https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&feed=atom&limit=50&target=Strange+Attractor+2HFUnderground - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T00:30:57ZFrom 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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==ILS marker beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Radio propagation beacons==<br />
See ''[[Radio propagation beacon]]''<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Single letter HF beacons==<br />
See: ''[[Letter beacon]]''<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Space and satellite radio beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Driftnet buoy radio beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Distress radiobeacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==AX.25 packet radio beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==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 />
<br />
== See also==<br />
<br />
* [[Letter beacon]]<br />
* [[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]]<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
<br />
* 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 />
<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Electric_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/SV1TESTSV1TEST2011-03-30T14:06:26Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* External links */ new link</p>
<hr />
<div>The mysterious SV1TEST [[High Frequency Beacon]], presumably located in a suburb of Athens, Greece, now<br />
transmits on 6815.3 kHz and 3810.0 kHz with simulkeying in slow<br />
morse code.<br />
<br />
Frequency stability on 6815.3 kHz is poor, with dots and<br />
dashes sent on two different frequencies, about 80 Hz apart.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
<br />
* [http://sv1test.blogspot.com SV1TEST beacon blog]<br />
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/g7ahn/5430389996/ Spectrum display (Flickr)]<br />
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video] <br />
* [http://www.vhfdx.info/callbook/info.php?Callsign=SV1TEST SV1TEST entry in VHF-DX database]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/File:69BY-beacon.jpgFile:69BY-beacon.jpg2011-03-30T03:37:06Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Summary */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
Pirate HF [[radio beacon]] 69BY, on 27610 kHz, in Alajuela, Costa Rica.<br />
<P><br />
<br />
[[Category:Images]]<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/File:ColoradoBeaconQSL.pngFile:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png2011-03-30T03:36:22Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Summary */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Summary==<br />
QSL card from a [[High Frequency Beacons|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/Letter_beaconLetter beacon2011-03-29T20:40:06Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Solitary beacons and channel markers */ V active on 4150</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/Letter_beaconLetter beacon2011-03-27T19:46:52Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Solitary beacons and channel markers */ defunct solitaires</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/Letter_beaconLetter beacon2011-03-27T19:42:13Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Solitary beacons and channel markers */ style</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 (September 2007 to September 2009) 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 />
|}<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/Letter_beaconLetter beacon2011-03-27T18:20:34Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Cluster beacons */ F on 10.8 MHz</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 all of them 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 (September 2007 to September 2009) 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 />
|}<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/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-03-26T06:56:31Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Reported High Frequency Beacons */</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 />
| 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/HiFERHiFER2011-03-25T20:59:22Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* External links */ NC beacon page</p>
<hr />
<div>A '''HiFER''' is a shortwave [[radio beacon]] station, run by a hobbyist under [[FCC]] [[Part 15]] rules (or other appropriate rules for stations outside of the USA). <br />
<br />
FCC regulations part 15.225 allow operation in the 13.553-13.567&nbsp;MHz range with a field strength of 10,000 μV/m measured at a distance of 30 meters. This works out to a little under 2 mW into a 1/2 wave [[dipole]] antenna.<br />
<br />
Related hobbyist beacon bands are [[LowFER]] on longwave (LW) and [[MedFER]] on mediumwave (MW), at the edges of the AM broadcast band.<br />
<br />
In addition to legal beacon stations, there are also many hobbyist run beacons which are not legal under government regulations. These are commonly referred to as ''[[High Frequency Beacon]]s'' or ''Pirate Beacons''.<br />
<br />
<br />
==FCC rules==<br />
<br />
===15.225 Operation within the band 13.553-13.567 MHz===<br />
<br />
(a) The field strength of any emissions within this band shall not exceed 10,000 microvolts/meter at 30 meters.<br />
<br />
(b) The field strength of any emissions appearing outside of this band shall not exceed the general radiated emission limits shown in 15.209.<br />
<br />
(c) The frequency tolerance of the carrier signal shall be maintained within +/- 0.01% of the operating frequency over a temperature variation of -20 degrees to +50 degrees C at normal supply voltage, and for a variation in the primary supply voltage from 85% to 115% of the rated supply voltage at a temperature of 20 degrees C. For battery operated equipment, the equipment tests shall be performed using a new battery.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.lwca.org/sitepage/part15/mfmain.htm MedFER/HiFER list] from the Longwave Club of America (LWCA)<br />
* [http://www.w4dex.com/HiFer.htm "NC" Hi-Frequency Beacon] by Joe Dexter McIntyre, W4DEX<br />
<br />
[[Category: Radio esoterica]]<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/SV1TESTSV1TEST2011-03-25T05:28:13Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: Location</p>
<hr />
<div>The mysterious SV1TEST [[High Frequency Beacon]], presumably located in a suburb of Athens, Greece, now<br />
transmits on 6815.3 kHz and 3810.0 kHz with simulkeying in slow<br />
morse code.<br />
<br />
Frequency stability on 6815.3 kHz is poor, with dots and<br />
dashes sent on two different frequencies, about 80 Hz apart.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/g7ahn/5430389996/ Spectrum display (Flickr)]<br />
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video] <br />
* [http://www.vhfdx.info/callbook/info.php?Callsign=SV1TEST SV1TEST entry in VHF-DX database]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-03-25T05:27:14Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Reported High Frequency Beacons */ SV1TEST locator</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 || WA || || Dasher <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 />
| 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/SV1TESTSV1TEST2011-03-25T05:25:30Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* External links */ VHF-DX</p>
<hr />
<div>The mysterious SV1TEST [[High Frequency Beacon]], presumably located in Greece, now<br />
transmits on 6815.3 kHz and 3810.0 kHz with simulkeying in slow<br />
morse code.<br />
<br />
Frequency stability on 6815.3 kHz is poor, with dots and<br />
dashes sent on two different frequencies, about 80 Hz apart.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/g7ahn/5430389996/ Spectrum display (Flickr)]<br />
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video] <br />
* [http://www.vhfdx.info/callbook/info.php?Callsign=SV1TEST SV1TEST entry in VHF-DX database]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Radio_propagation_beaconRadio propagation beacon2011-03-24T07:11:25Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* 30 meters beacons */ new section</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:DK0WCY-station.jpg|thumb|right|DK0WCY & DRA5 beacons]]<br />
A '''radio propagation beacon''' is a [[radio beacon]], which is used for investigating the propagation of radio signals. Most radio propagation beacons use [[amateur radio]] frequencies. They can be found on HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave frequencies. Microwave beacons are also used as signal sources to test and calibrate antennas and receivers.<sup>[1]</sup> <sup>[2]</sup><br />
<br />
==Transmission characteristics==<br />
<br />
Most beacons operate in continuous wave (CW or A1A) and transmit their identification (callsign and location). Some of them send long dashes to facilitate signal strength measurement. A small number of beacons transmit Morse code by frequency shift keying (F1A). A few beacons transmit signals in digital modulation modes, like [[RTTY|radioteletype]] (F1B) and [[PSK31]] (G1B).<br />
<br />
FT-897, a budget HF tranceiver produced by Yaesu/Vertex, has a programmable beacon mode and is used in some temporary propagation beacon installations.<br />
<br />
==160 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
The IARU Region 2 (North and South America) bandplan reserves the range 1999&nbsp;kHz to 2000&nbsp;kHz for propagation beacons.<br />
<br />
==60 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
In addition to the DARC and RSBG beacon projects on 5195 and 5290 kHz (see below), Eddie Bellerby of [[UDXF]] discovered in March 2011 a new CW beacon on 5206 kHz, sending LX0HF, presumably from Luxembourg.<sup>[13]</sup> Further intelligence indicates that the beacon is operated by Philippe LX2A/LX7I of the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Society.<sup>[14]</sup> Two more european beacons are listed on 5 MHz, OV1BCN on 5290 kHz, operated by OZ1FJB and OK1IF on 5258.5 kHz from the Czech Republic, though their current status is unclear.<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Callsign !! Frequency !! Locator !! Details<br />
|-<br />
| DRA5 || 5195.0 kHz || JO44VQ || DARC<br />
|-<br />
| LX0HF || 5205.3 kHz || ||<br />
|-<br />
| OK1IF || 5258.5 kHz || JO40HG || Recording: [http://ok1if.c-a-v.com/5MHzOK/OK4AS.WAV]<br />
|-<br />
| GB3RAL || 5290.0 kHz || IO91IN || RSGB <br />
|-<br />
| GB3WES || 5290.0 kHz || IO84QN || RSGB<br />
|-<br />
| GB3ORK || 5290.0 kHz || IO89JA || RSGB<br />
|-<br />
| OV1BCN || 5290.0 kHz || JO55SI || Op OZ1FJB [http://oz1fjb.dk/page_1269782382686.html]<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==30 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Callsign !! Frequency !! Locator !! Details<br />
|-<br />
| DK0WCY || 10144.0 kHz || JO44VQ || DARC<br />
|-<br />
| IK3NWX || 10137.3 kHz || JN55VF || nr Monselice, PD 15m asl<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==10 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
Most HF radio propagation beacons are found in the 10 meters (28&nbsp;MHz) frequency band, where they are good indicators of Sporadic E ionospheric propagation. According to IARU bandplans, the following 28&nbsp;MHz frequencies are allocated to radio propagation beacons:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! IARU Region<br />
! Beacon allocations<br />
|-<br />
| R1<br />
|<br />
* 28190-28199 Regional Time Shared<br />
* 28199-28201 WW Time Shared<br />
* 28201-28225 Continuous Duty<br />
|-<br />
| R2<sup>[3]</sup><br />
|<br />
* 28190-28199 Regional Time Shared<br />
* 28199-28201 IBP/NCDXF<br />
* 28201-28225 Beacons, continuous duty<br />
* 28225-28300 Shared<br />
|-<br />
| R3<br />
|<br />
* 28190-28200 IBP<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==40 MHz beacons==<br />
* The first radio propagation beacon on 40 MHz was OZ7IGY in Jystrup, Denmark (JO55WM) and transmits on 40021 kHz. Transmitted power is 22 W to a dipole antenna. Modulation is F1A keying (frequency Shift Keying), with a shift of 250 Hz. [http://www.oz7igy.dk/]<br />
* The [[Radio Society of Great Britain]] has a license for beacon transmissions from GB3RAL (Didcot, UK) on 40050 & 60050&nbsp;kHz.<br />
<br />
==6 meters (50 MHz) beacons==<br />
[[Image:LX0FOUR antenna.jpg|thumb|right|Antenna tower of LX0SIX and LX0FOUR beacons]]<br />
In the 6 meters (50&nbsp;MHz) band, beacons operate in the lower part of the band, in the range 50000&nbsp;kHz to 50080&nbsp;kHz. The ARRL bandplan recommends 50060&nbsp; to 50080&nbsp;kHz for beacons in the United States. Due to unpredictable and intermittent long distance propagation, usually achieved by a combination of ionospheric conditions, beacons are very important in providing early warning for 50&nbsp;MHz openings.<br />
<br />
==4 meters (70 MHz) beacons==<br />
<br />
===General beacon operations===<br />
Numerous beacons operate on 70 MHz in recent years. Their main purrpose is to dected the relativley rare and extreme Es (sporadic E) opennings, which exceed 70 MHz.<br />
<br />
There is no definite international beacon allocation, due to various countries having different [[amateur radio]] allocations in this band. Generally beacons operate near the bottom end (70.000-70.100 MHz).<sup>(11) (12)</sup>. Most respect the [[RSGB]] bandplan, staying below 70.050 MHz.<br />
<br />
* 70.000-70.050 MHz: UK beacon allocation, including personal beacons on 70.030 MHz<br />
<br />
===Special beacon allocations===<br />
* USA: 70.005 MHz is allocated to the WE9XFT beacon. Transmits from Bedford, VA, under an FCC experimental license issued to Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, with a power of 3 kW.<br />
* Austria: 70.045 MHz is allocated to the OE5QL beacon.<br />
* Hong Kong: 71.757 MHz is allocated to the VR2FOUR beacon.<br />
<br />
==VHF/UHF beacons==<br />
[[Image:GB3VHF-rack.jpg|thumb|right|GB3VHF propagation beacon (144 MHz)]]<br />
Beacons on 144&nbsp;MHz and higher frequencies are mainly used to identify tropospheric radio propagation openings. It is not uncommon for VHF and UHF beacons to use directional antennas. Frequency allocations for beacons on VHF and UHF bands vary widely in different ITU/IARU regions and countries. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Band<br />
! colspan="3" | Beacon Sub-band (MHz)<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! R1<br />
! R2<br />
! R3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 2&nbsp;m<br />
| align="center" | 144.400-144.490<br />
| align="center" | 144.275–144.300<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 1.25&nbsp;m<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
| align="center" | 222.050–222.060<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 70&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 432.800-432.990<br />
| align="center" | 432.300–432.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 33&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
| align="center" | Varies Locally<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 23&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 1,296.800-1,296.990<br />
| align="center" | 1,296.070-1,296.080<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 13&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 2,320.800-2,320.990<br />
| align="center" | 2,304.300-2,304.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The current allocation in the United Kingdom, which also reflects IARU Region 1 recommendations, is the following:<sup>[4]</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Band<br />
! Beacon allocation (kHz)<br />
|-<br />
| 4 m<br />
| 70,000-70,030<br />
|-<br />
| 2 m<br />
| 144,400-144,490<br />
|-<br />
| 70&nbsp;cm<br />
| 432,800-432,990<br />
|-<br />
| 23&nbsp;cm<br />
| 1296,800-1296,990<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==SHF and microwave beacons==<br />
<br />
In addition to identifying propagation, microwave beacons are also used as signal sources to test and calibrate antennas and receivers. SHF beacons are not as common as beacons on the lower bands, and beacons above the 3 cm (10 GHz) band are unusual.<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Band<br />
! colspan="3" | Beacon Sub-band (MHz)<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! R1<br />
! R2<br />
! R3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 9&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 3,400.800-3,400.995<br />
| align="center" | 3,456.300-3,456.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 5&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 5,760.800-5,760.995<br />
| align="center" | 5,760.300-5,760.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 3&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 10,368.800-10,368.995<br />
| align="center" | 10,368.300-10,368.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 1.2&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" colspan="3"| Beacons are rare<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Beacon projects==<br />
<br />
Most radio propagation beacons are operated by individual radio amateurs or amateur radio societies and clubs. As a result, there are frequent additions and deletions to the lists of beacons. There are, however a few major projects coordinated by organizations like the [[International Telecommunications Union]] and the International Amateur Radio Union.<br />
<br />
===IARU Beacon Project===<br />
[[Image:IARU.gif|left|50px|url="http://www.darc.de"]]<br />
The International Beacon Project (IBP), which is coordinated by the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), consists of 18 HF propagation beacons worldwide, which transmit in turns on 14100&nbsp;kHz, 18110&nbsp;kHz, 21150&nbsp;kHz, 24930&nbsp;kHz, and 28200&nbsp;kHz. <sup>[5]</sup> The IARU/NDXF beacons transmit in turns on the five designated frequencies according to the following schedule, which repeats every 3 minutes:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF" <br />
! Slot !! DXCC entity !! Call !! Location !! Latitude !! Longitude !! Grid Sq !! 14100 !! 18110 !! 21150 !! 24930 !! 28200 !! Operator<br />
|- <br />
| 01 || United Nations || 4U1UN || New York City || 40º 45' N || 73º 58' W || FN3ØAS || 00.00 || 00.10 || 00.20 || 00.30 || 00.40 || UNRC<br />
|-<br />
| 02 || Canada || VE8AT ||Eureka, Nunavut || 79º 59' N || 85º 57' W || EQ79AX || 00.10 || 00.20 || 00.30 || 00.40 || 00.50 || RAC<br />
|-<br />
| 03 || United States || W6WX || Mt. Umunhum || 37º 09' N || 121º 54' W || CM97BD || 00:20 || 00.30 || 00:40 || 00.50 || 01:00 || NCDXF<br />
|-<br />
| 04 || Hawaii || KH6WO || Laie || 21º 38' N || 157º 55' W || BL11AP || 00.30 || 00.40 || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || (Off)<br />
|-<br />
| 05 || New Zealand || ZL6B || Masterton || 41º 03' S || 175º 36' E || RE78TW || 00.40 || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || NZART<br />
|-<br />
| 06 || Australia || VK6RBP || Rolystone || 32º 06' S || 116º 03' E || OF87AV || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || WIA<br />
|-<br />
| 07 || Japan || JA2IGY || Mt. Asama || 34º 27' N || 136º 47' E || PM84JK || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || JARL<br />
|-<br />
| 08 || Russia || RR9O || Novosibirsk || 54º 59' N || 82º 54' E || NO14KX || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || SRR<br />
|-<br />
| 09 || Hong Kong || VR2B || Hong Kong || 22º 16' N || 114º 09' E || OL72BG || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || 02.00 || HARTS<br />
|-<br />
| 10 || Sri Lanka || 4S7B || Colombo || 6º 6' N || 80º 13' E || NJ06CC || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || 02.00 || 02.10 || RSSL<br />
|-<br />
| 11 || South Africa || ZS6DN || Pretoria || 25º 54' S || 28º 16' E || KG44DC || 01:40 || 01.50 || 02:00 || 02:10 || 02:20 || ZS6DN<br />
|-<br />
| 12 || Kenya || 5Z4B || Kariobangi || 1º 15' S || 36º 53' E || KI88KS || 01.50 || 02.00 || 02.10 || 02.20 || 02.30 || ARSC<br />
|-<br />
| 13 || Israel || 4X6TU || Tel Aviv || 32º 03' N || 34º 46' E || KM72JB || 02:00 || 02:10 || 02:20 || 02.30 || 02:40 || IARC<br />
|-<br />
| 14 || Finland || OH2B || Lohja || 60º 19' N || 24º 50' E || KP2Ø || 02:10 || 02:20 || 02:30 || 02:40 || 02:50 || SRAL<br />
|-<br />
| 15 || Madeira || CS3B || Santo da Serra || 32º 43' N || 16º 48' W || IM12OR || 02.20 || 02.30 || 02.40 || 02.50 || 00.00 || ARRM <br />
|-<br />
| 16 || Argentina || LU4AA || Buenos Aires || 34º 37' S || 58º 21' W || GFØ5TJ || 02:30 || 02:40 || 02:50 || 00.00 || 00:10 || ARC<br />
|-<br />
| 17 || Peru || OA4B || Lima || 12º 04' S || 76º 57' W || FH17MW || 02.40 || 02.50 || 00.00 || 00.10 || 00.20 || RCP<br />
|-<br />
| 18 || Venezuela || YV5B || Caracas || 10º 25' N || 66º 51' W || FK6ØNJ || 02:50 || 00.00 || 00:10 || 00:20 || 00:30 || RCV<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
<br />
===ITU sponsored beacons===<br />
<br />
As part of an International Telecommunications Union-funded project, radio propagation beacons were installed by national authorities at Sveio, Norway (callsign LN2A, 59.6042<sup>0</sup>N - 5.29167<sup>0</sup>E) and at Darwin, Australia (callsign VL8IPS, 12.6042<sup>0</sup>S - 131.2920<sup>0</sup>E). The beacons operated on frequencies 5471.5&nbsp;kHz, 7871.5&nbsp;kHz, 10408.5&nbsp;kHz, 14396.5&nbsp;kHz, and 20948.5&nbsp;kHz.<sup>[6]</sup> Since 2002, there have been no reception reports for these beacons and the relevant ITU web pages have been removed. <sup>[7]</sup><br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
| '''HF Field-Strength measurement campaign'''<br />
<br />
For a number of years, ITU-R Study Group 3 has been promoting a world-wide HF field-strength measurement campaign, the impetus for which arose from WARC HFBC-87 and the request for improved accuracy in HF propagation prediction. At that time, the Study Group recognised that significant improvements in HF propagation prediction methods needed a substantial body of new measurement data and to that end, administrations and organisations were invited to participate in the measurement campaign, either by installing suitable transmitters or by collecting long-term data from appropriate receiving systems. The campaign is specified in Recommendation ITU-R P.845 'HF field-strength measurement' and comprises a world-wide network of transmitters and receivers using coded transmissions on pre-determined frequencies.<br />
<br />
The reasons for the campaign and the continuing need for participation in it, are underlined in Resolution ITU-R 27 (HF field-strength measurement campaign). So far, regular transmissions are being provided by the Administrations of Australia and Norway. Details of the transmitter in Norway, operated by the Norwegian Telecommunications Authority and Telenor Broadcasting, are given below: <br />
<br />
'''Radio Beacon LN2A'''<br />
<br />
* Identification signal (Morse code): LN2A <br />
* Location: Sveio, Norway 59 deg 37 min N, 5 deg 19 min E <br />
* Hours of transmission: 24 hours per day <br />
* Assigned frequencies: 5471.225 kHz, 7871.225 kHz, 10408.225 kHz, 14396.225 kHz and 20946.225 kHz<br />
* Reference frequencies, corresponding to suppressed carrier frequencies when using suppressed carrier SSB techniques: 5470 kHz, 7870 kHz, 10407 kHz, 14395 kHz and 20945 kHz<br />
* Transmitter: ICOM IC 725 transceiver, IC-4KL PA <br />
* Transmitted power: approximately 1 kW on all frequencies <br />
* Antenna: 5 band trap vertical monopole <br />
* Mode: Suppressed carrier SSB, with the reference frequencies (suppressed carrier frequencies) 1225 Hz below the assigned frequencies, with the FSK "mark" 800 Hz above the reference frequency, and the FSK "space" 1650 Hz above the reference frequency. <br />
* Signal duration and format: as specified in Recommendation ITU-R P.845; 4 min for each frequency, 20 min for all five frequencies according to the following schedule: <br />
<br />
{|<br />
! Reference frequency (kHz) !! Minutes after each hour<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 14395 || align="center" | 00 - 20 - 40 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 20945 || align="center" | 04 - 24 - 44 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 5470 || align="center" | 08 - 28 - 48 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 7870 || align="center" | 12 - 32 - 52 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 10407 || align="center" | 16 - 36 - 56<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Administrations and organizations participating in the work of ITU-R are invited to consider the possibility of participating in the campaign, either through the provision of transmissions or by the collection of field strength measurement data, both in accordance with the specifications given in Recommendation ITU-R P.845. For further details on the campaign, including the availability of a suitable receiving system, please contact the ITU-R Counsellor for Study Group 3 (Dr. Kevin A. Hughes) at ITU Headquarters, in Geneva.<br />
<br />
The Norwegian Telecommunications Authority and Telenor Broadcasting would be pleased to acknowledge reception reports of LN2A with a QSL card.<br />
<br />
The contact address is:<br />
<br />
Norwegian Telecommunications Authority (Att. AYO/TF)<BR><br />
P O Box 447 Sentrum<BR><br />
N-0104 Oslo <BR><br />
Norway <BR><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===DARC beacon project===<br />
[[Image:DARC.png|left|50px]]<br />
[[Image:DRA5-QSL.jpg|right|200px]]<br />
The [[Deutscher Amateur Radio Club]] (DARC) sponsors two beacons which transmit from Scheggerott, near Kiel (54.6875<sup>0</sup>N - 9.79167<sup>0</sup>E, JO44VQ). <sup>[8]</sup> These beacons are DRA5 on 5195&nbsp;kHz and DK0WCY on 10144&nbsp;kHz. In addition to identification and location, every 10 minutes these beacons transmit solar, geomagnetic and ionospheric bulletins. Transmissions are in Morse code (CW) for aural reception, [[RTTY]] (45 baud 170 Hz at HH+10) and [[PSK31]] (at HH+50). <sup>[9]</sup> DK0WCY operates also a limited service beacon on 3579&nbsp;kHz at 0720-0900 and 1600-1900 local time.<br />
<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
<br />
===RSGB 5 MHz beacon project===<br />
[[Image:RSGB-Logo.png|left|50px]]<br />
The [[Radio Society of Great Britain]] (RSGB) operates three radio propagation beacons on 5290&nbsp;kHz, which transmit in sequence, for one minute each, every 15 minutes. The project includes GB3RAL near Didcot (51.5625<sup>0</sup>N - 1.29167<sup>0</sup>W, IO91IN), GB3WES in Cumbria (54.5625<sup>0</sup>N - 2.625<sup>0</sup>W, IO84QN) and GB3ORK in the Orkney Islands (59.0208<sup>0</sup>N - 3.20833<sup>0</sup>W, IO89JA). <br />
<br />
Beacon GB3RAL, which is located at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, also transmits continuously on 28215&nbsp;kHz and on a number of low VHF frequencies (40050, 50053, 60053 and 70053&nbsp;kHz).<sup>[10]</sup><br />
<br />
==Notes and references==<br />
[[Image:QSL-N7LT-BCN.jpg|thumb|right|QSL card from beacon N7LT/BCN on 28248.5 kHz]]<br />
# Andy Talbot, G4JNT: "Amateur Beacons", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, '''3'''(5), pp.56-58 (May 2008). The article includes the following definition for beacons licensed in the Amateur Radio service: ''A station in the Amateur Service or Amateur Satellite Service that autonomously transmits in a fixed format, which may include repeated data or information, for the study of propagation, determination of frequency or bearing, or for other experimental purposes''.<br />
# Andy Talbot, G4JNT: "Amateur Beacons", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, '''3'''(8), pp. 30-33 (August =2008)<br />
# [http://www.iaru-r2.org/wp-content/uploads/region-2-mf-hf-bandplan-e.pdf New IARU Region 2 bandplan introduced in January 2008]<br />
# [http://www.qsl.net/g3yrc/Bandplans/UK%20VHF.htm Amateur Radio UK VHF Bandplan], Great Yarmouth Radio Club<br />
# [http://www.ncdxf.org/pages/beacons.html International Beacon Project] by the Northern California DX Foundation (2008)<br />
# [http://www.ham-radio.nl/bakenshf/baken0-20mhz.htm HF 0-20 MHz beacons]<br />
# [http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/res/R-RES-R.27-1993-PDF-E.pdf ITU Resolution ITU-R 27/1993: HF Field-strength measurement campaign] (PDF) <br />
# [http://www.dk0wcy.de/ Aurora beacon DKØWCY] by Deutscher Amateur-Radio-Club e.V.([[DARC]]), 2004.<br />
# Pat Hawker, G3VA: "The DK0WCY/DRA5 Propagation Beacons", ''Technical Topics Scrapbook - All 50 years'', [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], ISBN 9781-9050-8639-9, pp. 98 (2008)<br />
# Mike Willis, G0MJW: "The GB3RAL VHF Beacon cluster", ''RadCom'', '''84'''(04), [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], pp. 65-59, April 2008<br />
# The Four meters website: [http://www.70mhz.org/beacons.htm 70 MHz beacon list]<br />
# The Four meters website: [http://www.70mhz.org/bandplan_uk.htm RSGB 4m bandplan]<br />
# Southgate Amateur Radio Club: [http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2011/lx0hf_beacon.htm Luxembourg 60m beacon LX0HF]<br />
# [http://www.radioamateurs-online.fr/2011/03/luxembourg-une-balise-sur-60m-lx0hf/ Luxembourg: Une balise sur 60m LX0HF] Radioamateurs-Online, March 11, 2011.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Ionosonde]]<br />
* [[Radio beacon]]<br />
* [[JG2XA]]: AN HF Doppler investigation beacon project.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
[[Image:IK0WRB-beacon10.png|thumb|right|IK0WRB beacon keyer schematic]]<br />
* [http://www.ncdxf.org/beacons.html IARU/NDXF International Beacon Project]<br />
* Ken Reitz, KS4ZR: "[http://www.monitoringtimes.com/MT-10meters.pdf Exploring the World of 10 Meter Beacons]", ''[[Monitoring Times]]'', May 2007, pages 14-16.<br />
* R.Wilkinson, G6GVI, S.Cooper, GM4AFF, & B. Hansen, OZ2M: "[http://www.70mhz.org/beacons.htm The 70 MHz Beacon List]", ''The Four Metres Website'', 2008.<br />
* Martin Harrison, G3USF: [http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/28.htm Worldwide List of HF Beacons].<br />
* Martin Harrison, G3USF: [http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/50.htm Worldwide List of 50 Beacons].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BEACON.TXT List of active HF Amateur Radio Beacons].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BCNADD.TXT Additional HF Beacon Information].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BCNQRT.TXT Inactive HF Beacons].<br />
* John Jaminet, W3HMS and Charlie Heisler, K3VDB: "Building a beacon for 2401 MHz", ''CQ VHF'', '''10'''(3), CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 1085-0708, pages 44–46, 2007.<br />
* Andrew Talbot, G4JNT: [http://www.g4jnt.com/5MHzBcnsWeb.pdf Design and building of the 5 MHz beacons, GB3RAL, GB3WES and GB3ORK].<br />
* Andrew Talbot, G4JNT: [http://www.g4jnt.com/BeaconPres-2.ppt The Next Generation of Beacons for the 21st century] (PPT format).<br />
* UK Microwave Group (UKMuG): [http://www.microwavers.org/indexb.htm UK Amateur Radio & Microwave Beacons].<br />
* [http://www.g0afh.com/gb3vhf/index.html GB3VHF – a beacon designed for the 21st Century]<br />
* [http://web.tiscalinet.it/vcoletti/pic/keyer/beacon.html IK0WRB beacon keyer], based on a PIC16F84 microcontroller.<br />
* [http://www.dk0wcy.de/ Aurora Beacon DK0WCY]<br />
* [http://www.oz1fjb.dk/page_1269782382686.html OV1BCN]: a new HF propagation beacon on 5290.5 kHz. <br />
* [http://users.telenet.be/BEACONCLUSTER/home.html BEACONCLUSTER] worldwide beacon maps by Richard Kaminski ON4CJU.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Radio_propagation_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Radio_propagation_beaconRadio propagation beacon2011-03-24T06:49:52Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* 60 meters beacons */ OK1IF & OV1BCN info</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:DK0WCY-station.jpg|thumb|right|DK0WCY & DRA5 beacons]]<br />
A '''radio propagation beacon''' is a [[radio beacon]], which is used for investigating the propagation of radio signals. Most radio propagation beacons use [[amateur radio]] frequencies. They can be found on HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave frequencies. Microwave beacons are also used as signal sources to test and calibrate antennas and receivers.<sup>[1]</sup> <sup>[2]</sup><br />
<br />
==Transmission characteristics==<br />
<br />
Most beacons operate in continuous wave (CW or A1A) and transmit their identification (callsign and location). Some of them send long dashes to facilitate signal strength measurement. A small number of beacons transmit Morse code by frequency shift keying (F1A). A few beacons transmit signals in digital modulation modes, like [[RTTY|radioteletype]] (F1B) and [[PSK31]] (G1B).<br />
<br />
FT-897, a budget HF tranceiver produced by Yaesu/Vertex, has a programmable beacon mode and is used in some temporary propagation beacon installations.<br />
<br />
==160 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
The IARU Region 2 (North and South America) bandplan reserves the range 1999&nbsp;kHz to 2000&nbsp;kHz for propagation beacons.<br />
<br />
==60 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
In addition to the DARC and RSBG beacon projects on 5195 and 5290 kHz (see below), Eddie Bellerby of [[UDXF]] discovered in March 2011 a new CW beacon on 5206 kHz, sending LX0HF, presumably from Luxembourg.<sup>[13]</sup> Further intelligence indicates that the beacon is operated by Philippe LX2A/LX7I of the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Society.<sup>[14]</sup> Two more european beacons are listed on 5 MHz, OV1BCN on 5290 kHz, operated by OZ1FJB and OK1IF on 5258.5 kHz from the Czech Republic, though their current status is unclear.<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Callsign !! Frequency !! Locator !! Details<br />
|-<br />
| DRA5 || 5195.0 kHz || JO44VQ || DARC<br />
|-<br />
| LX0HF || 5205.3 kHz || ||<br />
|-<br />
| OK1IF || 5258.5 kHz || JO40HG || Recording: [http://ok1if.c-a-v.com/5MHzOK/OK4AS.WAV]<br />
|-<br />
| GB3RAL || 5290.0 kHz || IO91IN || RSGB <br />
|-<br />
| GB3WES || 5290.0 kHz || IO84QN || RSGB<br />
|-<br />
| GB3ORK || 5290.0 kHz || IO89JA || RSGB<br />
|-<br />
| OV1BCN || 5290.0 kHz || JO55SI || Op OZ1FJB [http://oz1fjb.dk/page_1269782382686.html]<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==10 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
Most HF radio propagation beacons are found in the 10 meters (28&nbsp;MHz) frequency band, where they are good indicators of Sporadic E ionospheric propagation. According to IARU bandplans, the following 28&nbsp;MHz frequencies are allocated to radio propagation beacons:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! IARU Region<br />
! Beacon allocations<br />
|-<br />
| R1<br />
|<br />
* 28190-28199 Regional Time Shared<br />
* 28199-28201 WW Time Shared<br />
* 28201-28225 Continuous Duty<br />
|-<br />
| R2<sup>[3]</sup><br />
|<br />
* 28190-28199 Regional Time Shared<br />
* 28199-28201 IBP/NCDXF<br />
* 28201-28225 Beacons, continuous duty<br />
* 28225-28300 Shared<br />
|-<br />
| R3<br />
|<br />
* 28190-28200 IBP<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==40 MHz beacons==<br />
* The first radio propagation beacon on 40 MHz was OZ7IGY in Jystrup, Denmark (JO55WM) and transmits on 40021 kHz. Transmitted power is 22 W to a dipole antenna. Modulation is F1A keying (frequency Shift Keying), with a shift of 250 Hz. [http://www.oz7igy.dk/]<br />
* The [[Radio Society of Great Britain]] has a license for beacon transmissions from GB3RAL (Didcot, UK) on 40050 & 60050&nbsp;kHz.<br />
<br />
==6 meters (50 MHz) beacons==<br />
[[Image:LX0FOUR antenna.jpg|thumb|right|Antenna tower of LX0SIX and LX0FOUR beacons]]<br />
In the 6 meters (50&nbsp;MHz) band, beacons operate in the lower part of the band, in the range 50000&nbsp;kHz to 50080&nbsp;kHz. The ARRL bandplan recommends 50060&nbsp; to 50080&nbsp;kHz for beacons in the United States. Due to unpredictable and intermittent long distance propagation, usually achieved by a combination of ionospheric conditions, beacons are very important in providing early warning for 50&nbsp;MHz openings.<br />
<br />
==4 meters (70 MHz) beacons==<br />
<br />
===General beacon operations===<br />
Numerous beacons operate on 70 MHz in recent years. Their main purrpose is to dected the relativley rare and extreme Es (sporadic E) opennings, which exceed 70 MHz.<br />
<br />
There is no definite international beacon allocation, due to various countries having different [[amateur radio]] allocations in this band. Generally beacons operate near the bottom end (70.000-70.100 MHz).<sup>(11) (12)</sup>. Most respect the [[RSGB]] bandplan, staying below 70.050 MHz.<br />
<br />
* 70.000-70.050 MHz: UK beacon allocation, including personal beacons on 70.030 MHz<br />
<br />
===Special beacon allocations===<br />
* USA: 70.005 MHz is allocated to the WE9XFT beacon. Transmits from Bedford, VA, under an FCC experimental license issued to Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, with a power of 3 kW.<br />
* Austria: 70.045 MHz is allocated to the OE5QL beacon.<br />
* Hong Kong: 71.757 MHz is allocated to the VR2FOUR beacon.<br />
<br />
==VHF/UHF beacons==<br />
[[Image:GB3VHF-rack.jpg|thumb|right|GB3VHF propagation beacon (144 MHz)]]<br />
Beacons on 144&nbsp;MHz and higher frequencies are mainly used to identify tropospheric radio propagation openings. It is not uncommon for VHF and UHF beacons to use directional antennas. Frequency allocations for beacons on VHF and UHF bands vary widely in different ITU/IARU regions and countries. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Band<br />
! colspan="3" | Beacon Sub-band (MHz)<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! R1<br />
! R2<br />
! R3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 2&nbsp;m<br />
| align="center" | 144.400-144.490<br />
| align="center" | 144.275–144.300<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 1.25&nbsp;m<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
| align="center" | 222.050–222.060<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 70&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 432.800-432.990<br />
| align="center" | 432.300–432.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 33&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
| align="center" | Varies Locally<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 23&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 1,296.800-1,296.990<br />
| align="center" | 1,296.070-1,296.080<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 13&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 2,320.800-2,320.990<br />
| align="center" | 2,304.300-2,304.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The current allocation in the United Kingdom, which also reflects IARU Region 1 recommendations, is the following:<sup>[4]</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Band<br />
! Beacon allocation (kHz)<br />
|-<br />
| 4 m<br />
| 70,000-70,030<br />
|-<br />
| 2 m<br />
| 144,400-144,490<br />
|-<br />
| 70&nbsp;cm<br />
| 432,800-432,990<br />
|-<br />
| 23&nbsp;cm<br />
| 1296,800-1296,990<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==SHF and microwave beacons==<br />
<br />
In addition to identifying propagation, microwave beacons are also used as signal sources to test and calibrate antennas and receivers. SHF beacons are not as common as beacons on the lower bands, and beacons above the 3 cm (10 GHz) band are unusual.<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Band<br />
! colspan="3" | Beacon Sub-band (MHz)<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! R1<br />
! R2<br />
! R3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 9&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 3,400.800-3,400.995<br />
| align="center" | 3,456.300-3,456.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 5&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 5,760.800-5,760.995<br />
| align="center" | 5,760.300-5,760.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 3&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 10,368.800-10,368.995<br />
| align="center" | 10,368.300-10,368.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 1.2&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" colspan="3"| Beacons are rare<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Beacon projects==<br />
<br />
Most radio propagation beacons are operated by individual radio amateurs or amateur radio societies and clubs. As a result, there are frequent additions and deletions to the lists of beacons. There are, however a few major projects coordinated by organizations like the [[International Telecommunications Union]] and the International Amateur Radio Union.<br />
<br />
===IARU Beacon Project===<br />
[[Image:IARU.gif|left|50px|url="http://www.darc.de"]]<br />
The International Beacon Project (IBP), which is coordinated by the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), consists of 18 HF propagation beacons worldwide, which transmit in turns on 14100&nbsp;kHz, 18110&nbsp;kHz, 21150&nbsp;kHz, 24930&nbsp;kHz, and 28200&nbsp;kHz. <sup>[5]</sup> The IARU/NDXF beacons transmit in turns on the five designated frequencies according to the following schedule, which repeats every 3 minutes:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF" <br />
! Slot !! DXCC entity !! Call !! Location !! Latitude !! Longitude !! Grid Sq !! 14100 !! 18110 !! 21150 !! 24930 !! 28200 !! Operator<br />
|- <br />
| 01 || United Nations || 4U1UN || New York City || 40º 45' N || 73º 58' W || FN3ØAS || 00.00 || 00.10 || 00.20 || 00.30 || 00.40 || UNRC<br />
|-<br />
| 02 || Canada || VE8AT ||Eureka, Nunavut || 79º 59' N || 85º 57' W || EQ79AX || 00.10 || 00.20 || 00.30 || 00.40 || 00.50 || RAC<br />
|-<br />
| 03 || United States || W6WX || Mt. Umunhum || 37º 09' N || 121º 54' W || CM97BD || 00:20 || 00.30 || 00:40 || 00.50 || 01:00 || NCDXF<br />
|-<br />
| 04 || Hawaii || KH6WO || Laie || 21º 38' N || 157º 55' W || BL11AP || 00.30 || 00.40 || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || (Off)<br />
|-<br />
| 05 || New Zealand || ZL6B || Masterton || 41º 03' S || 175º 36' E || RE78TW || 00.40 || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || NZART<br />
|-<br />
| 06 || Australia || VK6RBP || Rolystone || 32º 06' S || 116º 03' E || OF87AV || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || WIA<br />
|-<br />
| 07 || Japan || JA2IGY || Mt. Asama || 34º 27' N || 136º 47' E || PM84JK || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || JARL<br />
|-<br />
| 08 || Russia || RR9O || Novosibirsk || 54º 59' N || 82º 54' E || NO14KX || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || SRR<br />
|-<br />
| 09 || Hong Kong || VR2B || Hong Kong || 22º 16' N || 114º 09' E || OL72BG || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || 02.00 || HARTS<br />
|-<br />
| 10 || Sri Lanka || 4S7B || Colombo || 6º 6' N || 80º 13' E || NJ06CC || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || 02.00 || 02.10 || RSSL<br />
|-<br />
| 11 || South Africa || ZS6DN || Pretoria || 25º 54' S || 28º 16' E || KG44DC || 01:40 || 01.50 || 02:00 || 02:10 || 02:20 || ZS6DN<br />
|-<br />
| 12 || Kenya || 5Z4B || Kariobangi || 1º 15' S || 36º 53' E || KI88KS || 01.50 || 02.00 || 02.10 || 02.20 || 02.30 || ARSC<br />
|-<br />
| 13 || Israel || 4X6TU || Tel Aviv || 32º 03' N || 34º 46' E || KM72JB || 02:00 || 02:10 || 02:20 || 02.30 || 02:40 || IARC<br />
|-<br />
| 14 || Finland || OH2B || Lohja || 60º 19' N || 24º 50' E || KP2Ø || 02:10 || 02:20 || 02:30 || 02:40 || 02:50 || SRAL<br />
|-<br />
| 15 || Madeira || CS3B || Santo da Serra || 32º 43' N || 16º 48' W || IM12OR || 02.20 || 02.30 || 02.40 || 02.50 || 00.00 || ARRM <br />
|-<br />
| 16 || Argentina || LU4AA || Buenos Aires || 34º 37' S || 58º 21' W || GFØ5TJ || 02:30 || 02:40 || 02:50 || 00.00 || 00:10 || ARC<br />
|-<br />
| 17 || Peru || OA4B || Lima || 12º 04' S || 76º 57' W || FH17MW || 02.40 || 02.50 || 00.00 || 00.10 || 00.20 || RCP<br />
|-<br />
| 18 || Venezuela || YV5B || Caracas || 10º 25' N || 66º 51' W || FK6ØNJ || 02:50 || 00.00 || 00:10 || 00:20 || 00:30 || RCV<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
<br />
===ITU sponsored beacons===<br />
<br />
As part of an International Telecommunications Union-funded project, radio propagation beacons were installed by national authorities at Sveio, Norway (callsign LN2A, 59.6042<sup>0</sup>N - 5.29167<sup>0</sup>E) and at Darwin, Australia (callsign VL8IPS, 12.6042<sup>0</sup>S - 131.2920<sup>0</sup>E). The beacons operated on frequencies 5471.5&nbsp;kHz, 7871.5&nbsp;kHz, 10408.5&nbsp;kHz, 14396.5&nbsp;kHz, and 20948.5&nbsp;kHz.<sup>[6]</sup> Since 2002, there have been no reception reports for these beacons and the relevant ITU web pages have been removed. <sup>[7]</sup><br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
| '''HF Field-Strength measurement campaign'''<br />
<br />
For a number of years, ITU-R Study Group 3 has been promoting a world-wide HF field-strength measurement campaign, the impetus for which arose from WARC HFBC-87 and the request for improved accuracy in HF propagation prediction. At that time, the Study Group recognised that significant improvements in HF propagation prediction methods needed a substantial body of new measurement data and to that end, administrations and organisations were invited to participate in the measurement campaign, either by installing suitable transmitters or by collecting long-term data from appropriate receiving systems. The campaign is specified in Recommendation ITU-R P.845 'HF field-strength measurement' and comprises a world-wide network of transmitters and receivers using coded transmissions on pre-determined frequencies.<br />
<br />
The reasons for the campaign and the continuing need for participation in it, are underlined in Resolution ITU-R 27 (HF field-strength measurement campaign). So far, regular transmissions are being provided by the Administrations of Australia and Norway. Details of the transmitter in Norway, operated by the Norwegian Telecommunications Authority and Telenor Broadcasting, are given below: <br />
<br />
'''Radio Beacon LN2A'''<br />
<br />
* Identification signal (Morse code): LN2A <br />
* Location: Sveio, Norway 59 deg 37 min N, 5 deg 19 min E <br />
* Hours of transmission: 24 hours per day <br />
* Assigned frequencies: 5471.225 kHz, 7871.225 kHz, 10408.225 kHz, 14396.225 kHz and 20946.225 kHz<br />
* Reference frequencies, corresponding to suppressed carrier frequencies when using suppressed carrier SSB techniques: 5470 kHz, 7870 kHz, 10407 kHz, 14395 kHz and 20945 kHz<br />
* Transmitter: ICOM IC 725 transceiver, IC-4KL PA <br />
* Transmitted power: approximately 1 kW on all frequencies <br />
* Antenna: 5 band trap vertical monopole <br />
* Mode: Suppressed carrier SSB, with the reference frequencies (suppressed carrier frequencies) 1225 Hz below the assigned frequencies, with the FSK "mark" 800 Hz above the reference frequency, and the FSK "space" 1650 Hz above the reference frequency. <br />
* Signal duration and format: as specified in Recommendation ITU-R P.845; 4 min for each frequency, 20 min for all five frequencies according to the following schedule: <br />
<br />
{|<br />
! Reference frequency (kHz) !! Minutes after each hour<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 14395 || align="center" | 00 - 20 - 40 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 20945 || align="center" | 04 - 24 - 44 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 5470 || align="center" | 08 - 28 - 48 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 7870 || align="center" | 12 - 32 - 52 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 10407 || align="center" | 16 - 36 - 56<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Administrations and organizations participating in the work of ITU-R are invited to consider the possibility of participating in the campaign, either through the provision of transmissions or by the collection of field strength measurement data, both in accordance with the specifications given in Recommendation ITU-R P.845. For further details on the campaign, including the availability of a suitable receiving system, please contact the ITU-R Counsellor for Study Group 3 (Dr. Kevin A. Hughes) at ITU Headquarters, in Geneva.<br />
<br />
The Norwegian Telecommunications Authority and Telenor Broadcasting would be pleased to acknowledge reception reports of LN2A with a QSL card.<br />
<br />
The contact address is:<br />
<br />
Norwegian Telecommunications Authority (Att. AYO/TF)<BR><br />
P O Box 447 Sentrum<BR><br />
N-0104 Oslo <BR><br />
Norway <BR><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===DARC beacon project===<br />
[[Image:DARC.png|left|50px]]<br />
[[Image:DRA5-QSL.jpg|right|200px]]<br />
The [[Deutscher Amateur Radio Club]] (DARC) sponsors two beacons which transmit from Scheggerott, near Kiel (54.6875<sup>0</sup>N - 9.79167<sup>0</sup>E, JO44VQ). <sup>[8]</sup> These beacons are DRA5 on 5195&nbsp;kHz and DK0WCY on 10144&nbsp;kHz. In addition to identification and location, every 10 minutes these beacons transmit solar, geomagnetic and ionospheric bulletins. Transmissions are in Morse code (CW) for aural reception, [[RTTY]] (45 baud 170 Hz at HH+10) and [[PSK31]] (at HH+50). <sup>[9]</sup> DK0WCY operates also a limited service beacon on 3579&nbsp;kHz at 0720-0900 and 1600-1900 local time.<br />
<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
<br />
===RSGB 5 MHz beacon project===<br />
[[Image:RSGB-Logo.png|left|50px]]<br />
The [[Radio Society of Great Britain]] (RSGB) operates three radio propagation beacons on 5290&nbsp;kHz, which transmit in sequence, for one minute each, every 15 minutes. The project includes GB3RAL near Didcot (51.5625<sup>0</sup>N - 1.29167<sup>0</sup>W, IO91IN), GB3WES in Cumbria (54.5625<sup>0</sup>N - 2.625<sup>0</sup>W, IO84QN) and GB3ORK in the Orkney Islands (59.0208<sup>0</sup>N - 3.20833<sup>0</sup>W, IO89JA). <br />
<br />
Beacon GB3RAL, which is located at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, also transmits continuously on 28215&nbsp;kHz and on a number of low VHF frequencies (40050, 50053, 60053 and 70053&nbsp;kHz).<sup>[10]</sup><br />
<br />
==Notes and references==<br />
[[Image:QSL-N7LT-BCN.jpg|thumb|right|QSL card from beacon N7LT/BCN on 28248.5 kHz]]<br />
# Andy Talbot, G4JNT: "Amateur Beacons", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, '''3'''(5), pp.56-58 (May 2008). The article includes the following definition for beacons licensed in the Amateur Radio service: ''A station in the Amateur Service or Amateur Satellite Service that autonomously transmits in a fixed format, which may include repeated data or information, for the study of propagation, determination of frequency or bearing, or for other experimental purposes''.<br />
# Andy Talbot, G4JNT: "Amateur Beacons", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, '''3'''(8), pp. 30-33 (August =2008)<br />
# [http://www.iaru-r2.org/wp-content/uploads/region-2-mf-hf-bandplan-e.pdf New IARU Region 2 bandplan introduced in January 2008]<br />
# [http://www.qsl.net/g3yrc/Bandplans/UK%20VHF.htm Amateur Radio UK VHF Bandplan], Great Yarmouth Radio Club<br />
# [http://www.ncdxf.org/pages/beacons.html International Beacon Project] by the Northern California DX Foundation (2008)<br />
# [http://www.ham-radio.nl/bakenshf/baken0-20mhz.htm HF 0-20 MHz beacons]<br />
# [http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/res/R-RES-R.27-1993-PDF-E.pdf ITU Resolution ITU-R 27/1993: HF Field-strength measurement campaign] (PDF) <br />
# [http://www.dk0wcy.de/ Aurora beacon DKØWCY] by Deutscher Amateur-Radio-Club e.V.([[DARC]]), 2004.<br />
# Pat Hawker, G3VA: "The DK0WCY/DRA5 Propagation Beacons", ''Technical Topics Scrapbook - All 50 years'', [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], ISBN 9781-9050-8639-9, pp. 98 (2008)<br />
# Mike Willis, G0MJW: "The GB3RAL VHF Beacon cluster", ''RadCom'', '''84'''(04), [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], pp. 65-59, April 2008<br />
# The Four meters website: [http://www.70mhz.org/beacons.htm 70 MHz beacon list]<br />
# The Four meters website: [http://www.70mhz.org/bandplan_uk.htm RSGB 4m bandplan]<br />
# Southgate Amateur Radio Club: [http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2011/lx0hf_beacon.htm Luxembourg 60m beacon LX0HF]<br />
# [http://www.radioamateurs-online.fr/2011/03/luxembourg-une-balise-sur-60m-lx0hf/ Luxembourg: Une balise sur 60m LX0HF] Radioamateurs-Online, March 11, 2011.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Ionosonde]]<br />
* [[Radio beacon]]<br />
* [[JG2XA]]: AN HF Doppler investigation beacon project.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
[[Image:IK0WRB-beacon10.png|thumb|right|IK0WRB beacon keyer schematic]]<br />
* [http://www.ncdxf.org/beacons.html IARU/NDXF International Beacon Project]<br />
* Ken Reitz, KS4ZR: "[http://www.monitoringtimes.com/MT-10meters.pdf Exploring the World of 10 Meter Beacons]", ''[[Monitoring Times]]'', May 2007, pages 14-16.<br />
* R.Wilkinson, G6GVI, S.Cooper, GM4AFF, & B. Hansen, OZ2M: "[http://www.70mhz.org/beacons.htm The 70 MHz Beacon List]", ''The Four Metres Website'', 2008.<br />
* Martin Harrison, G3USF: [http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/28.htm Worldwide List of HF Beacons].<br />
* Martin Harrison, G3USF: [http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/50.htm Worldwide List of 50 Beacons].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BEACON.TXT List of active HF Amateur Radio Beacons].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BCNADD.TXT Additional HF Beacon Information].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BCNQRT.TXT Inactive HF Beacons].<br />
* John Jaminet, W3HMS and Charlie Heisler, K3VDB: "Building a beacon for 2401 MHz", ''CQ VHF'', '''10'''(3), CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 1085-0708, pages 44–46, 2007.<br />
* Andrew Talbot, G4JNT: [http://www.g4jnt.com/5MHzBcnsWeb.pdf Design and building of the 5 MHz beacons, GB3RAL, GB3WES and GB3ORK].<br />
* Andrew Talbot, G4JNT: [http://www.g4jnt.com/BeaconPres-2.ppt The Next Generation of Beacons for the 21st century] (PPT format).<br />
* UK Microwave Group (UKMuG): [http://www.microwavers.org/indexb.htm UK Amateur Radio & Microwave Beacons].<br />
* [http://www.g0afh.com/gb3vhf/index.html GB3VHF – a beacon designed for the 21st Century]<br />
* [http://web.tiscalinet.it/vcoletti/pic/keyer/beacon.html IK0WRB beacon keyer], based on a PIC16F84 microcontroller.<br />
* [http://www.dk0wcy.de/ Aurora Beacon DK0WCY]<br />
* [http://www.oz1fjb.dk/page_1269782382686.html OV1BCN]: a new HF propagation beacon on 5290.5 kHz. <br />
* [http://users.telenet.be/BEACONCLUSTER/home.html BEACONCLUSTER] worldwide beacon maps by Richard Kaminski ON4CJU.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Radio_propagation_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Radio_propagation_beaconRadio propagation beacon2011-03-23T13:29:46Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* 60 meters beacons */ 5 MHz beacon table</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:DK0WCY-station.jpg|thumb|right|DK0WCY & DRA5 beacons]]<br />
A '''radio propagation beacon''' is a [[radio beacon]], which is used for investigating the propagation of radio signals. Most radio propagation beacons use [[amateur radio]] frequencies. They can be found on HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave frequencies. Microwave beacons are also used as signal sources to test and calibrate antennas and receivers.<sup>[1]</sup> <sup>[2]</sup><br />
<br />
==Transmission characteristics==<br />
<br />
Most beacons operate in continuous wave (CW or A1A) and transmit their identification (callsign and location). Some of them send long dashes to facilitate signal strength measurement. A small number of beacons transmit Morse code by frequency shift keying (F1A). A few beacons transmit signals in digital modulation modes, like [[RTTY|radioteletype]] (F1B) and [[PSK31]] (G1B).<br />
<br />
FT-897, a budget HF tranceiver produced by Yaesu/Vertex, has a programmable beacon mode and is used in some temporary propagation beacon installations.<br />
<br />
==160 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
The IARU Region 2 (North and South America) bandplan reserves the range 1999&nbsp;kHz to 2000&nbsp;kHz for propagation beacons.<br />
<br />
==60 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
In addition to the DARC and RSBG beacon projects on 5195 and 5290 kHz (see below), Eddie Bellerby of [[UDXF]] discovered in March 2011 a new CW beacon on 5206 kHz, sending LX0HF, presumably from Luxembourg.<sup>[13]</sup> Further intelligence indicates that the beacon is operated by Philippe LX2A/LX7I of the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Society.<sup>[14]</sup> Two more european beacons are listed on 5 MHz, OV1BCN on 5290 kHz, operated by OZ1FJB and OK1IF on 5258.5 kHz from the Czech Republic, though their current status is unclear.<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Callsign !! Frequency !! Locator !! Details<br />
|-<br />
| DRA5 || 5195.0 kHz || JO44VQ || DARC<br />
|-<br />
| LX0HF || 5205.3 kHz || ||<br />
|-<br />
| OK1IF || 5258.5 kHz || JO40HG ||<br />
|-<br />
| GB3RAL || 5290.0 kHz || IO91IN || RSGB <br />
|-<br />
| GB3WES || 5290.0 kHz || IO84QN || RSGB<br />
|-<br />
| GB3ORK || 5290.0 kHz || IO89JA || RSGB<br />
|-<br />
| OV1BCN || 5290.0 kHz || || Op OZ1FJB<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==10 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
Most HF radio propagation beacons are found in the 10 meters (28&nbsp;MHz) frequency band, where they are good indicators of Sporadic E ionospheric propagation. According to IARU bandplans, the following 28&nbsp;MHz frequencies are allocated to radio propagation beacons:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! IARU Region<br />
! Beacon allocations<br />
|-<br />
| R1<br />
|<br />
* 28190-28199 Regional Time Shared<br />
* 28199-28201 WW Time Shared<br />
* 28201-28225 Continuous Duty<br />
|-<br />
| R2<sup>[3]</sup><br />
|<br />
* 28190-28199 Regional Time Shared<br />
* 28199-28201 IBP/NCDXF<br />
* 28201-28225 Beacons, continuous duty<br />
* 28225-28300 Shared<br />
|-<br />
| R3<br />
|<br />
* 28190-28200 IBP<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==40 MHz beacons==<br />
* The first radio propagation beacon on 40 MHz was OZ7IGY in Jystrup, Denmark (JO55WM) and transmits on 40021 kHz. Transmitted power is 22 W to a dipole antenna. Modulation is F1A keying (frequency Shift Keying), with a shift of 250 Hz. [http://www.oz7igy.dk/]<br />
* The [[Radio Society of Great Britain]] has a license for beacon transmissions from GB3RAL (Didcot, UK) on 40050 & 60050&nbsp;kHz.<br />
<br />
==6 meters (50 MHz) beacons==<br />
[[Image:LX0FOUR antenna.jpg|thumb|right|Antenna tower of LX0SIX and LX0FOUR beacons]]<br />
In the 6 meters (50&nbsp;MHz) band, beacons operate in the lower part of the band, in the range 50000&nbsp;kHz to 50080&nbsp;kHz. The ARRL bandplan recommends 50060&nbsp; to 50080&nbsp;kHz for beacons in the United States. Due to unpredictable and intermittent long distance propagation, usually achieved by a combination of ionospheric conditions, beacons are very important in providing early warning for 50&nbsp;MHz openings.<br />
<br />
==4 meters (70 MHz) beacons==<br />
<br />
===General beacon operations===<br />
Numerous beacons operate on 70 MHz in recent years. Their main purrpose is to dected the relativley rare and extreme Es (sporadic E) opennings, which exceed 70 MHz.<br />
<br />
There is no definite international beacon allocation, due to various countries having different [[amateur radio]] allocations in this band. Generally beacons operate near the bottom end (70.000-70.100 MHz).<sup>(11) (12)</sup>. Most respect the [[RSGB]] bandplan, staying below 70.050 MHz.<br />
<br />
* 70.000-70.050 MHz: UK beacon allocation, including personal beacons on 70.030 MHz<br />
<br />
===Special beacon allocations===<br />
* USA: 70.005 MHz is allocated to the WE9XFT beacon. Transmits from Bedford, VA, under an FCC experimental license issued to Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, with a power of 3 kW.<br />
* Austria: 70.045 MHz is allocated to the OE5QL beacon.<br />
* Hong Kong: 71.757 MHz is allocated to the VR2FOUR beacon.<br />
<br />
==VHF/UHF beacons==<br />
[[Image:GB3VHF-rack.jpg|thumb|right|GB3VHF propagation beacon (144 MHz)]]<br />
Beacons on 144&nbsp;MHz and higher frequencies are mainly used to identify tropospheric radio propagation openings. It is not uncommon for VHF and UHF beacons to use directional antennas. Frequency allocations for beacons on VHF and UHF bands vary widely in different ITU/IARU regions and countries. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Band<br />
! colspan="3" | Beacon Sub-band (MHz)<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! R1<br />
! R2<br />
! R3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 2&nbsp;m<br />
| align="center" | 144.400-144.490<br />
| align="center" | 144.275–144.300<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 1.25&nbsp;m<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
| align="center" | 222.050–222.060<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 70&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 432.800-432.990<br />
| align="center" | 432.300–432.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 33&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
| align="center" | Varies Locally<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 23&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 1,296.800-1,296.990<br />
| align="center" | 1,296.070-1,296.080<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 13&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 2,320.800-2,320.990<br />
| align="center" | 2,304.300-2,304.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The current allocation in the United Kingdom, which also reflects IARU Region 1 recommendations, is the following:<sup>[4]</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Band<br />
! Beacon allocation (kHz)<br />
|-<br />
| 4 m<br />
| 70,000-70,030<br />
|-<br />
| 2 m<br />
| 144,400-144,490<br />
|-<br />
| 70&nbsp;cm<br />
| 432,800-432,990<br />
|-<br />
| 23&nbsp;cm<br />
| 1296,800-1296,990<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==SHF and microwave beacons==<br />
<br />
In addition to identifying propagation, microwave beacons are also used as signal sources to test and calibrate antennas and receivers. SHF beacons are not as common as beacons on the lower bands, and beacons above the 3 cm (10 GHz) band are unusual.<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Band<br />
! colspan="3" | Beacon Sub-band (MHz)<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! R1<br />
! R2<br />
! R3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 9&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 3,400.800-3,400.995<br />
| align="center" | 3,456.300-3,456.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 5&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 5,760.800-5,760.995<br />
| align="center" | 5,760.300-5,760.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 3&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 10,368.800-10,368.995<br />
| align="center" | 10,368.300-10,368.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 1.2&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" colspan="3"| Beacons are rare<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Beacon projects==<br />
<br />
Most radio propagation beacons are operated by individual radio amateurs or amateur radio societies and clubs. As a result, there are frequent additions and deletions to the lists of beacons. There are, however a few major projects coordinated by organizations like the [[International Telecommunications Union]] and the International Amateur Radio Union.<br />
<br />
===IARU Beacon Project===<br />
[[Image:IARU.gif|left|50px|url="http://www.darc.de"]]<br />
The International Beacon Project (IBP), which is coordinated by the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), consists of 18 HF propagation beacons worldwide, which transmit in turns on 14100&nbsp;kHz, 18110&nbsp;kHz, 21150&nbsp;kHz, 24930&nbsp;kHz, and 28200&nbsp;kHz. <sup>[5]</sup> The IARU/NDXF beacons transmit in turns on the five designated frequencies according to the following schedule, which repeats every 3 minutes:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF" <br />
! Slot !! DXCC entity !! Call !! Location !! Latitude !! Longitude !! Grid Sq !! 14100 !! 18110 !! 21150 !! 24930 !! 28200 !! Operator<br />
|- <br />
| 01 || United Nations || 4U1UN || New York City || 40º 45' N || 73º 58' W || FN3ØAS || 00.00 || 00.10 || 00.20 || 00.30 || 00.40 || UNRC<br />
|-<br />
| 02 || Canada || VE8AT ||Eureka, Nunavut || 79º 59' N || 85º 57' W || EQ79AX || 00.10 || 00.20 || 00.30 || 00.40 || 00.50 || RAC<br />
|-<br />
| 03 || United States || W6WX || Mt. Umunhum || 37º 09' N || 121º 54' W || CM97BD || 00:20 || 00.30 || 00:40 || 00.50 || 01:00 || NCDXF<br />
|-<br />
| 04 || Hawaii || KH6WO || Laie || 21º 38' N || 157º 55' W || BL11AP || 00.30 || 00.40 || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || (Off)<br />
|-<br />
| 05 || New Zealand || ZL6B || Masterton || 41º 03' S || 175º 36' E || RE78TW || 00.40 || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || NZART<br />
|-<br />
| 06 || Australia || VK6RBP || Rolystone || 32º 06' S || 116º 03' E || OF87AV || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || WIA<br />
|-<br />
| 07 || Japan || JA2IGY || Mt. Asama || 34º 27' N || 136º 47' E || PM84JK || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || JARL<br />
|-<br />
| 08 || Russia || RR9O || Novosibirsk || 54º 59' N || 82º 54' E || NO14KX || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || SRR<br />
|-<br />
| 09 || Hong Kong || VR2B || Hong Kong || 22º 16' N || 114º 09' E || OL72BG || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || 02.00 || HARTS<br />
|-<br />
| 10 || Sri Lanka || 4S7B || Colombo || 6º 6' N || 80º 13' E || NJ06CC || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || 02.00 || 02.10 || RSSL<br />
|-<br />
| 11 || South Africa || ZS6DN || Pretoria || 25º 54' S || 28º 16' E || KG44DC || 01:40 || 01.50 || 02:00 || 02:10 || 02:20 || ZS6DN<br />
|-<br />
| 12 || Kenya || 5Z4B || Kariobangi || 1º 15' S || 36º 53' E || KI88KS || 01.50 || 02.00 || 02.10 || 02.20 || 02.30 || ARSC<br />
|-<br />
| 13 || Israel || 4X6TU || Tel Aviv || 32º 03' N || 34º 46' E || KM72JB || 02:00 || 02:10 || 02:20 || 02.30 || 02:40 || IARC<br />
|-<br />
| 14 || Finland || OH2B || Lohja || 60º 19' N || 24º 50' E || KP2Ø || 02:10 || 02:20 || 02:30 || 02:40 || 02:50 || SRAL<br />
|-<br />
| 15 || Madeira || CS3B || Santo da Serra || 32º 43' N || 16º 48' W || IM12OR || 02.20 || 02.30 || 02.40 || 02.50 || 00.00 || ARRM <br />
|-<br />
| 16 || Argentina || LU4AA || Buenos Aires || 34º 37' S || 58º 21' W || GFØ5TJ || 02:30 || 02:40 || 02:50 || 00.00 || 00:10 || ARC<br />
|-<br />
| 17 || Peru || OA4B || Lima || 12º 04' S || 76º 57' W || FH17MW || 02.40 || 02.50 || 00.00 || 00.10 || 00.20 || RCP<br />
|-<br />
| 18 || Venezuela || YV5B || Caracas || 10º 25' N || 66º 51' W || FK6ØNJ || 02:50 || 00.00 || 00:10 || 00:20 || 00:30 || RCV<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
<br />
===ITU sponsored beacons===<br />
<br />
As part of an International Telecommunications Union-funded project, radio propagation beacons were installed by national authorities at Sveio, Norway (callsign LN2A, 59.6042<sup>0</sup>N - 5.29167<sup>0</sup>E) and at Darwin, Australia (callsign VL8IPS, 12.6042<sup>0</sup>S - 131.2920<sup>0</sup>E). The beacons operated on frequencies 5471.5&nbsp;kHz, 7871.5&nbsp;kHz, 10408.5&nbsp;kHz, 14396.5&nbsp;kHz, and 20948.5&nbsp;kHz.<sup>[6]</sup> Since 2002, there have been no reception reports for these beacons and the relevant ITU web pages have been removed. <sup>[7]</sup><br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
| '''HF Field-Strength measurement campaign'''<br />
<br />
For a number of years, ITU-R Study Group 3 has been promoting a world-wide HF field-strength measurement campaign, the impetus for which arose from WARC HFBC-87 and the request for improved accuracy in HF propagation prediction. At that time, the Study Group recognised that significant improvements in HF propagation prediction methods needed a substantial body of new measurement data and to that end, administrations and organisations were invited to participate in the measurement campaign, either by installing suitable transmitters or by collecting long-term data from appropriate receiving systems. The campaign is specified in Recommendation ITU-R P.845 'HF field-strength measurement' and comprises a world-wide network of transmitters and receivers using coded transmissions on pre-determined frequencies.<br />
<br />
The reasons for the campaign and the continuing need for participation in it, are underlined in Resolution ITU-R 27 (HF field-strength measurement campaign). So far, regular transmissions are being provided by the Administrations of Australia and Norway. Details of the transmitter in Norway, operated by the Norwegian Telecommunications Authority and Telenor Broadcasting, are given below: <br />
<br />
'''Radio Beacon LN2A'''<br />
<br />
* Identification signal (Morse code): LN2A <br />
* Location: Sveio, Norway 59 deg 37 min N, 5 deg 19 min E <br />
* Hours of transmission: 24 hours per day <br />
* Assigned frequencies: 5471.225 kHz, 7871.225 kHz, 10408.225 kHz, 14396.225 kHz and 20946.225 kHz<br />
* Reference frequencies, corresponding to suppressed carrier frequencies when using suppressed carrier SSB techniques: 5470 kHz, 7870 kHz, 10407 kHz, 14395 kHz and 20945 kHz<br />
* Transmitter: ICOM IC 725 transceiver, IC-4KL PA <br />
* Transmitted power: approximately 1 kW on all frequencies <br />
* Antenna: 5 band trap vertical monopole <br />
* Mode: Suppressed carrier SSB, with the reference frequencies (suppressed carrier frequencies) 1225 Hz below the assigned frequencies, with the FSK "mark" 800 Hz above the reference frequency, and the FSK "space" 1650 Hz above the reference frequency. <br />
* Signal duration and format: as specified in Recommendation ITU-R P.845; 4 min for each frequency, 20 min for all five frequencies according to the following schedule: <br />
<br />
{|<br />
! Reference frequency (kHz) !! Minutes after each hour<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 14395 || align="center" | 00 - 20 - 40 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 20945 || align="center" | 04 - 24 - 44 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 5470 || align="center" | 08 - 28 - 48 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 7870 || align="center" | 12 - 32 - 52 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 10407 || align="center" | 16 - 36 - 56<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Administrations and organizations participating in the work of ITU-R are invited to consider the possibility of participating in the campaign, either through the provision of transmissions or by the collection of field strength measurement data, both in accordance with the specifications given in Recommendation ITU-R P.845. For further details on the campaign, including the availability of a suitable receiving system, please contact the ITU-R Counsellor for Study Group 3 (Dr. Kevin A. Hughes) at ITU Headquarters, in Geneva.<br />
<br />
The Norwegian Telecommunications Authority and Telenor Broadcasting would be pleased to acknowledge reception reports of LN2A with a QSL card.<br />
<br />
The contact address is:<br />
<br />
Norwegian Telecommunications Authority (Att. AYO/TF)<BR><br />
P O Box 447 Sentrum<BR><br />
N-0104 Oslo <BR><br />
Norway <BR><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===DARC beacon project===<br />
[[Image:DARC.png|left|50px]]<br />
[[Image:DRA5-QSL.jpg|right|200px]]<br />
The [[Deutscher Amateur Radio Club]] (DARC) sponsors two beacons which transmit from Scheggerott, near Kiel (54.6875<sup>0</sup>N - 9.79167<sup>0</sup>E, JO44VQ). <sup>[8]</sup> These beacons are DRA5 on 5195&nbsp;kHz and DK0WCY on 10144&nbsp;kHz. In addition to identification and location, every 10 minutes these beacons transmit solar, geomagnetic and ionospheric bulletins. Transmissions are in Morse code (CW) for aural reception, [[RTTY]] (45 baud 170 Hz at HH+10) and [[PSK31]] (at HH+50). <sup>[9]</sup> DK0WCY operates also a limited service beacon on 3579&nbsp;kHz at 0720-0900 and 1600-1900 local time.<br />
<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
<br />
===RSGB 5 MHz beacon project===<br />
[[Image:RSGB-Logo.png|left|50px]]<br />
The [[Radio Society of Great Britain]] (RSGB) operates three radio propagation beacons on 5290&nbsp;kHz, which transmit in sequence, for one minute each, every 15 minutes. The project includes GB3RAL near Didcot (51.5625<sup>0</sup>N - 1.29167<sup>0</sup>W, IO91IN), GB3WES in Cumbria (54.5625<sup>0</sup>N - 2.625<sup>0</sup>W, IO84QN) and GB3ORK in the Orkney Islands (59.0208<sup>0</sup>N - 3.20833<sup>0</sup>W, IO89JA). <br />
<br />
Beacon GB3RAL, which is located at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, also transmits continuously on 28215&nbsp;kHz and on a number of low VHF frequencies (40050, 50053, 60053 and 70053&nbsp;kHz).<sup>[10]</sup><br />
<br />
==Notes and references==<br />
[[Image:QSL-N7LT-BCN.jpg|thumb|right|QSL card from beacon N7LT/BCN on 28248.5 kHz]]<br />
# Andy Talbot, G4JNT: "Amateur Beacons", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, '''3'''(5), pp.56-58 (May 2008). The article includes the following definition for beacons licensed in the Amateur Radio service: ''A station in the Amateur Service or Amateur Satellite Service that autonomously transmits in a fixed format, which may include repeated data or information, for the study of propagation, determination of frequency or bearing, or for other experimental purposes''.<br />
# Andy Talbot, G4JNT: "Amateur Beacons", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, '''3'''(8), pp. 30-33 (August =2008)<br />
# [http://www.iaru-r2.org/wp-content/uploads/region-2-mf-hf-bandplan-e.pdf New IARU Region 2 bandplan introduced in January 2008]<br />
# [http://www.qsl.net/g3yrc/Bandplans/UK%20VHF.htm Amateur Radio UK VHF Bandplan], Great Yarmouth Radio Club<br />
# [http://www.ncdxf.org/pages/beacons.html International Beacon Project] by the Northern California DX Foundation (2008)<br />
# [http://www.ham-radio.nl/bakenshf/baken0-20mhz.htm HF 0-20 MHz beacons]<br />
# [http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/res/R-RES-R.27-1993-PDF-E.pdf ITU Resolution ITU-R 27/1993: HF Field-strength measurement campaign] (PDF) <br />
# [http://www.dk0wcy.de/ Aurora beacon DKØWCY] by Deutscher Amateur-Radio-Club e.V.([[DARC]]), 2004.<br />
# Pat Hawker, G3VA: "The DK0WCY/DRA5 Propagation Beacons", ''Technical Topics Scrapbook - All 50 years'', [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], ISBN 9781-9050-8639-9, pp. 98 (2008)<br />
# Mike Willis, G0MJW: "The GB3RAL VHF Beacon cluster", ''RadCom'', '''84'''(04), [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], pp. 65-59, April 2008<br />
# The Four meters website: [http://www.70mhz.org/beacons.htm 70 MHz beacon list]<br />
# The Four meters website: [http://www.70mhz.org/bandplan_uk.htm RSGB 4m bandplan]<br />
# Southgate Amateur Radio Club: [http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2011/lx0hf_beacon.htm Luxembourg 60m beacon LX0HF]<br />
# [http://www.radioamateurs-online.fr/2011/03/luxembourg-une-balise-sur-60m-lx0hf/ Luxembourg: Une balise sur 60m LX0HF] Radioamateurs-Online, March 11, 2011.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Ionosonde]]<br />
* [[Radio beacon]]<br />
* [[JG2XA]]: AN HF Doppler investigation beacon project.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
[[Image:IK0WRB-beacon10.png|thumb|right|IK0WRB beacon keyer schematic]]<br />
* [http://www.ncdxf.org/beacons.html IARU/NDXF International Beacon Project]<br />
* Ken Reitz, KS4ZR: "[http://www.monitoringtimes.com/MT-10meters.pdf Exploring the World of 10 Meter Beacons]", ''[[Monitoring Times]]'', May 2007, pages 14-16.<br />
* R.Wilkinson, G6GVI, S.Cooper, GM4AFF, & B. Hansen, OZ2M: "[http://www.70mhz.org/beacons.htm The 70 MHz Beacon List]", ''The Four Metres Website'', 2008.<br />
* Martin Harrison, G3USF: [http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/28.htm Worldwide List of HF Beacons].<br />
* Martin Harrison, G3USF: [http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/50.htm Worldwide List of 50 Beacons].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BEACON.TXT List of active HF Amateur Radio Beacons].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BCNADD.TXT Additional HF Beacon Information].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BCNQRT.TXT Inactive HF Beacons].<br />
* John Jaminet, W3HMS and Charlie Heisler, K3VDB: "Building a beacon for 2401 MHz", ''CQ VHF'', '''10'''(3), CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 1085-0708, pages 44–46, 2007.<br />
* Andrew Talbot, G4JNT: [http://www.g4jnt.com/5MHzBcnsWeb.pdf Design and building of the 5 MHz beacons, GB3RAL, GB3WES and GB3ORK].<br />
* Andrew Talbot, G4JNT: [http://www.g4jnt.com/BeaconPres-2.ppt The Next Generation of Beacons for the 21st century] (PPT format).<br />
* UK Microwave Group (UKMuG): [http://www.microwavers.org/indexb.htm UK Amateur Radio & Microwave Beacons].<br />
* [http://www.g0afh.com/gb3vhf/index.html GB3VHF – a beacon designed for the 21st Century]<br />
* [http://web.tiscalinet.it/vcoletti/pic/keyer/beacon.html IK0WRB beacon keyer], based on a PIC16F84 microcontroller.<br />
* [http://www.dk0wcy.de/ Aurora Beacon DK0WCY]<br />
* [http://www.oz1fjb.dk/page_1269782382686.html OV1BCN]: a new HF propagation beacon on 5290.5 kHz. <br />
* [http://users.telenet.be/BEACONCLUSTER/home.html BEACONCLUSTER] worldwide beacon maps by Richard Kaminski ON4CJU.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Radio_propagation_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Radio_propagation_beaconRadio propagation beacon2011-03-23T06:44:20Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Further reading */ ON4CJU</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:DK0WCY-station.jpg|thumb|right|DK0WCY & DRA5 beacons]]<br />
A '''radio propagation beacon''' is a [[radio beacon]], which is used for investigating the propagation of radio signals. Most radio propagation beacons use [[amateur radio]] frequencies. They can be found on HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave frequencies. Microwave beacons are also used as signal sources to test and calibrate antennas and receivers.<sup>[1]</sup> <sup>[2]</sup><br />
<br />
==Transmission characteristics==<br />
<br />
Most beacons operate in continuous wave (CW or A1A) and transmit their identification (callsign and location). Some of them send long dashes to facilitate signal strength measurement. A small number of beacons transmit Morse code by frequency shift keying (F1A). A few beacons transmit signals in digital modulation modes, like [[RTTY|radioteletype]] (F1B) and [[PSK31]] (G1B).<br />
<br />
FT-897, a budget HF tranceiver produced by Yaesu/Vertex, has a programmable beacon mode and is used in some temporary propagation beacon installations.<br />
<br />
==160 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
The IARU Region 2 (North and South America) bandplan reserves the range 1999&nbsp;kHz to 2000&nbsp;kHz for propagation beacons.<br />
<br />
==60 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
In addition to the DARC and RSBG beacon projects on 5195 and 5290 kHz (see below), Eddie Bellerby of [[UDXF]] discovered in March 2011 a new CW beacon on 5206 kHz, sending LX0HF, presumably from Luxembourg.<sup>[13]</sup> Further intelligence indicates that the beacon is operated by Philippe LX2A/LX7I of the Luxembourg Amateur Radio Society.<sup>[14]</sup> Two more european beacons are listed on 5 MHz, OV1BCN on 5290 kHz, operated by OZ1FJB and OK1IF on 5258.5 kHz from the Czech Republic, though their current status is unclear.<br />
<br />
==10 meters beacons==<br />
<br />
Most HF radio propagation beacons are found in the 10 meters (28&nbsp;MHz) frequency band, where they are good indicators of Sporadic E ionospheric propagation. According to IARU bandplans, the following 28&nbsp;MHz frequencies are allocated to radio propagation beacons:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! IARU Region<br />
! Beacon allocations<br />
|-<br />
| R1<br />
|<br />
* 28190-28199 Regional Time Shared<br />
* 28199-28201 WW Time Shared<br />
* 28201-28225 Continuous Duty<br />
|-<br />
| R2<sup>[3]</sup><br />
|<br />
* 28190-28199 Regional Time Shared<br />
* 28199-28201 IBP/NCDXF<br />
* 28201-28225 Beacons, continuous duty<br />
* 28225-28300 Shared<br />
|-<br />
| R3<br />
|<br />
* 28190-28200 IBP<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==40 MHz beacons==<br />
* The first radio propagation beacon on 40 MHz was OZ7IGY in Jystrup, Denmark (JO55WM) and transmits on 40021 kHz. Transmitted power is 22 W to a dipole antenna. Modulation is F1A keying (frequency Shift Keying), with a shift of 250 Hz. [http://www.oz7igy.dk/]<br />
* The [[Radio Society of Great Britain]] has a license for beacon transmissions from GB3RAL (Didcot, UK) on 40050 & 60050&nbsp;kHz.<br />
<br />
==6 meters (50 MHz) beacons==<br />
[[Image:LX0FOUR antenna.jpg|thumb|right|Antenna tower of LX0SIX and LX0FOUR beacons]]<br />
In the 6 meters (50&nbsp;MHz) band, beacons operate in the lower part of the band, in the range 50000&nbsp;kHz to 50080&nbsp;kHz. The ARRL bandplan recommends 50060&nbsp; to 50080&nbsp;kHz for beacons in the United States. Due to unpredictable and intermittent long distance propagation, usually achieved by a combination of ionospheric conditions, beacons are very important in providing early warning for 50&nbsp;MHz openings.<br />
<br />
==4 meters (70 MHz) beacons==<br />
<br />
===General beacon operations===<br />
Numerous beacons operate on 70 MHz in recent years. Their main purrpose is to dected the relativley rare and extreme Es (sporadic E) opennings, which exceed 70 MHz.<br />
<br />
There is no definite international beacon allocation, due to various countries having different [[amateur radio]] allocations in this band. Generally beacons operate near the bottom end (70.000-70.100 MHz).<sup>(11) (12)</sup>. Most respect the [[RSGB]] bandplan, staying below 70.050 MHz.<br />
<br />
* 70.000-70.050 MHz: UK beacon allocation, including personal beacons on 70.030 MHz<br />
<br />
===Special beacon allocations===<br />
* USA: 70.005 MHz is allocated to the WE9XFT beacon. Transmits from Bedford, VA, under an FCC experimental license issued to Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, with a power of 3 kW.<br />
* Austria: 70.045 MHz is allocated to the OE5QL beacon.<br />
* Hong Kong: 71.757 MHz is allocated to the VR2FOUR beacon.<br />
<br />
==VHF/UHF beacons==<br />
[[Image:GB3VHF-rack.jpg|thumb|right|GB3VHF propagation beacon (144 MHz)]]<br />
Beacons on 144&nbsp;MHz and higher frequencies are mainly used to identify tropospheric radio propagation openings. It is not uncommon for VHF and UHF beacons to use directional antennas. Frequency allocations for beacons on VHF and UHF bands vary widely in different ITU/IARU regions and countries. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Band<br />
! colspan="3" | Beacon Sub-band (MHz)<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! R1<br />
! R2<br />
! R3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 2&nbsp;m<br />
| align="center" | 144.400-144.490<br />
| align="center" | 144.275–144.300<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 1.25&nbsp;m<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
| align="center" | 222.050–222.060<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 70&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 432.800-432.990<br />
| align="center" | 432.300–432.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 33&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
| align="center" | Varies Locally<br />
| align="center" | N/A<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 23&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 1,296.800-1,296.990<br />
| align="center" | 1,296.070-1,296.080<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 13&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 2,320.800-2,320.990<br />
| align="center" | 2,304.300-2,304.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The current allocation in the United Kingdom, which also reflects IARU Region 1 recommendations, is the following:<sup>[4]</sup><br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! Band<br />
! Beacon allocation (kHz)<br />
|-<br />
| 4 m<br />
| 70,000-70,030<br />
|-<br />
| 2 m<br />
| 144,400-144,490<br />
|-<br />
| 70&nbsp;cm<br />
| 432,800-432,990<br />
|-<br />
| 23&nbsp;cm<br />
| 1296,800-1296,990<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==SHF and microwave beacons==<br />
<br />
In addition to identifying propagation, microwave beacons are also used as signal sources to test and calibrate antennas and receivers. SHF beacons are not as common as beacons on the lower bands, and beacons above the 3 cm (10 GHz) band are unusual.<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! rowspan="2" | Band<br />
! colspan="3" | Beacon Sub-band (MHz)<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
! R1<br />
! R2<br />
! R3<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 9&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 3,400.800-3,400.995<br />
| align="center" | 3,456.300-3,456.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 5&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 5,760.800-5,760.995<br />
| align="center" | 5,760.300-5,760.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 3&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" | 10,368.800-10,368.995<br />
| align="center" | 10,368.300-10,368.400<br />
| align="center" | Unknown<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 1.2&nbsp;cm<br />
| align="center" colspan="3"| Beacons are rare<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Beacon projects==<br />
<br />
Most radio propagation beacons are operated by individual radio amateurs or amateur radio societies and clubs. As a result, there are frequent additions and deletions to the lists of beacons. There are, however a few major projects coordinated by organizations like the [[International Telecommunications Union]] and the International Amateur Radio Union.<br />
<br />
===IARU Beacon Project===<br />
[[Image:IARU.gif|left|50px|url="http://www.darc.de"]]<br />
The International Beacon Project (IBP), which is coordinated by the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), consists of 18 HF propagation beacons worldwide, which transmit in turns on 14100&nbsp;kHz, 18110&nbsp;kHz, 21150&nbsp;kHz, 24930&nbsp;kHz, and 28200&nbsp;kHz. <sup>[5]</sup> The IARU/NDXF beacons transmit in turns on the five designated frequencies according to the following schedule, which repeats every 3 minutes:<br />
<br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF" <br />
! Slot !! DXCC entity !! Call !! Location !! Latitude !! Longitude !! Grid Sq !! 14100 !! 18110 !! 21150 !! 24930 !! 28200 !! Operator<br />
|- <br />
| 01 || United Nations || 4U1UN || New York City || 40º 45' N || 73º 58' W || FN3ØAS || 00.00 || 00.10 || 00.20 || 00.30 || 00.40 || UNRC<br />
|-<br />
| 02 || Canada || VE8AT ||Eureka, Nunavut || 79º 59' N || 85º 57' W || EQ79AX || 00.10 || 00.20 || 00.30 || 00.40 || 00.50 || RAC<br />
|-<br />
| 03 || United States || W6WX || Mt. Umunhum || 37º 09' N || 121º 54' W || CM97BD || 00:20 || 00.30 || 00:40 || 00.50 || 01:00 || NCDXF<br />
|-<br />
| 04 || Hawaii || KH6WO || Laie || 21º 38' N || 157º 55' W || BL11AP || 00.30 || 00.40 || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || (Off)<br />
|-<br />
| 05 || New Zealand || ZL6B || Masterton || 41º 03' S || 175º 36' E || RE78TW || 00.40 || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || NZART<br />
|-<br />
| 06 || Australia || VK6RBP || Rolystone || 32º 06' S || 116º 03' E || OF87AV || 00.50 || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || WIA<br />
|-<br />
| 07 || Japan || JA2IGY || Mt. Asama || 34º 27' N || 136º 47' E || PM84JK || 01.00 || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || JARL<br />
|-<br />
| 08 || Russia || RR9O || Novosibirsk || 54º 59' N || 82º 54' E || NO14KX || 01.10 || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || SRR<br />
|-<br />
| 09 || Hong Kong || VR2B || Hong Kong || 22º 16' N || 114º 09' E || OL72BG || 01.20 || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || 02.00 || HARTS<br />
|-<br />
| 10 || Sri Lanka || 4S7B || Colombo || 6º 6' N || 80º 13' E || NJ06CC || 01.30 || 01.40 || 01.50 || 02.00 || 02.10 || RSSL<br />
|-<br />
| 11 || South Africa || ZS6DN || Pretoria || 25º 54' S || 28º 16' E || KG44DC || 01:40 || 01.50 || 02:00 || 02:10 || 02:20 || ZS6DN<br />
|-<br />
| 12 || Kenya || 5Z4B || Kariobangi || 1º 15' S || 36º 53' E || KI88KS || 01.50 || 02.00 || 02.10 || 02.20 || 02.30 || ARSC<br />
|-<br />
| 13 || Israel || 4X6TU || Tel Aviv || 32º 03' N || 34º 46' E || KM72JB || 02:00 || 02:10 || 02:20 || 02.30 || 02:40 || IARC<br />
|-<br />
| 14 || Finland || OH2B || Lohja || 60º 19' N || 24º 50' E || KP2Ø || 02:10 || 02:20 || 02:30 || 02:40 || 02:50 || SRAL<br />
|-<br />
| 15 || Madeira || CS3B || Santo da Serra || 32º 43' N || 16º 48' W || IM12OR || 02.20 || 02.30 || 02.40 || 02.50 || 00.00 || ARRM <br />
|-<br />
| 16 || Argentina || LU4AA || Buenos Aires || 34º 37' S || 58º 21' W || GFØ5TJ || 02:30 || 02:40 || 02:50 || 00.00 || 00:10 || ARC<br />
|-<br />
| 17 || Peru || OA4B || Lima || 12º 04' S || 76º 57' W || FH17MW || 02.40 || 02.50 || 00.00 || 00.10 || 00.20 || RCP<br />
|-<br />
| 18 || Venezuela || YV5B || Caracas || 10º 25' N || 66º 51' W || FK6ØNJ || 02:50 || 00.00 || 00:10 || 00:20 || 00:30 || RCV<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
<br />
===ITU sponsored beacons===<br />
<br />
As part of an International Telecommunications Union-funded project, radio propagation beacons were installed by national authorities at Sveio, Norway (callsign LN2A, 59.6042<sup>0</sup>N - 5.29167<sup>0</sup>E) and at Darwin, Australia (callsign VL8IPS, 12.6042<sup>0</sup>S - 131.2920<sup>0</sup>E). The beacons operated on frequencies 5471.5&nbsp;kHz, 7871.5&nbsp;kHz, 10408.5&nbsp;kHz, 14396.5&nbsp;kHz, and 20948.5&nbsp;kHz.<sup>[6]</sup> Since 2002, there have been no reception reports for these beacons and the relevant ITU web pages have been removed. <sup>[7]</sup><br />
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"<br />
|- style="background: #E7E7FF"<br />
| '''HF Field-Strength measurement campaign'''<br />
<br />
For a number of years, ITU-R Study Group 3 has been promoting a world-wide HF field-strength measurement campaign, the impetus for which arose from WARC HFBC-87 and the request for improved accuracy in HF propagation prediction. At that time, the Study Group recognised that significant improvements in HF propagation prediction methods needed a substantial body of new measurement data and to that end, administrations and organisations were invited to participate in the measurement campaign, either by installing suitable transmitters or by collecting long-term data from appropriate receiving systems. The campaign is specified in Recommendation ITU-R P.845 'HF field-strength measurement' and comprises a world-wide network of transmitters and receivers using coded transmissions on pre-determined frequencies.<br />
<br />
The reasons for the campaign and the continuing need for participation in it, are underlined in Resolution ITU-R 27 (HF field-strength measurement campaign). So far, regular transmissions are being provided by the Administrations of Australia and Norway. Details of the transmitter in Norway, operated by the Norwegian Telecommunications Authority and Telenor Broadcasting, are given below: <br />
<br />
'''Radio Beacon LN2A'''<br />
<br />
* Identification signal (Morse code): LN2A <br />
* Location: Sveio, Norway 59 deg 37 min N, 5 deg 19 min E <br />
* Hours of transmission: 24 hours per day <br />
* Assigned frequencies: 5471.225 kHz, 7871.225 kHz, 10408.225 kHz, 14396.225 kHz and 20946.225 kHz<br />
* Reference frequencies, corresponding to suppressed carrier frequencies when using suppressed carrier SSB techniques: 5470 kHz, 7870 kHz, 10407 kHz, 14395 kHz and 20945 kHz<br />
* Transmitter: ICOM IC 725 transceiver, IC-4KL PA <br />
* Transmitted power: approximately 1 kW on all frequencies <br />
* Antenna: 5 band trap vertical monopole <br />
* Mode: Suppressed carrier SSB, with the reference frequencies (suppressed carrier frequencies) 1225 Hz below the assigned frequencies, with the FSK "mark" 800 Hz above the reference frequency, and the FSK "space" 1650 Hz above the reference frequency. <br />
* Signal duration and format: as specified in Recommendation ITU-R P.845; 4 min for each frequency, 20 min for all five frequencies according to the following schedule: <br />
<br />
{|<br />
! Reference frequency (kHz) !! Minutes after each hour<br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 14395 || align="center" | 00 - 20 - 40 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 20945 || align="center" | 04 - 24 - 44 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 5470 || align="center" | 08 - 28 - 48 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 7870 || align="center" | 12 - 32 - 52 <br />
|-<br />
| align="center" | 10407 || align="center" | 16 - 36 - 56<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Administrations and organizations participating in the work of ITU-R are invited to consider the possibility of participating in the campaign, either through the provision of transmissions or by the collection of field strength measurement data, both in accordance with the specifications given in Recommendation ITU-R P.845. For further details on the campaign, including the availability of a suitable receiving system, please contact the ITU-R Counsellor for Study Group 3 (Dr. Kevin A. Hughes) at ITU Headquarters, in Geneva.<br />
<br />
The Norwegian Telecommunications Authority and Telenor Broadcasting would be pleased to acknowledge reception reports of LN2A with a QSL card.<br />
<br />
The contact address is:<br />
<br />
Norwegian Telecommunications Authority (Att. AYO/TF)<BR><br />
P O Box 447 Sentrum<BR><br />
N-0104 Oslo <BR><br />
Norway <BR><br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===DARC beacon project===<br />
[[Image:DARC.png|left|50px]]<br />
[[Image:DRA5-QSL.jpg|right|200px]]<br />
The [[Deutscher Amateur Radio Club]] (DARC) sponsors two beacons which transmit from Scheggerott, near Kiel (54.6875<sup>0</sup>N - 9.79167<sup>0</sup>E, JO44VQ). <sup>[8]</sup> These beacons are DRA5 on 5195&nbsp;kHz and DK0WCY on 10144&nbsp;kHz. In addition to identification and location, every 10 minutes these beacons transmit solar, geomagnetic and ionospheric bulletins. Transmissions are in Morse code (CW) for aural reception, [[RTTY]] (45 baud 170 Hz at HH+10) and [[PSK31]] (at HH+50). <sup>[9]</sup> DK0WCY operates also a limited service beacon on 3579&nbsp;kHz at 0720-0900 and 1600-1900 local time.<br />
<br />
{{Clear}}<br />
<br />
===RSGB 5 MHz beacon project===<br />
[[Image:RSGB-Logo.png|left|50px]]<br />
The [[Radio Society of Great Britain]] (RSGB) operates three radio propagation beacons on 5290&nbsp;kHz, which transmit in sequence, for one minute each, every 15 minutes. The project includes GB3RAL near Didcot (51.5625<sup>0</sup>N - 1.29167<sup>0</sup>W, IO91IN), GB3WES in Cumbria (54.5625<sup>0</sup>N - 2.625<sup>0</sup>W, IO84QN) and GB3ORK in the Orkney Islands (59.0208<sup>0</sup>N - 3.20833<sup>0</sup>W, IO89JA). <br />
<br />
Beacon GB3RAL, which is located at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, also transmits continuously on 28215&nbsp;kHz and on a number of low VHF frequencies (40050, 50053, 60053 and 70053&nbsp;kHz).<sup>[10]</sup><br />
<br />
==Notes and references==<br />
[[Image:QSL-N7LT-BCN.jpg|thumb|right|QSL card from beacon N7LT/BCN on 28248.5 kHz]]<br />
# Andy Talbot, G4JNT: "Amateur Beacons", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, '''3'''(5), pp.56-58 (May 2008). The article includes the following definition for beacons licensed in the Amateur Radio service: ''A station in the Amateur Service or Amateur Satellite Service that autonomously transmits in a fixed format, which may include repeated data or information, for the study of propagation, determination of frequency or bearing, or for other experimental purposes''.<br />
# Andy Talbot, G4JNT: "Amateur Beacons", ''[[Radio User]]'', ISSN 1748-8117, '''3'''(8), pp. 30-33 (August =2008)<br />
# [http://www.iaru-r2.org/wp-content/uploads/region-2-mf-hf-bandplan-e.pdf New IARU Region 2 bandplan introduced in January 2008]<br />
# [http://www.qsl.net/g3yrc/Bandplans/UK%20VHF.htm Amateur Radio UK VHF Bandplan], Great Yarmouth Radio Club<br />
# [http://www.ncdxf.org/pages/beacons.html International Beacon Project] by the Northern California DX Foundation (2008)<br />
# [http://www.ham-radio.nl/bakenshf/baken0-20mhz.htm HF 0-20 MHz beacons]<br />
# [http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/res/R-RES-R.27-1993-PDF-E.pdf ITU Resolution ITU-R 27/1993: HF Field-strength measurement campaign] (PDF) <br />
# [http://www.dk0wcy.de/ Aurora beacon DKØWCY] by Deutscher Amateur-Radio-Club e.V.([[DARC]]), 2004.<br />
# Pat Hawker, G3VA: "The DK0WCY/DRA5 Propagation Beacons", ''Technical Topics Scrapbook - All 50 years'', [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], ISBN 9781-9050-8639-9, pp. 98 (2008)<br />
# Mike Willis, G0MJW: "The GB3RAL VHF Beacon cluster", ''RadCom'', '''84'''(04), [[Radio Society of Great Britain]], pp. 65-59, April 2008<br />
# The Four meters website: [http://www.70mhz.org/beacons.htm 70 MHz beacon list]<br />
# The Four meters website: [http://www.70mhz.org/bandplan_uk.htm RSGB 4m bandplan]<br />
# Southgate Amateur Radio Club: [http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2011/lx0hf_beacon.htm Luxembourg 60m beacon LX0HF]<br />
# [http://www.radioamateurs-online.fr/2011/03/luxembourg-une-balise-sur-60m-lx0hf/ Luxembourg: Une balise sur 60m LX0HF] Radioamateurs-Online, March 11, 2011.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Ionosonde]]<br />
* [[Radio beacon]]<br />
* [[JG2XA]]: AN HF Doppler investigation beacon project.<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
[[Image:IK0WRB-beacon10.png|thumb|right|IK0WRB beacon keyer schematic]]<br />
* [http://www.ncdxf.org/beacons.html IARU/NDXF International Beacon Project]<br />
* Ken Reitz, KS4ZR: "[http://www.monitoringtimes.com/MT-10meters.pdf Exploring the World of 10 Meter Beacons]", ''[[Monitoring Times]]'', May 2007, pages 14-16.<br />
* R.Wilkinson, G6GVI, S.Cooper, GM4AFF, & B. Hansen, OZ2M: "[http://www.70mhz.org/beacons.htm The 70 MHz Beacon List]", ''The Four Metres Website'', 2008.<br />
* Martin Harrison, G3USF: [http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/28.htm Worldwide List of HF Beacons].<br />
* Martin Harrison, G3USF: [http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/50.htm Worldwide List of 50 Beacons].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BEACON.TXT List of active HF Amateur Radio Beacons].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BCNADD.TXT Additional HF Beacon Information].<br />
* Joost Schuitemaker, ZS5S: [http://users.iafrica.com/z/zs/zs5s/bulls/BCNQRT.TXT Inactive HF Beacons].<br />
* John Jaminet, W3HMS and Charlie Heisler, K3VDB: "Building a beacon for 2401 MHz", ''CQ VHF'', '''10'''(3), CQ Communications, Inc, ISSN 1085-0708, pages 44–46, 2007.<br />
* Andrew Talbot, G4JNT: [http://www.g4jnt.com/5MHzBcnsWeb.pdf Design and building of the 5 MHz beacons, GB3RAL, GB3WES and GB3ORK].<br />
* Andrew Talbot, G4JNT: [http://www.g4jnt.com/BeaconPres-2.ppt The Next Generation of Beacons for the 21st century] (PPT format).<br />
* UK Microwave Group (UKMuG): [http://www.microwavers.org/indexb.htm UK Amateur Radio & Microwave Beacons].<br />
* [http://www.g0afh.com/gb3vhf/index.html GB3VHF – a beacon designed for the 21st Century]<br />
* [http://web.tiscalinet.it/vcoletti/pic/keyer/beacon.html IK0WRB beacon keyer], based on a PIC16F84 microcontroller.<br />
* [http://www.dk0wcy.de/ Aurora Beacon DK0WCY]<br />
* [http://www.oz1fjb.dk/page_1269782382686.html OV1BCN]: a new HF propagation beacon on 5290.5 kHz. <br />
* [http://users.telenet.be/BEACONCLUSTER/home.html BEACONCLUSTER] worldwide beacon maps by Richard Kaminski ON4CJU.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Radio_propagation_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/High_Frequency_BeaconHigh Frequency Beacon2011-03-22T19:25:18Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Reported High Frequency Beacons */ dasher on 4056</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]] || presumably in Greece || 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 || WA || || Dasher <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]] || presumably in Greece || 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 />
| 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/Talk:Havana_MoonTalk:Havana Moon2011-03-21T20:06:01Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* The Death of Havana Moon (2) */</p>
<hr />
<div>==The Death of Havana Moon (1)== <br />
Roger Pettengill <br />
<br />
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave<BR><br />
From: r...@westnet.com (Roger Pettengill)<BR><br />
Date: 1996/02/15<BR><br />
Subject: The Death of Havana Moon<BR><br />
<br />
The man shortwave radio enthusiasts knew only as "Havana Moon" died on<br />
January 9th shortly after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. <br />
<br />
William T. "Bill" Godbey, KB2OOR, of Ossining, NY was born September<br />
5, 1936. For years as Havana Moon he wrote a monthly numbers station<br />
column for Monitoring Times titled "Los Numeros" and published pirate<br />
and numbers station newsletters under Moonbeam Publications. He and<br />
his wife Christine (known as "Kristin Kaye") ran a mail order company<br />
specializing in hobby radio items and later co-hosted the weekly<br />
"Signals" program on shortwave. In recent years they ran an Internet<br />
consulting business.<br />
<br />
The March issue of Monitoring Times magazine will include a tribute to<br />
"Havana Moon" and a biography written by Christine. <br />
<br />
Roger<br />
<br />
==The Death of Havana Moon (2)==<br />
<br />
From: r...@westnet.com (Roger Pettengill)<BR><br />
Date: 1996-02-17, 10:00<BR><br />
Groups: rec.radio.shortwave<BR><br />
Subject: Re: The Death of Havana Moon<BR><br />
<br />
Tony Calguire <calgu...@freenet.msp.mn.us> wrote:<br />
<br />
>On Thu, 15 Feb 1996, Roger Pettengill wrote:<br />
<br />
>> The man shortwave radio enthusiasts knew only as "Havana Moon" died on<BR><br />
>> January 9th shortly after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. <br />
<br />
> WOW! That is some news! Some of you may recall that I asked for<BR><br />
> information about the failure of "Signals" last October. I had intended<BR><br />
> to post most of the information I had gathered, but never got around to<BR><br />
> it. I suppose now would be a good time to post it. Does anybody who sent<BR><br />
> me information mind if I post it now? Is there anything you didn't want<BR><br />
> me to post back then, but now wouldn't mind?<BR><br />
<br />
Additional info since my post of Feb 15:<br />
<br />
According to the newspaper obituary, Bill was a retired US Navy<br />
officer and served with the Army Security Group in the late-50's and<br />
early 60's. He was a member of the Naval Cryptographic Veterans<br />
Association and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers.<br />
<br />
He was born Sept 5, 1936 in McCrory, Arkansas, attended schools there<br />
and graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro in 1958 with<br />
a degree in journalism. Before moving to NY he had lived in West Palm<br />
Beach, FL for 25 years and worked for Cox Enterprises (note: I'd seen<br />
a bio of him about a year ago that said he'd worked for Cox<br />
Communications). In addition to his fiancee, Christine, he is survived<br />
by a daughter, Jennifer Godbey of Tenneseee.<br />
<br />
Since leaving the hobby radio scene he and Christine have been running<br />
an Internet consulting business.<br />
<br />
According to reports, he had not been feeling well since last summer.<br />
Christine finally convinced him to see a doctor in the fall. One<br />
person I spoke with saw him at a Christmas party and said he seemed<br />
fine. He was admitted to the hospital New Year's Eve and died 10 days<br />
later.<br />
<br />
Roger</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Talk:Havana_MoonTalk:Havana Moon2011-03-21T20:05:24Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* The Death of Havana Moon (1) */</p>
<hr />
<div>==The Death of Havana Moon (1)== <br />
Roger Pettengill <br />
<br />
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave<BR><br />
From: r...@westnet.com (Roger Pettengill)<BR><br />
Date: 1996/02/15<BR><br />
Subject: The Death of Havana Moon<BR><br />
<br />
The man shortwave radio enthusiasts knew only as "Havana Moon" died on<br />
January 9th shortly after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. <br />
<br />
William T. "Bill" Godbey, KB2OOR, of Ossining, NY was born September<br />
5, 1936. For years as Havana Moon he wrote a monthly numbers station<br />
column for Monitoring Times titled "Los Numeros" and published pirate<br />
and numbers station newsletters under Moonbeam Publications. He and<br />
his wife Christine (known as "Kristin Kaye") ran a mail order company<br />
specializing in hobby radio items and later co-hosted the weekly<br />
"Signals" program on shortwave. In recent years they ran an Internet<br />
consulting business.<br />
<br />
The March issue of Monitoring Times magazine will include a tribute to<br />
"Havana Moon" and a biography written by Christine. <br />
<br />
Roger<br />
<br />
==The Death of Havana Moon (2)==<br />
<br />
From: r...@westnet.com (Roger Pettengill)<br />
Date: 1996-02-17, 10:00<br />
Groups: rec.radio.shortwave<br />
Subject: Re: The Death of Havana Moon<br />
<br />
Tony Calguire <calgu...@freenet.msp.mn.us> wrote:<br />
<br />
>On Thu, 15 Feb 1996, Roger Pettengill wrote:<br />
<br />
>> The man shortwave radio enthusiasts knew only as "Havana Moon" died on<br />
>> January 9th shortly after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. <br />
<br />
> WOW! That is some news! Some of you may recall that I asked for<br />
> information about the failure of "Signals" last October. I had intended<br />
> to post most of the information I had gathered, but never got around to<br />
> it. I suppose now would be a good time to post it. Does anybody who sent<br />
> me information mind if I post it now? Is there anything you didn't want<br />
> me to post back then, but now wouldn't mind?<br />
<br />
Additional info since my post of Feb 15:<br />
<br />
According to the newspaper obituary, Bill was a retired US Navy<br />
officer and served with the Army Security Group in the late-50's and<br />
early 60's. He was a member of the Naval Cryptographic Veterans<br />
Association and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers.<br />
<br />
He was born Sept 5, 1936 in McCrory, Arkansas, attended schools there<br />
and graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro in 1958 with<br />
a degree in journalism. Before moving to NY he had lived in West Palm<br />
Beach, FL for 25 years and worked for Cox Enterprises (note: I'd seen<br />
a bio of him about a year ago that said he'd worked for Cox<br />
Communications). In addition to his fiancee, Christine, he is survived<br />
by a daughter, Jennifer Godbey of Tenneseee.<br />
<br />
Since leaving the hobby radio scene he and Christine have been running<br />
an Internet consulting business.<br />
<br />
According to reports, he had not been feeling well since last summer.<br />
Christine finally convinced him to see a doctor in the fall. One<br />
person I spoke with saw him at a Christmas party and said he seemed<br />
fine. He was admitted to the hospital New Year's Eve and died 10 days<br />
later.<br />
<br />
Roger</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Talk:Havana_MoonTalk:Havana Moon2011-03-21T20:04:43Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: Old rec.radio.shortwave postings</p>
<hr />
<div>==The Death of Havana Moon (1)== <br />
Roger Pettengill <br />
<br />
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave<br />
From: r...@westnet.com (Roger Pettengill)<br />
Date: 1996/02/15<br />
Subject: The Death of Havana Moon<br />
<br />
The man shortwave radio enthusiasts knew only as "Havana Moon" died on<br />
January 9th shortly after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. <br />
<br />
William T. "Bill" Godbey, KB2OOR, of Ossining, NY was born September<br />
5, 1936. For years as Havana Moon he wrote a monthly numbers station<br />
column for Monitoring Times titled "Los Numeros" and published pirate<br />
and numbers station newsletters under Moonbeam Publications. He and<br />
his wife Christine (known as "Kristin Kaye") ran a mail order company<br />
specializing in hobby radio items and later co-hosted the weekly<br />
"Signals" program on shortwave. In recent years they ran an Internet<br />
consulting business.<br />
<br />
The March issue of Monitoring Times magazine will include a tribute to<br />
"Havana Moon" and a biography written by Christine. <br />
<br />
Roger<br />
<br />
<br />
==The Death of Havana Moon (2)==<br />
<br />
From: r...@westnet.com (Roger Pettengill)<br />
Date: 1996-02-17, 10:00<br />
Groups: rec.radio.shortwave<br />
Subject: Re: The Death of Havana Moon<br />
<br />
Tony Calguire <calgu...@freenet.msp.mn.us> wrote:<br />
<br />
>On Thu, 15 Feb 1996, Roger Pettengill wrote:<br />
<br />
>> The man shortwave radio enthusiasts knew only as "Havana Moon" died on<br />
>> January 9th shortly after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. <br />
<br />
> WOW! That is some news! Some of you may recall that I asked for<br />
> information about the failure of "Signals" last October. I had intended<br />
> to post most of the information I had gathered, but never got around to<br />
> it. I suppose now would be a good time to post it. Does anybody who sent<br />
> me information mind if I post it now? Is there anything you didn't want<br />
> me to post back then, but now wouldn't mind?<br />
<br />
Additional info since my post of Feb 15:<br />
<br />
According to the newspaper obituary, Bill was a retired US Navy<br />
officer and served with the Army Security Group in the late-50's and<br />
early 60's. He was a member of the Naval Cryptographic Veterans<br />
Association and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers.<br />
<br />
He was born Sept 5, 1936 in McCrory, Arkansas, attended schools there<br />
and graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro in 1958 with<br />
a degree in journalism. Before moving to NY he had lived in West Palm<br />
Beach, FL for 25 years and worked for Cox Enterprises (note: I'd seen<br />
a bio of him about a year ago that said he'd worked for Cox<br />
Communications). In addition to his fiancee, Christine, he is survived<br />
by a daughter, Jennifer Godbey of Tenneseee.<br />
<br />
Since leaving the hobby radio scene he and Christine have been running<br />
an Internet consulting business.<br />
<br />
According to reports, he had not been feeling well since last summer.<br />
Christine finally convinced him to see a doctor in the fall. One<br />
person I spoke with saw him at a Christmas party and said he seemed<br />
fine. He was admitted to the hospital New Year's Eve and died 10 days<br />
later.<br />
<br />
Roger</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Radio_beaconRadio beacon2011-03-18T04:06:00Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Further reading */ G4TMV update</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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==ILS marker beacons==<br />
<br />
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 on the dedicated frequency of 75&nbsp;MHz. This type of beacon is slowly phased-out and most new ILS installations have no marker beacons.<br />
<br />
==Radio propagation beacons==<br />
See ''[[Radio propagation beacon]]''<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Single letter HF beacons==<br />
See: ''[[Letter beacon]]''<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Space and satellite radio beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Driftnet buoy radio beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==Distress radiobeacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==AX.25 packet radio beacons==<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
==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 />
<br />
== See also==<br />
<br />
* [[Letter beacon]]<br />
* [[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
* [[HiFER]]<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]]<br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
<br />
* 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 />
<br />
{{CC-BY-SA-WP|Electric_beacon}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/WUNWUN2011-03-16T05:12:20Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: UDXF</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:WUN-logo-2.gif|right]]<br />
The '''Worldwide Utility News''' or '''WUN''' club was an internet based radio listeners club for Utility Signals under 30 MHz, which operated for over a decade, from January 1995 to March 2006. <br />
<br />
The club was founded by veteran utility DXers [[Rick Baker|Rick "RD" Baker]], James Pogue (KH2AR), [[Ary Boender]], Tony Orr (W6SAI), Jim Navary and Mike Woolfson, most of them coming over from the defunct [[SPEEDX]] club. They were later joined by Jason Berri, another SPEEDX veteran who maintained the WUN club website, Day Watson and many others.<br />
<br />
WUN operated a mailing list for exchange of ute logs. They published and distributed via e-mail a monthly newsletter with very rich content. Regular columns in the newsletter were:<br />
<br />
* International Civil Aero<br />
* Nautical News<br />
* Digital Review<br />
* The QSL Report<br />
* Utility Round-up<br />
* Numbers and Oddities (This column is still published independently [http://www.ary.luna.nl])<br />
* Government and Military Systems Frequency/Channel/Designators List<br />
* Product Review <br />
* Logs Column<br />
<br />
WUN also maintained an Official Club web site at http://www.wunclub.com/ This site is now defunct but it is still accessible at the [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.wunclub.com Web archive]. The web site, organized and maintained by Jason Berri, contained an archive with all bulletins and a number os ''Special Topic Reports'', extensive articles on very specific subjects. A mirror of the WUN web site is still available online at a russian host. The WUN website was awarded the 2nd Monitoring Times Internet Excellece Award [http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/mt_award.html] by the editor of [[Monitoring Times]].<br />
<br />
WUN survived until March 2006, when it folded as many key columnists of the newsletter and support stuff (Day Watson, Jason Berri and Ary Boender) retired and could not be replaced. It was succeeded by the [[Utility DXers Forum]] (UDXF) which is involved mainly in the exchange of utility logs via a mailing list and does not publish a bulletin.<br />
<br />
==Publications==<br />
* Trond Jacobsen: "[http://w5jgv.com/downloads/Worldwide%20ELF%20VLF%20Guide.pdf WUN ELF and VLF Guide]" (2001)<br />
* Stan Scalsky & Mike Chace: "[http://xoomer.virgilio.it/ham-radio-manuals/scanning/Digitalsignalsfaq.html Digital Signals FAQ Version: 5.0]" (1997)<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[SPEEDX]]<br />
* [[UDXF]]<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* http://www.wunclub.narod.ru/ A mirror of the final version of WUN website, preserved in Russia<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Radio societies]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Shortwave_Utility_StationsShortwave Utility Stations2011-03-16T05:11:05Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* External links */ UDXF</p>
<hr />
<div>Utility stations presumably serve a useful purpose, for example communication between ship and shore. Many of them only have scheduled broadcasts for a few minutes a day, making them interesting DX targets.<br />
<br />
== Marine ==<br />
<br />
* [[Northern Canada Coast Guard]]<br />
* [[Maritime Weather Transmissions]]<br />
* [[Maritime Fax Transmissions]]<br />
* [[RTTY maritime weather transmissions]]<br />
<br />
== Military ==<br />
* [[The Buzzer (UVB-76)]]<br />
* [[Letter beacon]] (MX)<br />
* [[OTHR]]<br />
<br />
== Aeronautical ==<br />
<br />
* [[FAA Flight Control/SELCALL]]<br />
* [[New York Radio]]<br />
* [[MWARA]]<br />
* [[NASA]]<br />
<br />
== Beacons ==<br />
* [[Radio beacon]]<br />
* [[Radio propagation beacon]]<br />
*[[HiFER]]<br />
*[[JG2XA]]<br />
*[[High Frequency Beacon]]<br />
<br />
== Remote Control and Data ==<br />
*[[Remote Control]]<br />
<br />
== Research and scientific ==<br />
* [[Ionosonde]]<br />
* [[HAARP]]<br />
* [[Standard frequency and time signals]]<br />
* [[Time Stations]]<br />
<br />
==Strange and esoteric transmissions==<br />
* [[XM]]<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.udxf.nl/ Utility DXers Forum]<br />
* [http://www.utdx.de/ UTDX-Forum (German)]<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category: Radio station lists]]<br />
[[Category:Utility radio stations]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Ary_BoenderAry Boender2011-03-16T05:10:41Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: UDXF</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:No-image.png|right]]<br />
'''Ary Boender''' is a shortwave listener from Spijkenisse in the Netherlands. He specializes in [[Shortwave Utility Stations|HF utility radio communications]]. Ary was a president and columnist of the defunct [[World Utility News]] club ([[WUN]]). He currently runs the [[Utility DXers Forum]] (UDXF), a utility DX oriented online community, and also continues to publish his regular "Numbers & Oddities" newsletter on his website.<br />
<br />
==Links==<br />
<br />
* http://home.luna.nl/~ary/ : Ary Boender's website, with all issues of "Numbers & Oddities" newsletter<br />
* http://www.udxf.nl : Utility DX Forum website<br />
<br />
[[Category:People]]<br />
[[Category:DXing]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/UDXFUDXF2011-03-14T06:28:41Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: main article renamed</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Utility DXers Forum]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Utility_DX_ForumUtility DX Forum2011-03-14T06:28:03Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: moved Utility DX Forum to Utility DXers Forum: correct form of club name</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[Utility DXers Forum]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Utility_DXers_ForumUtility DXers Forum2011-03-14T06:28:03Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: moved Utility DX Forum to Utility DXers Forum: correct form of club name</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:UDXF-logo.jpg|right|200px]]<br />
The '''Utility DXers Forum''' or '''UDXF''' is an on-line community of radio listeners who are interested in [[Shortwave Utility Stations|utility HF radio stations]]. UDXF was organized around a Yahoo! Groups mailing list by [[Ary Boender]] in 2006, after the demise of the [[World Utility News]] (WUN) club. <br />
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UDXF does not publish a monthly bulletin, however the reception logs sent by subscribers are collated in one file and posted to the subscribers at the end of each month.<br />
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==Membership==<br />
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Membership to UDXF is free. Members come from all over the world, with the majority of them located in Europe and the USA.<br />
<br />
In July 2010 Boender announced that UDXF had reached 2500 subscribers.<br />
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==See also==<br />
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* [[SPEEDX]]<br />
* [[WUN]]<br />
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==External links==<br />
* http://www.udxf.nl Official UDXF website<br />
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/udxf/ UDXF mailing list<br />
* [http://www.udxf.nl/UDXF-FAQ%20v.2.5.pdf UDXF FAQ]<br />
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[[Category:Radio societies|UDXF]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Utility_DXers_ForumUtility DXers Forum2011-03-14T06:27:39Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:UDXF-logo.jpg|right|200px]]<br />
The '''Utility DXers Forum''' or '''UDXF''' is an on-line community of radio listeners who are interested in [[Shortwave Utility Stations|utility HF radio stations]]. UDXF was organized around a Yahoo! Groups mailing list by [[Ary Boender]] in 2006, after the demise of the [[World Utility News]] (WUN) club. <br />
<br />
UDXF does not publish a monthly bulletin, however the reception logs sent by subscribers are collated in one file and posted to the subscribers at the end of each month.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Membership==<br />
<br />
Membership to UDXF is free. Members come from all over the world, with the majority of them located in Europe and the USA.<br />
<br />
In July 2010 Boender announced that UDXF had reached 2500 subscribers.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
<br />
* [[SPEEDX]]<br />
* [[WUN]]<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* http://www.udxf.nl Official UDXF website<br />
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/udxf/ UDXF mailing list<br />
* [http://www.udxf.nl/UDXF-FAQ%20v.2.5.pdf UDXF FAQ]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Radio societies|UDXF]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/SV1TESTSV1TEST2011-03-12T21:05:44Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: wikilink</p>
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<div>The mysterious SV1TEST [[High Frequency Beacon]], presumably located in Greece, now<br />
transmits on 6815.3 kHz and 3810.0 kHz with simulkeying in slow<br />
morse code.<br />
<br />
Frequency stability on 6815.3 kHz is poor, with dots and<br />
dashes sent on two different frequencies, about 80 Hz apart.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
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* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/g7ahn/5430389996/ Spectrum display (Flickr)]<br />
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video] <br />
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[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/SV1TESTSV1TEST2011-03-12T18:29:45Z<p>Strange Attractor 2: /* Externan links */ new section</p>
<hr />
<div>The mysterious SV1TEST beacon, presumably located in Greece, now<br />
transmits on 6815.3 kHz and 3810.0 kHz with simulkeying in slow<br />
morse code.<br />
<br />
Frequency stability on 6815.3 kHz is poor, with dots and<br />
dashes sent on two different frequencies, about 80 Hz apart.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
<br />
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/g7ahn/5430389996/ Spectrum display (Flickr)]<br />
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video] <br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Beacons]]</div>Strange Attractor 2