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:19 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:20 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:20 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:21 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:22 5808.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 0]
[2021-10-25 22:02:44 8182.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 4]
[2021-10-25 22:02:58 9019.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 24]
[2021-10-25 22:03:00 9019.00] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 4]
I don't STRETCH the truth.

"Every minute I spend in this room, my signal gets weaker.
Every minute Charlie squats in the bush, his signal gets stronger."

Offline ~SIGINT~

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Re: My First ALE 2G Logs
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2021, 0017 UTC »
Welcome to the world of ALE.

[2021-10-25 21:56:41 4239.50] [Sounding THIS WAS] [From: XSS] [His BER: 20]

THIS WAS -> is usually abbreviated as TWS. This is the call sign (C/S) of the station that was transmitting. In you log, TWS is XSS. You will see a TWS at the end of a sounding or at the end of a transmission during the "unlink" process.

When stations are "talking" to each other, you will get a THIS IS (TIS) followed by the call sign. For example:
[20:22:27][FRQ 13446000][TO ][MP9FEM         ][TIS][WA0FEM         ][AL0] BER 26 SN 03
translates to C/S WA0FEM to C/S MP9FEM. Both of these are FEMA stations.

The duration of a soundings is determined by how many channels is in the net. 2G is simply 2nd generation (AUTOLINK II).

If you are lucky you can catch an AMD - Automatic Message Display (designed to be a circuit engineering message). This is a short text sent from one station to another. Here is an example:

[00:10:50][FRQ 69131000][TO ][GNOC1          ][TIS][GMC225         ][AL0] BER 30 SN 13 [AMD]DAY TWO UNDERWAY. NOTHING TO REPORT.

Here is a quick primer for you: http://www.milspec.ca/modems/ale.html
« Last Edit: October 26, 2021, 0019 UTC by ~SIGINT~ »

Offline Charlie_Dont_Surf

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Re: My First ALE 2G Logs
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2021, 0147 UTC »
Got it. Thanks.
I don't STRETCH the truth.

"Every minute I spend in this room, my signal gets weaker.
Every minute Charlie squats in the bush, his signal gets stronger."