https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&feed=atom&limit=20&target=Strange+Attractor+2HFUnderground - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T13:31:22ZFrom HFUndergroundMediaWiki 1.16.5https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-24T07:32:51Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: New report of PRV</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
[[File:PRV-6852-001.jpg|thumb|right|PRV (6852 kHz) under test]]<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
* [http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3579.7 || || || "HPY NEW YEAR 2010 DE PIRATE BEACON” & dashes. December 28, 2010. <sup>(4)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Last reported in April 2011.<sup>(2)</sup> <sup>(3)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp. 17<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 156, September 2010, pp. 15-16<br />
# "PRV" was often reported during the past few months and was unid until Linkz submitted a link to websites about this station. Linkz writes: ''I have no idea if this station is legit or a pirate. It's operator is Eystathios Karastathis (SW6HMU) from Preveza, Greece. He writes on his blog "PRV - 6852 kHz 15w cw BEACON with Dipole Ant on the air 17.30 pm- 8.00 am". According to his blog there is also a MF beacon "PRV beacon 500-531 khz am/cw 400 Watt" and a local AM broadcasting station "Studio 421" on 1655 kHz”''. This beacon was last reported to [[UDXF]] on April 18, 2011.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 159, December 2010, pp. 23.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/User_talk:Strange_Attractor_2User talk:Strange Attractor 22011-04-17T07:20:31Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Hello! */ wikilink to Sockpuppet</p>
<hr />
<div>==Hello!==<br />
[[Image:Spy-ht.gif|left]]<br />
This new account is an [[Sockpuppet|alias]] for [[User:Strange Attractor]] which went dead today.<br />
Please leave messages below:<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
----</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/ENIGMA2000ENIGMA20002011-04-05T02:18:28Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* External links */ New control list</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ENIGMA2000 sample cover.jpg|thumb|right|Cover page of ENIGMA2000 newsletter, issue 39, March 2007.]]<br />
'''ENIGMA-2000''' is an internet based community with the same general interests as the old [[ENIGMA]] association and with wider coverage of general intelligence matters. This group produces a regular newsletter and maintains the old ENIGMA station naming scheme.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.brogers.dsl.pipex.com/enigma2000/ ENIGMA2000 web site]<br />
* [http://www.brogers.dsl.pipex.com/enigma2000/docs/ECL.pdf ENIGMA control list] (Version 25, March 2011)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Radio societies]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/File:PRV-6852-001.jpgFile:PRV-6852-001.jpg2011-04-04T06:21:10Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Summary */ details</p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
'''Description:''' PRV [[High Frequency Beacon]] on 6852 kHz<BR><br />
'''Source:''' http://6852khz.blogspot.com<BR><br />
'''Date:''' July 26, 2010<BR><br />
'''Author:''' <br />
<P><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]<br />
[[Category:Images]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-03T14:23:28Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* References */ reference</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
[[File:PRV-6852-001.jpg|thumb|right|PRV (6852 kHz) under test]]<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
* [http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3579.7 || || || "HPY NEW YEAR 2010 DE PIRATE BEACON” & dashes. December 28, 2010. <sup>(4)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct? <sup>(2)</sup> <sup>(3)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp. 17<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 156, September 2010, pp. 15-16<br />
# "PRV" was often reported during the past few months and was unid until Linkz submitted a link to websites about this station. Linkz writes: ''I have no idea if this station is legit or a pirate. It's operator is Eystathios Karastathis (SW6HMU) from Preveza, Greece. He writes on his blog "PRV - 6852 kHz 15w cw BEACON with Dipole Ant on the air 17.30 pm- 8.00 am". According to his blog there is also a MF beacon "PRV beacon 500-531 khz am/cw 400 Watt" and a local AM broadcasting station "Studio 421" on 1655 kHz”''.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 159, December 2010, pp. 23.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-03T14:22:28Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Reported High Frequency Beacons */ 3579.7</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
[[File:PRV-6852-001.jpg|thumb|right|PRV (6852 kHz) under test]]<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
* [http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3579.7 || || || "HPY NEW YEAR 2010 DE PIRATE BEACON” & dashes. December 28, 2010. <sup>(4)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct? <sup>(2)</sup> <sup>(3)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp. 17<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 156, September 2010, pp. 15-16<br />
# "PRV" was often reported during the past few months and was unid until Linkz submitted a link to websites about this station. Linkz writes: ''I have no idea if this station is legit or a pirate. It's operator is Eystathios Karastathis (SW6HMU) from Preveza, Greece. He writes on his blog "PRV - 6852 kHz 15w cw BEACON with Dipole Ant on the air 17.30 pm- 8.00 am". According to his blog there is also a MF beacon "PRV beacon 500-531 khz am/cw 400 Watt" and a local AM broadcasting station "Studio 421" on 1655 kHz”''.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Letter_beaconLetter beacon2011-04-03T12:18:34Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Similar systems */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:LetterBeacon-D-5153 7 kHz.png|thumb|right|250px|Letter Beacon D on 5153.7 kHz]]<br />
"'''Letter beacons'''" are radio transmissions of uncertain origin, which consist of only a single repeating [[Morse Code]] letter.<br />
<br />
They are also often referred to as:<br />
* SLB, or "Single Letter Beacons"<br />
* SLHFB, or "Single Letter High Frequency Beacons"<br />
* SLHFM, or "Single Letter High Frequency Markers"<br />
* Cluster beacons<br />
* MX — an [[ENIGMA]] <sup>(1)</sup> and ENIGMA-2000 <sup>(2)</sup>designation.<br />
<br />
==Location of letter beacons==<br />
The letter beacon radio transmissions were discovered in the late 1960s but were known only to a few specialized [[DXing|DXer]]s. Their presence became known to the wider [[amateur radio]] community in 1978, when beacon “W” started transmitting on 3584&nbsp;kHz, in the 80 meters band. [[SPEEDX]] published indirect evidence that this particular transmitter was located in Cuba. <sup>(3)</sup><br />
<br />
In 1982 [[SPEEDX]] reported, supposedly on the basis of HF direction finding by the US military, that beacon “K” transmitting on 9043&nbsp;kHz was located at 48° 30' N - 134° 58' E, near the city of Khabarovsk in the USSR. <sup>(4), (5)</sup> A few years later, W. Orr, W6SAI, suggested that the "K" beacons were actually located at Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula and the "U" beacons were located at the Barents Sea coast, between Murmansk and Amderma. <sup>(6)</sup><br />
<br />
According to Schimmel, in 1986 the [[FCC]] released the following HF direction finding results for single letter beacons, all of which indicate locations in the USSR: <sup>(5)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| C<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| D<br />
| Odessa, UKR<br />
|-<br />
| O<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| S<br />
| Arkhangelsk, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| U<br />
| Between Murmansk & Amderma, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| Z<br />
| Mukachevo, UKR<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The link with the USSR and, more recently, Russia is further supported by the existence of single letter beacons transmitting letters existing only in the [[:Image:Rusian-CW.png|Cyrillic morse code alphabet]].<br />
<br />
The '''[[ENIGMA]] group''' also accepted these locations for cluster beacons "C", "D", "P" and "S", adding Vladivostok for beacon "F". <sup>(7)</sup><br />
A recent source (2006) regarding locations was published on the Web by [[Ary Boender]].<sup>(8)</sup> This publication also contains an extensive list of frequencies of letter beacons, both current and historical. The following locations are stated for cluster beacons:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter<br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| A<br />
| Astrakhan, RUS (tentative)<br />
|-<br />
| C<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| D<br />
| Sevastopol, UKR<br />
|-<br />
| F<br />
| Vladivostok, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| K<br />
| Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| M<br />
| Magadan, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| S<br />
| Severomorsk, RUS<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
For solitary beacons and markers, Boender suggests these locations:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| L<br />
| Tirana, ALB (defunct)<br />
|-<br />
| R<br />
| Izhevsk (Ustinov), RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| V<br />
| Khiva, UZB<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Transmissions of the "P" beacon in December 2007, even on medium frequency (420 and 583&nbsp;kHz) indicate the Russian Naval Base of Kaliningrad as a possible source. <sup>(9)</sup> Kaliningrad officially uses the ITU registered callsign '''RMP'''.<br />
<br />
==Types of letter beacons==<br />
The single letter beacons are currently classified in two groups, the "Cluster beacons" and the "Channel markers". A beacon "P" exists in both groups. A third group, the FSK beacons, is now extinct. The following sections list the beacons currently (July 2010) active, according to published listeners’ reports.<br />
<br />
===Cluster beacons===<br />
A group of radio beacons with single-letter identifiers ("C", "D", "M", "S", "P", "A", "M" and "K") have been regularly reported in small spectrum segments centered around 3594, 4558, 5154, 7039, 8495, 10872, 13528, 16332 and 20048 kHz. The term "cluster beacons" is frequently used for them, as these beacons transmit in parallel on frequencies only 0.1 kHz apart. These beacons transmit only their single-letter identifier in standard CW (A1A) using morse code.<br />
<br />
The following callsigns and frequencies of cluster beacons have been reported recently in [http://www.ary.luna.nl Numbers&Oddities newsletter], [[Utility DX Forum]] and [[ENIGMA2000|ENIGMA-2000]]:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter !! Channel<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''D''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.3<br />
| 3593.7, 4557.7, 5153.7, 7038.7, 8493.7, 10871.7, 13527.7, 16331.7, 20047.7<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''P''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.2<br />
| 3593.8, 4557.8, 5153.8, 7038.8, 8494.8, 10871.8, 13527.8, 16331.8, 20047.8<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''S''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.1<br />
| 3593.9, 4557.9, 5153.9, 7038.9, 8494.9, 10871.9, 13527.9, 16331.9, 20047.9<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''C''' <br />
| align="center" | 0.0<br />
| 3594.0, 4558.0, 5154.0, 7039.0, 8495.0, 10872.0, 13528.0, 16332.0, 20048.0<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''A''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.1<br />
| 3594.1, 4558.1, 5154.1, 7039.1, 8495.1, 10872.1 13528.1 16332.1 <sup>(10)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''F''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.2<br />
| 7039.2, 10872.2, 16332.2<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''K''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.3<br />
| 5154.3, 7039.3, 8495.3, 16332.3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''M''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.4<br />
| 5154.4, 7039.4, 8495.4, 10872.4, 13528.4, 16332.4 <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Occasionally some cluster beacons (especially "F" and "M") have been reported transmitting on frequencies different from their regular channel for short periods.<br />
<br />
===Solitary beacons and channel markers===<br />
A second family of letter beacons includes those operating outside the clusters. For this reason they are often called "Solitary beacons" or "Solitaires". These beacons also transmit their single-letter identifier in standard CW (A1A) using morse code.<br />
<br />
A few solitary beacons, like "R" on 4325.9 and 5465.9&nbsp;kHz, operate exactly like the cluster beacons, sending only their single letter identifier. <br />
<br />
The majority of solitary beacons, however, and most notably "P" on various MF and HF frequencies, most of the time they are active transmit their single-letter identifier in morse code. However, sometimes the routine transmission is interrupted and brief messages are sent in fast morse code or in an FSK digital mode. Therefore, the proper term for these beacon-like single-letter transmissions is "channel markers" <sup>(6) (15)</sup>, as their purpose is to occupy and identify a particular HF transmission channel when no traffic is transmitted. There is no evidence that the cluster beacon "P" and the solitary beacon "P" are directly related. <br />
<br />
It was reported in Numbers and Oddities, issue 142, that beacon C on 8000 kHz also transmitted messages under the regular callsign '''RIW''', which is allocated to a Russian naval communicatios station in Khiva, Uzbekistan. <sup>(11)</sup><br />
<br />
There are also a few oddities, transmitting signals with poor modulation and irregular timing, like "V" on 5342 and 6430.7&nbsp;kHz.<br />
<br />
The following callsigns and frequencies of solitary beacons and markers have been reported recently in [http://www.ary.luna.nl Numbers&Oddities newsletter], [[Utility DX Forum]] and [[ENIGMA2000|ENIGMA-2000]]:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Regular callsign<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''R''' <br />
| align="center" |<br />
| 4325.9, 5465.9<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''V'''<br />
| align="center" | <br />
| 3658.0, 4108.0<sup>(18)</sup>, '''4150.0''', 5141.0, 5342, 6430.7, '''6498.0''', 6809, 7027.5, 8103.5, 10202<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''P''' <sup>(12)</sup><br />
| align="center" | '''RMP''' <br />
| 420, 448, 474, 490<sup>(17)</sup>, 583, <BR>3167, 3291, 3327, 3699.5, 3837, 4031, 4043, 4079<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''C'''<br />
| align="center" | '''RIW'''<br />
| 8000<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''L''' || || inactive<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''W''' || || inactive<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===FSK beacons===<br />
This group included the "K" and "U" beacons, which are no longer active. They transmitted their morse code single letter identification by shifting the frequency of the carrier by approximately 1000 Hz. This mode of "FSK-CW" has the [[ITU]] designation '''F1A'''. The use of FSK indicated that the transmitter was suitable for FSK data transmissions, like [[Radioteletype]].<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Regular callsign<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''K''' <br />
| align="center" |<br />
| 9043<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''U'''<br />
| align="center" | <br />
| <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
==ENIGMA designation==<br />
<br />
ENIGMA devised a naming scheme for all stations in their sphere of interest. In the original scheme, the following identifications were issued to letter beacons: <sup>(13)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ENIGMA ID <br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MX'''<br />
| Cluster beacons<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXV'''<br />
| Irregular “V” beacons, not in clusters<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXS'''<br />
| Solitaires: letter beacons out of cluster bands<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXF'''<br />
| FSK beacons (K, U), no longer active in 1995<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enigma2000 ENIGMA-2000], the internet based ENIGMA successor group, revised the original ENIGMA designators. The current designations for letter beacons are the following (since 2007):<sup>(14)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ENIGMA ID <br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MX'''<br />
| Solitary HF single letter beacons<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXI'''<br />
| Single letter beacons in clusters<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXII'''<br />
| FSK beacons (K, U), no longer active<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXV'''<br />
| Irregular “V” transmissions<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXP'''<br />
| Letter beacons also sending messages<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXIII'''<br />
| (deleted, merged with MX)<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXIV'''<br />
| (deleted, merged with MX)<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Applications of letter beacons==<br />
The purpose of the letter beacons is not known yet with certainty. Many theories have appeared in specialized publications but none is based on documentary evidence. They have been postulated to be [[radio propagation beacon]]s, channel markers, used in tracking satellites, or used for civil defense purposes. <sup>(15)</sup> Some stations of this family, in particular the “U” beacon, have been implicated in deliberate [[Radio jamming|jamming]]. <sup>(16)</sup><br />
<br />
Today the [[radio propagation beacon]] theory is generally accepted for the cluster beacons. According to ENIGMA the cluster beacons are used by the Russian Navy (and especially the submarine branch) to find the most suitable radio frequency for contact based on current radio propagation conditions. <sup>(7)</sup><br />
<br />
Connolly also links "P" channel marker with communications facilities at the Russian naval base of Kaliningrad. <sup>(9)</sup> "P" transmissions carrying Russian Navy "XXX" (flash priority) morse code messages with callsigns '''RPM''' and '''RDL''' further support this view.<br />
<br />
==Similar systems==<br />
[[Image:QSL-C-300.png|thumb|right|QSL card from a USCG beacon with signle letter ID]]<br />
A few aero navigation [[Radio beacon#Radio navigation beacons|Non Directional Beacons]] (NDBs) and marine beacons also transmit single letter identification codes. They can be easily distinguished from Letter beacons as they transmit in the allocated low frequency and medium frequency bands, most of them are listed in appropriate aviation handbooks and their transmission mode is A2A (full carrier with audio modulation).<br />
<br />
On September 7, 2010 a beacon was heard on 9111.7 kHz at 1546 UTC. It sent a slow marker "A", which did not sound like a Russian beacon (MX). It sounded like somebody was playing with the key sending letters "A" and "M". Transmission lasted untill at<br />
least 1630 UTC. <sup>(19)</sup><br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Spy Numbers Stations]]<br />
* [[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
* [[ENIGMA]]<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]]<br />
<br />
==Notes & References==<br />
# ''E.N.I.G.M.A.'' stands for "European Numbers Information Gathering and Monitoring Association". It was a unique association of radio listeners based in the United Kingdom and operated during the 1990’s. <br />
# [http://www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigma2000/ ENIGMA-2000] is an internet based community with the same general interests as the old ENIGMA association and with wider coverage of general Intelligence matters. This group produces a regular newsletter and maintains the old ENIGMA station naming scheme. ENIGMA-2000 shows less interest in letter beacons than its predecessor.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984, page=K1.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984, page=K7-K10.<br />
# Schimmel, D.W.: "The underground frequency guide", HighText Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878707-17-5, 1994, pages=78–83.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 1: The K- and U-Beacons, The Search Goes On", ''[[Popular Communications]]'', ISSN 0733-3315, December 1984, pages 28-31.<br />
# "Station News", ENIGMA Newsletter, issue 18, January 2008, page 15.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Channel Markers & Cluster Beacons", http://home.luna.nl/~ary/chmarker.htm , September 2006. <br />
# Robert Connolly: "Maritime matters: Why we hear more signals from the Russian Navy?", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, PW Publishing Ltd, Issue 3.1, January 2008, page 32.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 135, http://www.ary.luna.nl/2008.zip , December 2008.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 142, http://www.ary.luna.nl/no142.zip , July 2009.<br />
# Some transmission are in FSK morse code (F1A) instead of CW (A1A), but other beacon characteristics classify it as a solitary "P" beacon.<br />
# "Station Naming", ENIGMA Newsletter, issue 7, January 1995<br />
# ENIGMA Control List, Number 23, ENIGMA-2000, October 2007, http://www.ominous-valve.com/ecl23.pdf<br />
# Poundstone Willian: "Big Secrets", Quill, New York, 1983, ISBN 0688048307, pages 191-193<br />
# Pleikys Rimantas: Jamming, Rimantas Pleikys, Vilnius 1998, http://www.zilionis.com/jamming/jamminge.htm<br />
# Robert Connolly: "DGPS, Single Letter Beacons and NDB changes", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, PW Publishing Ltd, Issue 5.10, October 2010, page 49.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 159, http://www.numbersoddities.nl/n&o-159.pdf, December 2010.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 156, September 2010, pp. 15.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
# Schimmel, D.W.: "The underground frequency guide", HighText Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878707-17-5, 1994.<br />
# Harry L. Helms, W5HLH: How to tune the secret shortwave spectrum, Tab Books, Inc., ISBN 0-8306-1185-1, 1981, pages=141–143.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984.<br />
# [http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/spooks Spooks] mailing list. <br />
# [http://www.ary.luna.nl/ Numbers and Oddities]: Ary Boender compiles this monthly bulletin with reception reports of various mysterious transmissions and makes it available for download at his personal web site.<br />
# Mike G.: "Single letter cluster beacons", ENIGMA Newsletter #14, January 1998, pages 31-33.<br />
# Simon Mason: "New revelations about single letter transmissions (MX)", ENIGMA Newsletter #16, January 1999, pages 39-40.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 1: The K- and U-Beacons, The Search Goes On", ''[[Popular Communications]]'',CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, December 1984, pages 28-31.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "Those Mysterious High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 2: The Cluster Beacons – A Soviet Riddle!", ''[[Popular Communications]]'',CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, January 1985, pages 22-24.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "TThe Cluster Beacons Revisited; An Inside Look at Nine Puzzling Channels", ''[[Popular Communications]]'', CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, February 1985, pages 38-40.<br />
# Enigma Control List [http://www.ominous-valve.com/enigma.txt], Enigma-2000, May 2005.<br />
# Fritz Nusser: "[http://www.astrosol.ch/networksofthecisforces/navymorsenetworks/beaconsandclusterbeacons/index.html Channel Markers and Cluster Beacons]", ''[http://www.astrosol.ch/index.html Fascinatning Shortwaves]'' (2001-2009)<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Letter_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Letter_beaconLetter beacon2011-04-03T12:16:55Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Notes & References */ beacon A</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:LetterBeacon-D-5153 7 kHz.png|thumb|right|250px|Letter Beacon D on 5153.7 kHz]]<br />
"'''Letter beacons'''" are radio transmissions of uncertain origin, which consist of only a single repeating [[Morse Code]] letter.<br />
<br />
They are also often referred to as:<br />
* SLB, or "Single Letter Beacons"<br />
* SLHFB, or "Single Letter High Frequency Beacons"<br />
* SLHFM, or "Single Letter High Frequency Markers"<br />
* Cluster beacons<br />
* MX — an [[ENIGMA]] <sup>(1)</sup> and ENIGMA-2000 <sup>(2)</sup>designation.<br />
<br />
==Location of letter beacons==<br />
The letter beacon radio transmissions were discovered in the late 1960s but were known only to a few specialized [[DXing|DXer]]s. Their presence became known to the wider [[amateur radio]] community in 1978, when beacon “W” started transmitting on 3584&nbsp;kHz, in the 80 meters band. [[SPEEDX]] published indirect evidence that this particular transmitter was located in Cuba. <sup>(3)</sup><br />
<br />
In 1982 [[SPEEDX]] reported, supposedly on the basis of HF direction finding by the US military, that beacon “K” transmitting on 9043&nbsp;kHz was located at 48° 30' N - 134° 58' E, near the city of Khabarovsk in the USSR. <sup>(4), (5)</sup> A few years later, W. Orr, W6SAI, suggested that the "K" beacons were actually located at Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula and the "U" beacons were located at the Barents Sea coast, between Murmansk and Amderma. <sup>(6)</sup><br />
<br />
According to Schimmel, in 1986 the [[FCC]] released the following HF direction finding results for single letter beacons, all of which indicate locations in the USSR: <sup>(5)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| C<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| D<br />
| Odessa, UKR<br />
|-<br />
| O<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| S<br />
| Arkhangelsk, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| U<br />
| Between Murmansk & Amderma, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| Z<br />
| Mukachevo, UKR<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The link with the USSR and, more recently, Russia is further supported by the existence of single letter beacons transmitting letters existing only in the [[:Image:Rusian-CW.png|Cyrillic morse code alphabet]].<br />
<br />
The '''[[ENIGMA]] group''' also accepted these locations for cluster beacons "C", "D", "P" and "S", adding Vladivostok for beacon "F". <sup>(7)</sup><br />
A recent source (2006) regarding locations was published on the Web by [[Ary Boender]].<sup>(8)</sup> This publication also contains an extensive list of frequencies of letter beacons, both current and historical. The following locations are stated for cluster beacons:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter<br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| A<br />
| Astrakhan, RUS (tentative)<br />
|-<br />
| C<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| D<br />
| Sevastopol, UKR<br />
|-<br />
| F<br />
| Vladivostok, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| K<br />
| Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| M<br />
| Magadan, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| S<br />
| Severomorsk, RUS<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
For solitary beacons and markers, Boender suggests these locations:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| L<br />
| Tirana, ALB (defunct)<br />
|-<br />
| R<br />
| Izhevsk (Ustinov), RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| V<br />
| Khiva, UZB<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Transmissions of the "P" beacon in December 2007, even on medium frequency (420 and 583&nbsp;kHz) indicate the Russian Naval Base of Kaliningrad as a possible source. <sup>(9)</sup> Kaliningrad officially uses the ITU registered callsign '''RMP'''.<br />
<br />
==Types of letter beacons==<br />
The single letter beacons are currently classified in two groups, the "Cluster beacons" and the "Channel markers". A beacon "P" exists in both groups. A third group, the FSK beacons, is now extinct. The following sections list the beacons currently (July 2010) active, according to published listeners’ reports.<br />
<br />
===Cluster beacons===<br />
A group of radio beacons with single-letter identifiers ("C", "D", "M", "S", "P", "A", "M" and "K") have been regularly reported in small spectrum segments centered around 3594, 4558, 5154, 7039, 8495, 10872, 13528, 16332 and 20048 kHz. The term "cluster beacons" is frequently used for them, as these beacons transmit in parallel on frequencies only 0.1 kHz apart. These beacons transmit only their single-letter identifier in standard CW (A1A) using morse code.<br />
<br />
The following callsigns and frequencies of cluster beacons have been reported recently in [http://www.ary.luna.nl Numbers&Oddities newsletter], [[Utility DX Forum]] and [[ENIGMA2000|ENIGMA-2000]]:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter !! Channel<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''D''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.3<br />
| 3593.7, 4557.7, 5153.7, 7038.7, 8493.7, 10871.7, 13527.7, 16331.7, 20047.7<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''P''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.2<br />
| 3593.8, 4557.8, 5153.8, 7038.8, 8494.8, 10871.8, 13527.8, 16331.8, 20047.8<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''S''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.1<br />
| 3593.9, 4557.9, 5153.9, 7038.9, 8494.9, 10871.9, 13527.9, 16331.9, 20047.9<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''C''' <br />
| align="center" | 0.0<br />
| 3594.0, 4558.0, 5154.0, 7039.0, 8495.0, 10872.0, 13528.0, 16332.0, 20048.0<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''A''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.1<br />
| 3594.1, 4558.1, 5154.1, 7039.1, 8495.1, 10872.1 13528.1 16332.1 <sup>(10)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''F''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.2<br />
| 7039.2, 10872.2, 16332.2<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''K''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.3<br />
| 5154.3, 7039.3, 8495.3, 16332.3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''M''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.4<br />
| 5154.4, 7039.4, 8495.4, 10872.4, 13528.4, 16332.4 <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Occasionally some cluster beacons (especially "F" and "M") have been reported transmitting on frequencies different from their regular channel for short periods.<br />
<br />
===Solitary beacons and channel markers===<br />
A second family of letter beacons includes those operating outside the clusters. For this reason they are often called "Solitary beacons" or "Solitaires". These beacons also transmit their single-letter identifier in standard CW (A1A) using morse code.<br />
<br />
A few solitary beacons, like "R" on 4325.9 and 5465.9&nbsp;kHz, operate exactly like the cluster beacons, sending only their single letter identifier. <br />
<br />
The majority of solitary beacons, however, and most notably "P" on various MF and HF frequencies, most of the time they are active transmit their single-letter identifier in morse code. However, sometimes the routine transmission is interrupted and brief messages are sent in fast morse code or in an FSK digital mode. Therefore, the proper term for these beacon-like single-letter transmissions is "channel markers" <sup>(6) (15)</sup>, as their purpose is to occupy and identify a particular HF transmission channel when no traffic is transmitted. There is no evidence that the cluster beacon "P" and the solitary beacon "P" are directly related. <br />
<br />
It was reported in Numbers and Oddities, issue 142, that beacon C on 8000 kHz also transmitted messages under the regular callsign '''RIW''', which is allocated to a Russian naval communicatios station in Khiva, Uzbekistan. <sup>(11)</sup><br />
<br />
There are also a few oddities, transmitting signals with poor modulation and irregular timing, like "V" on 5342 and 6430.7&nbsp;kHz.<br />
<br />
The following callsigns and frequencies of solitary beacons and markers have been reported recently in [http://www.ary.luna.nl Numbers&Oddities newsletter], [[Utility DX Forum]] and [[ENIGMA2000|ENIGMA-2000]]:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Regular callsign<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''R''' <br />
| align="center" |<br />
| 4325.9, 5465.9<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''V'''<br />
| align="center" | <br />
| 3658.0, 4108.0<sup>(18)</sup>, '''4150.0''', 5141.0, 5342, 6430.7, '''6498.0''', 6809, 7027.5, 8103.5, 10202<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''P''' <sup>(12)</sup><br />
| align="center" | '''RMP''' <br />
| 420, 448, 474, 490<sup>(17)</sup>, 583, <BR>3167, 3291, 3327, 3699.5, 3837, 4031, 4043, 4079<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''C'''<br />
| align="center" | '''RIW'''<br />
| 8000<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''L''' || || inactive<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''W''' || || inactive<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===FSK beacons===<br />
This group included the "K" and "U" beacons, which are no longer active. They transmitted their morse code single letter identification by shifting the frequency of the carrier by approximately 1000 Hz. This mode of "FSK-CW" has the [[ITU]] designation '''F1A'''. The use of FSK indicated that the transmitter was suitable for FSK data transmissions, like [[Radioteletype]].<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Regular callsign<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''K''' <br />
| align="center" |<br />
| 9043<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''U'''<br />
| align="center" | <br />
| <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
==ENIGMA designation==<br />
<br />
ENIGMA devised a naming scheme for all stations in their sphere of interest. In the original scheme, the following identifications were issued to letter beacons: <sup>(13)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ENIGMA ID <br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MX'''<br />
| Cluster beacons<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXV'''<br />
| Irregular “V” beacons, not in clusters<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXS'''<br />
| Solitaires: letter beacons out of cluster bands<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXF'''<br />
| FSK beacons (K, U), no longer active in 1995<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enigma2000 ENIGMA-2000], the internet based ENIGMA successor group, revised the original ENIGMA designators. The current designations for letter beacons are the following (since 2007):<sup>(14)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ENIGMA ID <br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MX'''<br />
| Solitary HF single letter beacons<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXI'''<br />
| Single letter beacons in clusters<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXII'''<br />
| FSK beacons (K, U), no longer active<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXV'''<br />
| Irregular “V” transmissions<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXP'''<br />
| Letter beacons also sending messages<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXIII'''<br />
| (deleted, merged with MX)<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXIV'''<br />
| (deleted, merged with MX)<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Applications of letter beacons==<br />
The purpose of the letter beacons is not known yet with certainty. Many theories have appeared in specialized publications but none is based on documentary evidence. They have been postulated to be [[radio propagation beacon]]s, channel markers, used in tracking satellites, or used for civil defense purposes. <sup>(15)</sup> Some stations of this family, in particular the “U” beacon, have been implicated in deliberate [[Radio jamming|jamming]]. <sup>(16)</sup><br />
<br />
Today the [[radio propagation beacon]] theory is generally accepted for the cluster beacons. According to ENIGMA the cluster beacons are used by the Russian Navy (and especially the submarine branch) to find the most suitable radio frequency for contact based on current radio propagation conditions. <sup>(7)</sup><br />
<br />
Connolly also links "P" channel marker with communications facilities at the Russian naval base of Kaliningrad. <sup>(9)</sup> "P" transmissions carrying Russian Navy "XXX" (flash priority) morse code messages with callsigns '''RPM''' and '''RDL''' further support this view.<br />
<br />
==Similar systems==<br />
[[Image:QSL-C-300.png|thumb|right|QSL card from a USCG beacon with signle letter ID]]<br />
A few aero navigation [[Radio beacon#Radio navigation beacons|Non Directional Beacons]] (NDBs) and marine beacons also transmit single letter identification codes. They can be easily distinguished from Letter beacons as they transmit in the allocated low frequency and medium frequency bands, most of them are listed in appropriate aviation handbooks and their transmission mode is A2A (full carrier with audio modulation).<br />
<br />
On September 7, 2010 a beacon was heard on 9111.7 kHz at 1546 UTC, 07-9. It sent a slow marker "A", which did not sound like an Russian beacon (MX). It sounded like somebody was playing with the key sending letters "A" and "M". Transmission lasted untill at<br />
least 1630 UTC. <sup>(19)</sup><br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Spy Numbers Stations]]<br />
* [[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
* [[ENIGMA]]<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]]<br />
<br />
==Notes & References==<br />
# ''E.N.I.G.M.A.'' stands for "European Numbers Information Gathering and Monitoring Association". It was a unique association of radio listeners based in the United Kingdom and operated during the 1990’s. <br />
# [http://www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigma2000/ ENIGMA-2000] is an internet based community with the same general interests as the old ENIGMA association and with wider coverage of general Intelligence matters. This group produces a regular newsletter and maintains the old ENIGMA station naming scheme. ENIGMA-2000 shows less interest in letter beacons than its predecessor.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984, page=K1.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984, page=K7-K10.<br />
# Schimmel, D.W.: "The underground frequency guide", HighText Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878707-17-5, 1994, pages=78–83.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 1: The K- and U-Beacons, The Search Goes On", ''[[Popular Communications]]'', ISSN 0733-3315, December 1984, pages 28-31.<br />
# "Station News", ENIGMA Newsletter, issue 18, January 2008, page 15.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Channel Markers & Cluster Beacons", http://home.luna.nl/~ary/chmarker.htm , September 2006. <br />
# Robert Connolly: "Maritime matters: Why we hear more signals from the Russian Navy?", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, PW Publishing Ltd, Issue 3.1, January 2008, page 32.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 135, http://www.ary.luna.nl/2008.zip , December 2008.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 142, http://www.ary.luna.nl/no142.zip , July 2009.<br />
# Some transmission are in FSK morse code (F1A) instead of CW (A1A), but other beacon characteristics classify it as a solitary "P" beacon.<br />
# "Station Naming", ENIGMA Newsletter, issue 7, January 1995<br />
# ENIGMA Control List, Number 23, ENIGMA-2000, October 2007, http://www.ominous-valve.com/ecl23.pdf<br />
# Poundstone Willian: "Big Secrets", Quill, New York, 1983, ISBN 0688048307, pages 191-193<br />
# Pleikys Rimantas: Jamming, Rimantas Pleikys, Vilnius 1998, http://www.zilionis.com/jamming/jamminge.htm<br />
# Robert Connolly: "DGPS, Single Letter Beacons and NDB changes", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, PW Publishing Ltd, Issue 5.10, October 2010, page 49.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 159, http://www.numbersoddities.nl/n&o-159.pdf, December 2010.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 156, September 2010, pp. 15.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
# Schimmel, D.W.: "The underground frequency guide", HighText Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878707-17-5, 1994.<br />
# Harry L. Helms, W5HLH: How to tune the secret shortwave spectrum, Tab Books, Inc., ISBN 0-8306-1185-1, 1981, pages=141–143.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984.<br />
# [http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/spooks Spooks] mailing list. <br />
# [http://www.ary.luna.nl/ Numbers and Oddities]: Ary Boender compiles this monthly bulletin with reception reports of various mysterious transmissions and makes it available for download at his personal web site.<br />
# Mike G.: "Single letter cluster beacons", ENIGMA Newsletter #14, January 1998, pages 31-33.<br />
# Simon Mason: "New revelations about single letter transmissions (MX)", ENIGMA Newsletter #16, January 1999, pages 39-40.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 1: The K- and U-Beacons, The Search Goes On", ''[[Popular Communications]]'',CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, December 1984, pages 28-31.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "Those Mysterious High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 2: The Cluster Beacons – A Soviet Riddle!", ''[[Popular Communications]]'',CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, January 1985, pages 22-24.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "TThe Cluster Beacons Revisited; An Inside Look at Nine Puzzling Channels", ''[[Popular Communications]]'', CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, February 1985, pages 38-40.<br />
# Enigma Control List [http://www.ominous-valve.com/enigma.txt], Enigma-2000, May 2005.<br />
# Fritz Nusser: "[http://www.astrosol.ch/networksofthecisforces/navymorsenetworks/beaconsandclusterbeacons/index.html Channel Markers and Cluster Beacons]", ''[http://www.astrosol.ch/index.html Fascinatning Shortwaves]'' (2001-2009)<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Letter_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Letter_beaconLetter beacon2011-04-03T12:16:07Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Similar systems */ A - 9111.7 kHz</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:LetterBeacon-D-5153 7 kHz.png|thumb|right|250px|Letter Beacon D on 5153.7 kHz]]<br />
"'''Letter beacons'''" are radio transmissions of uncertain origin, which consist of only a single repeating [[Morse Code]] letter.<br />
<br />
They are also often referred to as:<br />
* SLB, or "Single Letter Beacons"<br />
* SLHFB, or "Single Letter High Frequency Beacons"<br />
* SLHFM, or "Single Letter High Frequency Markers"<br />
* Cluster beacons<br />
* MX — an [[ENIGMA]] <sup>(1)</sup> and ENIGMA-2000 <sup>(2)</sup>designation.<br />
<br />
==Location of letter beacons==<br />
The letter beacon radio transmissions were discovered in the late 1960s but were known only to a few specialized [[DXing|DXer]]s. Their presence became known to the wider [[amateur radio]] community in 1978, when beacon “W” started transmitting on 3584&nbsp;kHz, in the 80 meters band. [[SPEEDX]] published indirect evidence that this particular transmitter was located in Cuba. <sup>(3)</sup><br />
<br />
In 1982 [[SPEEDX]] reported, supposedly on the basis of HF direction finding by the US military, that beacon “K” transmitting on 9043&nbsp;kHz was located at 48° 30' N - 134° 58' E, near the city of Khabarovsk in the USSR. <sup>(4), (5)</sup> A few years later, W. Orr, W6SAI, suggested that the "K" beacons were actually located at Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula and the "U" beacons were located at the Barents Sea coast, between Murmansk and Amderma. <sup>(6)</sup><br />
<br />
According to Schimmel, in 1986 the [[FCC]] released the following HF direction finding results for single letter beacons, all of which indicate locations in the USSR: <sup>(5)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| C<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| D<br />
| Odessa, UKR<br />
|-<br />
| O<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| S<br />
| Arkhangelsk, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| U<br />
| Between Murmansk & Amderma, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| Z<br />
| Mukachevo, UKR<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The link with the USSR and, more recently, Russia is further supported by the existence of single letter beacons transmitting letters existing only in the [[:Image:Rusian-CW.png|Cyrillic morse code alphabet]].<br />
<br />
The '''[[ENIGMA]] group''' also accepted these locations for cluster beacons "C", "D", "P" and "S", adding Vladivostok for beacon "F". <sup>(7)</sup><br />
A recent source (2006) regarding locations was published on the Web by [[Ary Boender]].<sup>(8)</sup> This publication also contains an extensive list of frequencies of letter beacons, both current and historical. The following locations are stated for cluster beacons:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter<br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| A<br />
| Astrakhan, RUS (tentative)<br />
|-<br />
| C<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| D<br />
| Sevastopol, UKR<br />
|-<br />
| F<br />
| Vladivostok, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| K<br />
| Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| M<br />
| Magadan, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| S<br />
| Severomorsk, RUS<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
For solitary beacons and markers, Boender suggests these locations:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| L<br />
| Tirana, ALB (defunct)<br />
|-<br />
| R<br />
| Izhevsk (Ustinov), RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| V<br />
| Khiva, UZB<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Transmissions of the "P" beacon in December 2007, even on medium frequency (420 and 583&nbsp;kHz) indicate the Russian Naval Base of Kaliningrad as a possible source. <sup>(9)</sup> Kaliningrad officially uses the ITU registered callsign '''RMP'''.<br />
<br />
==Types of letter beacons==<br />
The single letter beacons are currently classified in two groups, the "Cluster beacons" and the "Channel markers". A beacon "P" exists in both groups. A third group, the FSK beacons, is now extinct. The following sections list the beacons currently (July 2010) active, according to published listeners’ reports.<br />
<br />
===Cluster beacons===<br />
A group of radio beacons with single-letter identifiers ("C", "D", "M", "S", "P", "A", "M" and "K") have been regularly reported in small spectrum segments centered around 3594, 4558, 5154, 7039, 8495, 10872, 13528, 16332 and 20048 kHz. The term "cluster beacons" is frequently used for them, as these beacons transmit in parallel on frequencies only 0.1 kHz apart. These beacons transmit only their single-letter identifier in standard CW (A1A) using morse code.<br />
<br />
The following callsigns and frequencies of cluster beacons have been reported recently in [http://www.ary.luna.nl Numbers&Oddities newsletter], [[Utility DX Forum]] and [[ENIGMA2000|ENIGMA-2000]]:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter !! Channel<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''D''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.3<br />
| 3593.7, 4557.7, 5153.7, 7038.7, 8493.7, 10871.7, 13527.7, 16331.7, 20047.7<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''P''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.2<br />
| 3593.8, 4557.8, 5153.8, 7038.8, 8494.8, 10871.8, 13527.8, 16331.8, 20047.8<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''S''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.1<br />
| 3593.9, 4557.9, 5153.9, 7038.9, 8494.9, 10871.9, 13527.9, 16331.9, 20047.9<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''C''' <br />
| align="center" | 0.0<br />
| 3594.0, 4558.0, 5154.0, 7039.0, 8495.0, 10872.0, 13528.0, 16332.0, 20048.0<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''A''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.1<br />
| 3594.1, 4558.1, 5154.1, 7039.1, 8495.1, 10872.1 13528.1 16332.1 <sup>(10)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''F''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.2<br />
| 7039.2, 10872.2, 16332.2<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''K''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.3<br />
| 5154.3, 7039.3, 8495.3, 16332.3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''M''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.4<br />
| 5154.4, 7039.4, 8495.4, 10872.4, 13528.4, 16332.4 <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Occasionally some cluster beacons (especially "F" and "M") have been reported transmitting on frequencies different from their regular channel for short periods.<br />
<br />
===Solitary beacons and channel markers===<br />
A second family of letter beacons includes those operating outside the clusters. For this reason they are often called "Solitary beacons" or "Solitaires". These beacons also transmit their single-letter identifier in standard CW (A1A) using morse code.<br />
<br />
A few solitary beacons, like "R" on 4325.9 and 5465.9&nbsp;kHz, operate exactly like the cluster beacons, sending only their single letter identifier. <br />
<br />
The majority of solitary beacons, however, and most notably "P" on various MF and HF frequencies, most of the time they are active transmit their single-letter identifier in morse code. However, sometimes the routine transmission is interrupted and brief messages are sent in fast morse code or in an FSK digital mode. Therefore, the proper term for these beacon-like single-letter transmissions is "channel markers" <sup>(6) (15)</sup>, as their purpose is to occupy and identify a particular HF transmission channel when no traffic is transmitted. There is no evidence that the cluster beacon "P" and the solitary beacon "P" are directly related. <br />
<br />
It was reported in Numbers and Oddities, issue 142, that beacon C on 8000 kHz also transmitted messages under the regular callsign '''RIW''', which is allocated to a Russian naval communicatios station in Khiva, Uzbekistan. <sup>(11)</sup><br />
<br />
There are also a few oddities, transmitting signals with poor modulation and irregular timing, like "V" on 5342 and 6430.7&nbsp;kHz.<br />
<br />
The following callsigns and frequencies of solitary beacons and markers have been reported recently in [http://www.ary.luna.nl Numbers&Oddities newsletter], [[Utility DX Forum]] and [[ENIGMA2000|ENIGMA-2000]]:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Regular callsign<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''R''' <br />
| align="center" |<br />
| 4325.9, 5465.9<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''V'''<br />
| align="center" | <br />
| 3658.0, 4108.0<sup>(18)</sup>, '''4150.0''', 5141.0, 5342, 6430.7, '''6498.0''', 6809, 7027.5, 8103.5, 10202<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''P''' <sup>(12)</sup><br />
| align="center" | '''RMP''' <br />
| 420, 448, 474, 490<sup>(17)</sup>, 583, <BR>3167, 3291, 3327, 3699.5, 3837, 4031, 4043, 4079<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''C'''<br />
| align="center" | '''RIW'''<br />
| 8000<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''L''' || || inactive<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''W''' || || inactive<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===FSK beacons===<br />
This group included the "K" and "U" beacons, which are no longer active. They transmitted their morse code single letter identification by shifting the frequency of the carrier by approximately 1000 Hz. This mode of "FSK-CW" has the [[ITU]] designation '''F1A'''. The use of FSK indicated that the transmitter was suitable for FSK data transmissions, like [[Radioteletype]].<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Regular callsign<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''K''' <br />
| align="center" |<br />
| 9043<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''U'''<br />
| align="center" | <br />
| <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
==ENIGMA designation==<br />
<br />
ENIGMA devised a naming scheme for all stations in their sphere of interest. In the original scheme, the following identifications were issued to letter beacons: <sup>(13)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ENIGMA ID <br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MX'''<br />
| Cluster beacons<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXV'''<br />
| Irregular “V” beacons, not in clusters<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXS'''<br />
| Solitaires: letter beacons out of cluster bands<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXF'''<br />
| FSK beacons (K, U), no longer active in 1995<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enigma2000 ENIGMA-2000], the internet based ENIGMA successor group, revised the original ENIGMA designators. The current designations for letter beacons are the following (since 2007):<sup>(14)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ENIGMA ID <br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MX'''<br />
| Solitary HF single letter beacons<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXI'''<br />
| Single letter beacons in clusters<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXII'''<br />
| FSK beacons (K, U), no longer active<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXV'''<br />
| Irregular “V” transmissions<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXP'''<br />
| Letter beacons also sending messages<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXIII'''<br />
| (deleted, merged with MX)<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXIV'''<br />
| (deleted, merged with MX)<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Applications of letter beacons==<br />
The purpose of the letter beacons is not known yet with certainty. Many theories have appeared in specialized publications but none is based on documentary evidence. They have been postulated to be [[radio propagation beacon]]s, channel markers, used in tracking satellites, or used for civil defense purposes. <sup>(15)</sup> Some stations of this family, in particular the “U” beacon, have been implicated in deliberate [[Radio jamming|jamming]]. <sup>(16)</sup><br />
<br />
Today the [[radio propagation beacon]] theory is generally accepted for the cluster beacons. According to ENIGMA the cluster beacons are used by the Russian Navy (and especially the submarine branch) to find the most suitable radio frequency for contact based on current radio propagation conditions. <sup>(7)</sup><br />
<br />
Connolly also links "P" channel marker with communications facilities at the Russian naval base of Kaliningrad. <sup>(9)</sup> "P" transmissions carrying Russian Navy "XXX" (flash priority) morse code messages with callsigns '''RPM''' and '''RDL''' further support this view.<br />
<br />
==Similar systems==<br />
[[Image:QSL-C-300.png|thumb|right|QSL card from a USCG beacon with signle letter ID]]<br />
A few aero navigation [[Radio beacon#Radio navigation beacons|Non Directional Beacons]] (NDBs) and marine beacons also transmit single letter identification codes. They can be easily distinguished from Letter beacons as they transmit in the allocated low frequency and medium frequency bands, most of them are listed in appropriate aviation handbooks and their transmission mode is A2A (full carrier with audio modulation).<br />
<br />
On September 7, 2010 a beacon was heard on 9111.7 kHz at 1546 UTC, 07-9. It sent a slow marker "A", which did not sound like an Russian beacon (MX). It sounded like somebody was playing with the key sending letters "A" and "M". Transmission lasted untill at<br />
least 1630 UTC. <sup>(19)</sup><br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Spy Numbers Stations]]<br />
* [[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
* [[ENIGMA]]<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]]<br />
<br />
==Notes & References==<br />
# ''E.N.I.G.M.A.'' stands for "European Numbers Information Gathering and Monitoring Association". It was a unique association of radio listeners based in the United Kingdom and operated during the 1990’s. <br />
# [http://www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigma2000/ ENIGMA-2000] is an internet based community with the same general interests as the old ENIGMA association and with wider coverage of general Intelligence matters. This group produces a regular newsletter and maintains the old ENIGMA station naming scheme. ENIGMA-2000 shows less interest in letter beacons than its predecessor.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984, page=K1.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984, page=K7-K10.<br />
# Schimmel, D.W.: "The underground frequency guide", HighText Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878707-17-5, 1994, pages=78–83.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 1: The K- and U-Beacons, The Search Goes On", ''[[Popular Communications]]'', ISSN 0733-3315, December 1984, pages 28-31.<br />
# "Station News", ENIGMA Newsletter, issue 18, January 2008, page 15.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Channel Markers & Cluster Beacons", http://home.luna.nl/~ary/chmarker.htm , September 2006. <br />
# Robert Connolly: "Maritime matters: Why we hear more signals from the Russian Navy?", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, PW Publishing Ltd, Issue 3.1, January 2008, page 32.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 135, http://www.ary.luna.nl/2008.zip , December 2008.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 142, http://www.ary.luna.nl/no142.zip , July 2009.<br />
# Some transmission are in FSK morse code (F1A) instead of CW (A1A), but other beacon characteristics classify it as a solitary "P" beacon.<br />
# "Station Naming", ENIGMA Newsletter, issue 7, January 1995<br />
# ENIGMA Control List, Number 23, ENIGMA-2000, October 2007, http://www.ominous-valve.com/ecl23.pdf<br />
# Poundstone Willian: "Big Secrets", Quill, New York, 1983, ISBN 0688048307, pages 191-193<br />
# Pleikys Rimantas: Jamming, Rimantas Pleikys, Vilnius 1998, http://www.zilionis.com/jamming/jamminge.htm<br />
# Robert Connolly: "DGPS, Single Letter Beacons and NDB changes", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, PW Publishing Ltd, Issue 5.10, October 2010, page 49.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 159, http://www.numbersoddities.nl/n&o-159.pdf, December 2010.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
# Schimmel, D.W.: "The underground frequency guide", HighText Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878707-17-5, 1994.<br />
# Harry L. Helms, W5HLH: How to tune the secret shortwave spectrum, Tab Books, Inc., ISBN 0-8306-1185-1, 1981, pages=141–143.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984.<br />
# [http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/spooks Spooks] mailing list. <br />
# [http://www.ary.luna.nl/ Numbers and Oddities]: Ary Boender compiles this monthly bulletin with reception reports of various mysterious transmissions and makes it available for download at his personal web site.<br />
# Mike G.: "Single letter cluster beacons", ENIGMA Newsletter #14, January 1998, pages 31-33.<br />
# Simon Mason: "New revelations about single letter transmissions (MX)", ENIGMA Newsletter #16, January 1999, pages 39-40.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 1: The K- and U-Beacons, The Search Goes On", ''[[Popular Communications]]'',CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, December 1984, pages 28-31.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "Those Mysterious High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 2: The Cluster Beacons – A Soviet Riddle!", ''[[Popular Communications]]'',CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, January 1985, pages 22-24.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "TThe Cluster Beacons Revisited; An Inside Look at Nine Puzzling Channels", ''[[Popular Communications]]'', CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, February 1985, pages 38-40.<br />
# Enigma Control List [http://www.ominous-valve.com/enigma.txt], Enigma-2000, May 2005.<br />
# Fritz Nusser: "[http://www.astrosol.ch/networksofthecisforces/navymorsenetworks/beaconsandclusterbeacons/index.html Channel Markers and Cluster Beacons]", ''[http://www.astrosol.ch/index.html Fascinatning Shortwaves]'' (2001-2009)<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Letter_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-03T12:13:09Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* References */ pages</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
[[File:PRV-6852-001.jpg|thumb|right|PRV (6852 kHz) under test]]<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
* [http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct? <sup>(2)</sup> <sup>(3)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp. 17<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 156, September 2010, pp. 15-16<br />
# "PRV" was often reported during the past few months and was unid until Linkz submitted a link to websites about this station. Linkz writes: ''I have no idea if this station is legit or a pirate. It's operator is Eystathios Karastathis (SW6HMU) from Preveza, Greece. He writes on his blog "PRV - 6852 kHz 15w cw BEACON with Dipole Ant on the air 17.30 pm- 8.00 am". According to his blog there is also a MF beacon "PRV beacon 500-531 khz am/cw 400 Watt" and a local AM broadcasting station "Studio 421" on 1655 kHz”''.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-03T12:12:13Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* References */ Numbers and Oddities No 156 about PRV</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
[[File:PRV-6852-001.jpg|thumb|right|PRV (6852 kHz) under test]]<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
* [http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct? <sup>(2)</sup> <sup>(3)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp.17<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 156, September 2010, pp.17: <br />
# "PRV" was often reported during the past few months and was unid until Linkz submitted a link to websites about this station. Linkz writes: ''I have no idea if this station is legit or a pirate. It's operator is Eystathios Karastathis (SW6HMU) from Preveza, Greece. He writes on his blog "PRV - 6852 kHz 15w cw BEACON with Dipole Ant on the air 17.30 pm- 8.00 am". According to his blog there is also a MF beacon "PRV beacon 500-531 khz am/cw 400 Watt" and a local AM broadcasting station "Studio 421" on 1655 kHz”''.<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-03T12:08:37Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Reported High Frequency Beacons */ references</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
[[File:PRV-6852-001.jpg|thumb|right|PRV (6852 kHz) under test]]<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
* [http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct? <sup>(2)</sup> <sup>(3)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp.17<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/File:ColoradoBeaconQSL.pngFile:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png2011-04-03T04:15:41Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Summary */ avoid redirect</p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
QSL card from a [[High Frequency Beacon]] in Colorado, USA.<br />
<P><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]<br />
[[Category:Pirate Radio QSLs]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-03T04:13:48Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Description */ PRV beacon images</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
[[File:PRV-6852-001.jpg|thumb|right|PRV (6852 kHz) under test]]<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
* [http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct?<br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp.17<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/File:PRV-6852-002.jpgFile:PRV-6852-002.jpg2011-04-03T04:11:41Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: ==Summary==
PRV High Frequency Beacon on 6852 kHz
<P>
Category:Beacons
Category:Images</p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
PRV [[High Frequency Beacon]] on 6852 kHz<br />
<P><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]<br />
[[Category:Images]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/File:PRV-6852-001.jpgFile:PRV-6852-001.jpg2011-04-03T04:10:52Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: ==Summary==
PRV High Frequency Beacon on 6852 kHz
<P>
Category:Beacons
Category:Images</p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
PRV [[High Frequency Beacon]] on 6852 kHz<br />
<P><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]<br />
[[Category:Images]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-02T21:38:38Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Reported High Frequency Beacons */ superscript</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
[http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct?<br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp.17<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-02T21:38:05Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* References */ new section</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
[http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct?<br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia (1)<br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp.17<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-04-02T21:36:11Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Reported High Frequency Beacons */ S</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]<br />
'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.<br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.<br />
<br />
There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:<br />
[http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Freq (kHz) !! Station ID !! Location !! Operation Notes <br />
|-<br />
| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009) <br />
|-<br />
| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230<br />
|-<br />
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only<br />
|-<br />
| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video]) <br />
|-<br />
| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt <br />
|-<br />
| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole <br />
|-<br />
| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 4094.8</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs <br />
|-<br />
| 4096 || ......_|| VA || 6 dots 1 dash <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie') <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w <br />
|-<br />
| 4097.4 || KX || || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times. <br />
|-<br />
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits. <br />
|-<br />
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. <br />
|-<br />
| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.<br />
|-<br />
| 5157.6 || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7 <br />
|-<br />
| 5484 || SD || San Diego, CA || <br />
|-<br />
| 5499.13 || Dasher || WA || || <br />
|-<br />
| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker" <br />
|-<br />
| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW Dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky') <br />
|-<br />
| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy') <br />
|-<br />
| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k) <br />
|-<br />
| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]]) ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])<br />
|-<br />
| 6852 || PRV || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct?<br />
|-<br />
| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])<br />
|-<br />
| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]). <br />
|-<br />
| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado <br />
|-<br />
| 8211.7 || OR || ||<br />
|-<br />
| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500<br />
|-<br />
| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || <br />
|-<br />
| 8497.7 || Dasher || || Pike 26 26 dashes/min <br />
|-<br />
| 10236.7 || FL || || Dasher <br />
|-<br />
| 11002.7 || CO || Colorado || Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7<br />
|-<br />
| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia (1)<br />
|-<br />
| 14400.3 || UFO || Colorado ||<br />
|-<br />
|<s> 26600</s> || <s>Dasher</s> || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]<br />
* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
<br />
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]<br />
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Letter_beaconLetter beacon2011-04-02T09:43:49Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Location of letter beacons */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:LetterBeacon-D-5153 7 kHz.png|thumb|right|250px|Letter Beacon D on 5153.7 kHz]]<br />
"'''Letter beacons'''" are radio transmissions of uncertain origin, which consist of only a single repeating [[Morse Code]] letter.<br />
<br />
They are also often referred to as:<br />
* SLB, or "Single Letter Beacons"<br />
* SLHFB, or "Single Letter High Frequency Beacons"<br />
* SLHFM, or "Single Letter High Frequency Markers"<br />
* Cluster beacons<br />
* MX — an [[ENIGMA]] <sup>(1)</sup> and ENIGMA-2000 <sup>(2)</sup>designation.<br />
<br />
==Location of letter beacons==<br />
The letter beacon radio transmissions were discovered in the late 1960s but were known only to a few specialized [[DXing|DXer]]s. Their presence became known to the wider [[amateur radio]] community in 1978, when beacon “W” started transmitting on 3584&nbsp;kHz, in the 80 meters band. [[SPEEDX]] published indirect evidence that this particular transmitter was located in Cuba. <sup>(3)</sup><br />
<br />
In 1982 [[SPEEDX]] reported, supposedly on the basis of HF direction finding by the US military, that beacon “K” transmitting on 9043&nbsp;kHz was located at 48° 30' N - 134° 58' E, near the city of Khabarovsk in the USSR. <sup>(4), (5)</sup> A few years later, W. Orr, W6SAI, suggested that the "K" beacons were actually located at Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula and the "U" beacons were located at the Barents Sea coast, between Murmansk and Amderma. <sup>(6)</sup><br />
<br />
According to Schimmel, in 1986 the [[FCC]] released the following HF direction finding results for single letter beacons, all of which indicate locations in the USSR: <sup>(5)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| C<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| D<br />
| Odessa, UKR<br />
|-<br />
| O<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| S<br />
| Arkhangelsk, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| U<br />
| Between Murmansk & Amderma, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| Z<br />
| Mukachevo, UKR<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The link with the USSR and, more recently, Russia is further supported by the existence of single letter beacons transmitting letters existing only in the [[:Image:Rusian-CW.png|Cyrillic morse code alphabet]].<br />
<br />
The '''[[ENIGMA]] group''' also accepted these locations for cluster beacons "C", "D", "P" and "S", adding Vladivostok for beacon "F". <sup>(7)</sup><br />
A recent source (2006) regarding locations was published on the Web by [[Ary Boender]].<sup>(8)</sup> This publication also contains an extensive list of frequencies of letter beacons, both current and historical. The following locations are stated for cluster beacons:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter<br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| A<br />
| Astrakhan, RUS (tentative)<br />
|-<br />
| C<br />
| Moscow, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| D<br />
| Sevastopol, UKR<br />
|-<br />
| F<br />
| Vladivostok, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| K<br />
| Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| M<br />
| Magadan, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| S<br />
| Severomorsk, RUS<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
For solitary beacons and markers, Boender suggests these locations:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Location<br />
|-<br />
| L<br />
| Tirana, ALB (defunct)<br />
|-<br />
| R<br />
| Izhevsk (Ustinov), RUS<br />
|-<br />
| P<br />
| Kaliningrad, RUS<br />
|-<br />
| V<br />
| Khiva, UZB<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Transmissions of the "P" beacon in December 2007, even on medium frequency (420 and 583&nbsp;kHz) indicate the Russian Naval Base of Kaliningrad as a possible source. <sup>(9)</sup> Kaliningrad officially uses the ITU registered callsign '''RMP'''.<br />
<br />
==Types of letter beacons==<br />
The single letter beacons are currently classified in two groups, the "Cluster beacons" and the "Channel markers". A beacon "P" exists in both groups. A third group, the FSK beacons, is now extinct. The following sections list the beacons currently (July 2010) active, according to published listeners’ reports.<br />
<br />
===Cluster beacons===<br />
A group of radio beacons with single-letter identifiers ("C", "D", "M", "S", "P", "A", "M" and "K") have been regularly reported in small spectrum segments centered around 3594, 4558, 5154, 7039, 8495, 10872, 13528, 16332 and 20048 kHz. The term "cluster beacons" is frequently used for them, as these beacons transmit in parallel on frequencies only 0.1 kHz apart. These beacons transmit only their single-letter identifier in standard CW (A1A) using morse code.<br />
<br />
The following callsigns and frequencies of cluster beacons have been reported recently in [http://www.ary.luna.nl Numbers&Oddities newsletter], [[Utility DX Forum]] and [[ENIGMA2000|ENIGMA-2000]]:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter !! Channel<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''D''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.3<br />
| 3593.7, 4557.7, 5153.7, 7038.7, 8493.7, 10871.7, 13527.7, 16331.7, 20047.7<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''P''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.2<br />
| 3593.8, 4557.8, 5153.8, 7038.8, 8494.8, 10871.8, 13527.8, 16331.8, 20047.8<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''S''' <br />
| align="center" | -0.1<br />
| 3593.9, 4557.9, 5153.9, 7038.9, 8494.9, 10871.9, 13527.9, 16331.9, 20047.9<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''C''' <br />
| align="center" | 0.0<br />
| 3594.0, 4558.0, 5154.0, 7039.0, 8495.0, 10872.0, 13528.0, 16332.0, 20048.0<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''A''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.1<br />
| 3594.1, 4558.1, 5154.1, 7039.1, 8495.1, 10872.1 13528.1 16332.1 <sup>(10)</sup><br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''F''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.2<br />
| 7039.2, 10872.2, 16332.2<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''K''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.3<br />
| 5154.3, 7039.3, 8495.3, 16332.3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''M''' <br />
| align="center" | +0.4<br />
| 5154.4, 7039.4, 8495.4, 10872.4, 13528.4, 16332.4 <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Occasionally some cluster beacons (especially "F" and "M") have been reported transmitting on frequencies different from their regular channel for short periods.<br />
<br />
===Solitary beacons and channel markers===<br />
A second family of letter beacons includes those operating outside the clusters. For this reason they are often called "Solitary beacons" or "Solitaires". These beacons also transmit their single-letter identifier in standard CW (A1A) using morse code.<br />
<br />
A few solitary beacons, like "R" on 4325.9 and 5465.9&nbsp;kHz, operate exactly like the cluster beacons, sending only their single letter identifier. <br />
<br />
The majority of solitary beacons, however, and most notably "P" on various MF and HF frequencies, most of the time they are active transmit their single-letter identifier in morse code. However, sometimes the routine transmission is interrupted and brief messages are sent in fast morse code or in an FSK digital mode. Therefore, the proper term for these beacon-like single-letter transmissions is "channel markers" <sup>(6) (15)</sup>, as their purpose is to occupy and identify a particular HF transmission channel when no traffic is transmitted. There is no evidence that the cluster beacon "P" and the solitary beacon "P" are directly related. <br />
<br />
It was reported in Numbers and Oddities, issue 142, that beacon C on 8000 kHz also transmitted messages under the regular callsign '''RIW''', which is allocated to a Russian naval communicatios station in Khiva, Uzbekistan. <sup>(11)</sup><br />
<br />
There are also a few oddities, transmitting signals with poor modulation and irregular timing, like "V" on 5342 and 6430.7&nbsp;kHz.<br />
<br />
The following callsigns and frequencies of solitary beacons and markers have been reported recently in [http://www.ary.luna.nl Numbers&Oddities newsletter], [[Utility DX Forum]] and [[ENIGMA2000|ENIGMA-2000]]:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Regular callsign<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''R''' <br />
| align="center" |<br />
| 4325.9, 5465.9<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''V'''<br />
| align="center" | <br />
| 3658.0, 4108.0<sup>(18)</sup>, '''4150.0''', 5141.0, 5342, 6430.7, '''6498.0''', 6809, 7027.5, 8103.5, 10202<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''P''' <sup>(12)</sup><br />
| align="center" | '''RMP''' <br />
| 420, 448, 474, 490<sup>(17)</sup>, 583, <BR>3167, 3291, 3327, 3699.5, 3837, 4031, 4043, 4079<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''C'''<br />
| align="center" | '''RIW'''<br />
| 8000<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''L''' || || inactive<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''W''' || || inactive<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===FSK beacons===<br />
This group included the "K" and "U" beacons, which are no longer active. They transmitted their morse code single letter identification by shifting the frequency of the carrier by approximately 1000 Hz. This mode of "FSK-CW" has the [[ITU]] designation '''F1A'''. The use of FSK indicated that the transmitter was suitable for FSK data transmissions, like [[Radioteletype]].<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ID letter <br />
! Regular callsign<br />
! Frequencies (kHz) <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''K''' <br />
| align="center" |<br />
| 9043<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''U'''<br />
| align="center" | <br />
| <br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
==ENIGMA designation==<br />
<br />
ENIGMA devised a naming scheme for all stations in their sphere of interest. In the original scheme, the following identifications were issued to letter beacons: <sup>(13)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ENIGMA ID <br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MX'''<br />
| Cluster beacons<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXV'''<br />
| Irregular “V” beacons, not in clusters<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXS'''<br />
| Solitaires: letter beacons out of cluster bands<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXF'''<br />
| FSK beacons (K, U), no longer active in 1995<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enigma2000 ENIGMA-2000], the internet based ENIGMA successor group, revised the original ENIGMA designators. The current designations for letter beacons are the following (since 2007):<sup>(14)</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! ENIGMA ID <br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MX'''<br />
| Solitary HF single letter beacons<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXI'''<br />
| Single letter beacons in clusters<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXII'''<br />
| FSK beacons (K, U), no longer active<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXV'''<br />
| Irregular “V” transmissions<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXP'''<br />
| Letter beacons also sending messages<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXIII'''<br />
| (deleted, merged with MX)<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | '''MXIV'''<br />
| (deleted, merged with MX)<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Applications of letter beacons==<br />
The purpose of the letter beacons is not known yet with certainty. Many theories have appeared in specialized publications but none is based on documentary evidence. They have been postulated to be [[radio propagation beacon]]s, channel markers, used in tracking satellites, or used for civil defense purposes. <sup>(15)</sup> Some stations of this family, in particular the “U” beacon, have been implicated in deliberate [[Radio jamming|jamming]]. <sup>(16)</sup><br />
<br />
Today the [[radio propagation beacon]] theory is generally accepted for the cluster beacons. According to ENIGMA the cluster beacons are used by the Russian Navy (and especially the submarine branch) to find the most suitable radio frequency for contact based on current radio propagation conditions. <sup>(7)</sup><br />
<br />
Connolly also links "P" channel marker with communications facilities at the Russian naval base of Kaliningrad. <sup>(9)</sup> "P" transmissions carrying Russian Navy "XXX" (flash priority) morse code messages with callsigns '''RPM''' and '''RDL''' further support this view.<br />
<br />
==Similar systems==<br />
[[Image:QSL-C-300.png|thumb|right|QSL card from a USCG beacon with signle letter ID]]<br />
A few aero navigation [[Radio beacon#Radio navigation beacons|Non Directional Beacons]] (NDBs) and marine beacons also transmit single letter identification codes. They can be easily distinguished from Letter beacons as they transmit in the allocated low frequency and medium frequency bands, most of them are listed in appropriate aviation handbooks and their transmission mode is A2A (full carrier with audio modulation).<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Spy Numbers Stations]]<br />
* [[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
* [[ENIGMA]]<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]]<br />
<br />
==Notes & References==<br />
# ''E.N.I.G.M.A.'' stands for "European Numbers Information Gathering and Monitoring Association". It was a unique association of radio listeners based in the United Kingdom and operated during the 1990’s. <br />
# [http://www.apul64.dsl.pipex.com/enigma2000/ ENIGMA-2000] is an internet based community with the same general interests as the old ENIGMA association and with wider coverage of general Intelligence matters. This group produces a regular newsletter and maintains the old ENIGMA station naming scheme. ENIGMA-2000 shows less interest in letter beacons than its predecessor.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984, page=K1.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984, page=K7-K10.<br />
# Schimmel, D.W.: "The underground frequency guide", HighText Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878707-17-5, 1994, pages=78–83.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 1: The K- and U-Beacons, The Search Goes On", ''[[Popular Communications]]'', ISSN 0733-3315, December 1984, pages 28-31.<br />
# "Station News", ENIGMA Newsletter, issue 18, January 2008, page 15.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Channel Markers & Cluster Beacons", http://home.luna.nl/~ary/chmarker.htm , September 2006. <br />
# Robert Connolly: "Maritime matters: Why we hear more signals from the Russian Navy?", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, PW Publishing Ltd, Issue 3.1, January 2008, page 32.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 135, http://www.ary.luna.nl/2008.zip , December 2008.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 142, http://www.ary.luna.nl/no142.zip , July 2009.<br />
# Some transmission are in FSK morse code (F1A) instead of CW (A1A), but other beacon characteristics classify it as a solitary "P" beacon.<br />
# "Station Naming", ENIGMA Newsletter, issue 7, January 1995<br />
# ENIGMA Control List, Number 23, ENIGMA-2000, October 2007, http://www.ominous-valve.com/ecl23.pdf<br />
# Poundstone Willian: "Big Secrets", Quill, New York, 1983, ISBN 0688048307, pages 191-193<br />
# Pleikys Rimantas: Jamming, Rimantas Pleikys, Vilnius 1998, http://www.zilionis.com/jamming/jamminge.htm<br />
# Robert Connolly: "DGPS, Single Letter Beacons and NDB changes", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, PW Publishing Ltd, Issue 5.10, October 2010, page 49.<br />
# Ary Boender: "Numbers & Oddities" issue 159, http://www.numbersoddities.nl/n&o-159.pdf, December 2010.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
# Schimmel, D.W.: "The underground frequency guide", HighText Publications, Inc., ISBN 1-878707-17-5, 1994.<br />
# Harry L. Helms, W5HLH: How to tune the secret shortwave spectrum, Tab Books, Inc., ISBN 0-8306-1185-1, 1981, pages=141–143.<br />
# "SLHFB (Single letter high frequency beacons)", ''The SPEEDX reference guide to the Utilities'', SPEEDX, 1984.<br />
# [http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/spooks Spooks] mailing list. <br />
# [http://www.ary.luna.nl/ Numbers and Oddities]: Ary Boender compiles this monthly bulletin with reception reports of various mysterious transmissions and makes it available for download at his personal web site.<br />
# Mike G.: "Single letter cluster beacons", ENIGMA Newsletter #14, January 1998, pages 31-33.<br />
# Simon Mason: "New revelations about single letter transmissions (MX)", ENIGMA Newsletter #16, January 1999, pages 39-40.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 1: The K- and U-Beacons, The Search Goes On", ''[[Popular Communications]]'',CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, December 1984, pages 28-31.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "Those Mysterious High Frequency Single-Letter Beacons (SLBs); Part 2: The Cluster Beacons – A Soviet Riddle!", ''[[Popular Communications]]'',CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, January 1985, pages 22-24.<br />
# William I. Orr, W6SAI: "TThe Cluster Beacons Revisited; An Inside Look at Nine Puzzling Channels", ''[[Popular Communications]]'', CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 0733-3315, February 1985, pages 38-40.<br />
# Enigma Control List [http://www.ominous-valve.com/enigma.txt], Enigma-2000, May 2005.<br />
# Fritz Nusser: "[http://www.astrosol.ch/networksofthecisforces/navymorsenetworks/beaconsandclusterbeacons/index.html Channel Markers and Cluster Beacons]", ''[http://www.astrosol.ch/index.html Fascinatning Shortwaves]'' (2001-2009)<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Letter_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Radio_beaconRadio beacon2011-03-31T12:37:48Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* ILS marker beacons */ improvement</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:DK0WCY-station.jpg|thumb|right|DARC beacons DRA5 and DK0WCY]]<br />
A '''radio beacon''' is a transmitter at a known location, which transmits a continuous or periodic radio signal with limited information content (for example its identification or location), on a specified radio frequency. Occasionally the beacon function is combined with some other transmission, like [[telemetry]] data or meteorological information.<br />
<br />
Radio beacons have many applications, including air and sea navigation, propagation research, robotic mapping and radio frequency identification (RFID).<br />
<br />
==Radio navigation beacons ==<br />
[[Image:QSL-AV-358.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A QSL card from an NDB located on an oil platform in the North Sea]]<br />
A most basic aviation radio navigational aid is the '''NDB''' or Non-directional Beacon. NDBs are simple low frequency and medium frequency transmitters and they are used to locate airways intersections, airports and to conduct instrument approaches, with the use of a radio direction finder located on the aircraft. The aviation NDBs, especially the ones marking airways intersections, are gradually decommissioned, as they are replaced with other navigational aids based on newer technologies. Due to relatively low purchase, maintenance and calibration cost, they are still used to mark locations of smaller aerodromes and important helicopter landing sites.<br />
<br />
There are also marine beacons, based on the same techonlogy and installed at coastal areas, for use by ships at sea.<sup>(1)</sup> Most of them, especially in the western world, are no longer in service, while some have been converted to [[telemetry]] transmitters for [[differential GPS]]. Chains of radio navigation beacons for marine use are still active around the Russian and Ukrainian coastline.<sup>(2)</sup><br />
<br />
===NDB technical===<br />
<br />
NDBs typically operate in the frequency range from 190 kHz to 535&nbsp;kHz (although they are allocated frequencies from 190 to 1750&nbsp;kHz) and transmit a carrier modulated by either 400 or 1020&nbsp;Hz. NDBs can also be colocated with DME stations and ILS marker beacons. NDB owners are mostly governmental agencies and airport authorities.<br />
<br />
Antennas are of vertical polarization, either lattice towers with a "top hat" or T-like wire antennas supported between two masts. NDB antennas incorporate a segment that consists of an variable inductor or [[variometer]] and a variable capacitor in series, "tuned" to the particular frequency or frequencies assigned to that antenna. NDB's tuned segment is part of the antenna itself. There is often an electrical counterpoise, in the form of copper wires or wire mesh buried in the ground underneath the antenna.<br />
<br />
===Monitoring NDBs===<br />
[[Image:QSL-C-300.png|thumb|right|200px|A PFC QSL card from an NDB]]<br />
Besides their use in aircraft navigation, aero NDBs and marine radio beacons are also popular with [[DXing|DXers]]. Because NDBs are generally low-power (usually 25 watts), they normally cannot be heard over long distances, but favorable conditions in the [[ionosphere]] can allow NDB signals to travel much farther than normal. Because of this, radio DXers interested in picking up distant signals enjoy listening to faraway NDBs. Also, since the band allocated to NDBs is free of broadcast stations and their associated interference, and because most NDBs do little more than transmit their Morse Code callsign, they are very easy to identify, making NDB monitoring a very entertaining niche within the [[DXing]] hobby.<br />
<br />
In North America, the NDB band is from 190 to 435&nbsp;kHz and from 510 to 530&nbsp;kHz. In Europe, there is a longwave broadcasting band from 150 to 280&nbsp;kHz, so the European NDB band is from 280&nbsp;kHz to 530&nbsp;kHz with a gap between 495 and 505&nbsp;kHz because 500 kHz was the international maritime distress (emergency) frequency.<br />
<br />
The beacons that are between 510&nbsp;kHz and 530&nbsp;kHz can sometimes be heard on AM radios that can tune below the beginning of the AM broadcast band. (For example, the "HEH" beacon in Newark, OH at 524&nbsp;kHz is within the bandwidth of most AM radios, and the "OS" beacon in Columbus, OH at 515&nbsp;kHz can also be heard on some AM radios). Some beacons can also be heard on 530&nbsp;kHz, although from the adjacent frequencies such as "LYQ" at 529&nbsp;kHz in Manchester, TN but for the most part, reception of NDBs requires a radio receiver that can receive frequencies below 530&nbsp;kHz (the longwave band). Many so-called "shortwave" radios can receive all frequencies from 150&nbsp;kHz to 30&nbsp;MHz, which makes them ideal for listening to NDBs. Whilst this type of receiver is adequate for reception of local beacons, specialized techniques (receiver preselectors, noise limiters and filters) are required for the reception of very weak signals from remote beacons.<sup>(9)</sup><br />
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The best time for NDB DXing is the last three hours before sunrise. Reception of NDBs is also usually best during the fall and winter because during the spring and summer, there is more atmospheric noise on the LF and MF bands.<br />
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==ILS marker beacons==<br />
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A '''marker beacon''' is a specialized beacon used in aviation in conjunction with an instrument landing system (ILS), to give pilots a means to determine distance to the runway. Marker beacons transmit upwards using beam antennas on the dedicated frequency of 75.0&nbsp;MHz. ILS marker beacons are gradually phased-out and most new ILS installations have no marker beacons.<br />
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==Radio propagation beacons==<br />
See ''[[Radio propagation beacon]]''<br />
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A '''radio propagation beacon''' is specifically used to study the propagation of radio signals. Nearly all of them are part of the [[amateur radio]] service.<br />
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==Single letter HF beacons==<br />
See: ''[[Letter beacon]]''<br />
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A group of mysterious radio beacons with single-letter identifiers ("C", "D", "M", "S", "P", etc) transmitting in morse code have been regularly reported on various HF frequencies. There is no official information available about these transmitters and they are not registered with the [[ITU]]. Some investigators suggest that some of these beacons (the so called "cluster beacons") are actually [[radio propagation beacon]]s for naval use.<br />
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==Space and satellite radio beacons==<br />
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Beacons are also used in both geostationary and inclined orbit satellites. Any satellite will emit one or more beacons (normally on fixed frequencies) whose purpose is twofold; as well as containing modulated houskeeping information (telemetry), the beacons are also used to locate the satellite (determine its azimuth and elevation) in the sky. Many satellites transmit two distinct beacons, the ''general beacon'', which transmits limited information in CW or FSK and is used for locating and identifying the satellite and the ''engineering beacon'', which transmits telemetry data in FSK or PSK.<br />
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An S-band radio beacon was left on the moon by the Apollo 17 mission, transmitting FSK telemetry on 2276.0&nbsp;MHz.<sup>(3)</sup><br />
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==Driftnet buoy radio beacons==<br />
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Driftnet radio buoys are extensively used by fishing boats operating in open seas and oceans.<sup>(4)</sup> They are useful for collecting long fishing lines or fishing nets, with the assistance of a [[radio direction finder]]. According to product information released by manufacturer [http://www.radiobuoy.com/index.html Kato Electronics Co, Ltd.], these buoys transmit on 1600–2850&nbsp;kHz with a power of 4-15 W.<br />
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Some types of driftnet buoys, called "SelCall buoys", answer only when they are called by their own ships. Using this technique the buoy prevents nets and fishing gears from being carried away by other ships, while the battery power consumption remains low.<sup>(5)</sup><br />
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==Distress radiobeacons==<br />
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Distress radiobeacons, also collectively known as '''distress beacons''', '''emergency beacons''', or simply, '''beacons''', are those tracking transmitters that operate as part of the international Cospas-Sarsat Search and Rescue satellite system. When activated, these beacons send out a distress signal that, when detected by geostationary|non-geostationary satellites, can be located by triangulation. In the case of 406&nbsp;MHz beacons which transmit digital signals, the beacons can be uniquely identified almost instantly (via GEOSAR). Furthermore, a GPS position can be encoded into the signal, thus providing both instantaneous identification & position. Distress signals from the beacons are homed by Search and Rescue (SAR) aircraft and ground search parties who can in turn come to the aid of the concerned boat, aircraft, and/or persons.<br />
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There are three kinds of distress radiobeacons:<br />
* '''EPIRB''' (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) used for maritime distress,<br />
* '''ELT''' (Emergency Locator Transmitters) signal aircraft distress<br />
* '''PLB''' (Personal Locator Beacons) are for personal use and are intended to indicate a person in distress who is away from normal emergency response capabilities (i.e. 911)<br />
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The basic purpose of distress radiobeacons is to get people rescued within the the first 24 hours following an accident, when the majority of survivors can still be saved [http://www1.va.gov/emshg/apps/kml/docs/CERT_Manual.pdf].<br />
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==IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi beacons==<br />
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In the field of Wi-Fi (wireless local area networks using the IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g specification), the term ''beacon'' signifies a specific data transmission from the wireless access point (AP), which carries the SSID, the channel number and security protocols such as WEP (Wired Equivalent Protection) or WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). This transmission does not contain the link layer address of another Wi-Fi device, therefore it can be received by any LAN client. <sup>(6)</sup><br />
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==AX.25 packet radio beacons==<br />
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Stations participating in packet radio networks based on the [[AX.25]] link layer protocol also use beacon transmissions to identify themselves and broadcast brief information about operational status. The beacon transmissions use special '''UI''' or ''Unnumbered Information'' frames, which are not part of a connection and can be displayed by any station. <sup>(7)</sup> <sup>(8)</sup> Beacons in traditional AX.25 amateur packet radio networks contain free format information text, readable by human operators.<br />
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This mode of AX.25 operation, using a formal machine-readable beacon text specification developed by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, became the basis of the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) networks.<br />
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==References==<br />
# Appleyard, S.F., Linford, R.S. and Yarwood, P.J.: "Marine Electronic Navigation", 2nd edition, Routledge & Kegan Paul, ISBN 0-7102-1271-2, pp. 68–69, 1988.<br />
# Connolly, R.: "Navigation Beacons", ''Radio & Communications Monitoring Monthly'', '''3'''(4), ISSN 179-7809, p. 58, April 2008.<br />
# Jessop, G.R., G6JP: "VHF-UHF manual" (4th ed), [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], ISBN 0-900612-63-0, page 2.19, 1983.<br />
# [http://www.wpcouncil.org/documents/pel_met2.pdf Pelagic Fishing Methods in the Pacific], Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.<br />
# Robert Connolly: "Greyline DXing, Fishing NDBs and NOTAM software", ''Radio User'', '''5'''(6), pages 35–36, ISSN 1748-8117, June 2010.<br />
# IEEE: "Local and metropolitan area networks — Specific requirements — Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications: Higher-Speed Physical Layer Extension in the 2.4 GHz Band (IEEE Std 802.11b-1999)", ''Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers'', p. 2, 2003.<br />
# [http://www.tapr.org/pdf/AX25.2.2.pdf AX.25 Link Access Protocol for Amateur Packet Radio]<br />
# Terry L. Fox, WB4JFI: "AX.25 Amateur Packet-Radio Link-Layer Protocol, Version 2.0", ''The [[American Radio Relay League]]'', Newington, CT, ISBN 0-87259-011-9, p. 18, 1984.<br />
# Remington, S., KH6SR: "[http://pe2bz.philpem.me.uk/Comm/-%20ELF-VLF/-%20Info/A-107-Art-of-NDB-DXing/index.htm On the Art of NDB DXing]", ''The Longwave Club of America'', 1987-1989<br />
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== See also==<br />
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* [[Letter beacon]]<br />
* [[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]]<br />
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==Further reading==<br />
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* Klawitter, G.: "Funk-Baken und Indikatorstationen" (in German), Siebel Verlag, ISBN 3-89632-055-6 (2001)<br />
* [http://www.ndblist.info/index.htm NDB list website] by Alan Gale, G4TMV<br />
* Godfrey Manning: "Sky High: ADF and NDBs", ''[[Radio User]]'', '''2'''(12), pp. 25, ISSN 1748-8117, December 2007 <br />
* Godfrey Manning: "Sky High: NDB/ADF", ''Radio User'', '''3'''(1), PW Publishing Ltd, ISSN 1748-8117, pages=24–25, January 2008.<br />
* The WiFi Alliance: [http://www.wi-fi.org/files/wp_6_WPA%20Deployment%20for%20Public%20Access_10-28-04.pdf WPA deployment for public access], 2004.<br />
* [http://www.wi-fi.org/files/kc_25_Five%20Steps%20to%20Creating%20a%20Wireless%20Network.pdf Five steps to creating a Wireless Network]<br />
* Sheldon Remington, NI6E (ex KH6SR): "[http://pe2bz.philpem.me.uk/Comm/-%20ELF-VLF/-%20Info/A-107-Art-of-NDB-DXing/index.htm On the Art of NDB DXing]", ''The Lowdown'', 1987-1988.<br />
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{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Electric_beacon}}<br />
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[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2