ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 16

May 2003
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest :enigma2000-owner@yahoogroups.com

Oddities

An UNID oddity was reported by 'E'. He writes, "11363.5kHz 1820z Noise like a faulty car alarm, WED 12/03. Our monitors might care to look out for this one."

Another weirdo was heard by PLondon as he tuned up for his date with XP. P Stumbled across a swishing sound on 13385kHz. On tuning around he was able to measure the centre of the sending as 13418.5kHz and the edges as 13383 to 13460kHz. That gives a bandwidth of 71kHz! What possible use is there for that signal. PLondon monitored from 1725z to 1812z, the signal strength remaing a firm S6.

Eager to learn what this signal might be the international allocation tables were perused. 13418.5kHz and the signal's upper edge fall in the allocation 13410 - 13570kHz: Government Use; Fixed - Aeromobile, Maritime Mobile and land Mobile. The lower signal edge of 13383kHz falls in the allocation of 13360 - 13410kHz: Government Use, Fixed.

E2k would be grateful to hear of theories concerning the swishing noise, its use and origins.

Backwards music station (XM)

Whilst checking for M10 activity for the Slavic desk PLondon had these XM 'experiences':

3522kHz	2120z	25/04	[still going strong at 2245z] S7-9
	1855z	26/04	[still going strong at 2045z] S9

Buzzsaw

Just one report of this peculiarity:

8010kHz

2010z

13/03

[Loud Buzzsaw]

Thanks 'E'.

Carriers [Blank ].

Whilst trialling an ANC-4 Antenna Noise Canceller & Diversity Combiner Plondon found a very strong carrier:

7880kHz

1650z

02/04

The signal was measured at a whopping ++40dBs, endstop on his Icom IC-R71E! P wrote that had he not known better he would have thought it to be a ground wave. The carrier was still up at 1700z when P moved onto other things, however it was up at 1800z. A quick check at 2000z revealed a facsimile station on freq and believed to be DDK Hamburg [Tnx for id ML].

Crackle(XC)

Frogs! (XFR)

Mike of Kent wrote the he had heard "XFR up on 13975 at 1330z today [02/04] - weak/noisy , just doing a single "decreasing tone" sequence, wonder if these are "circuit tests" or "nulls", since first noticed these are beginning to spread - we now have 7380, 7992, 13975, 18864kHz. Tuning across the bands last night thought I heard the sequence ending tones around 11500kHz, but gone when I tuned back." [Tnx Mike].

AnonUK has also informed us that he is hearing these regularly through March.

Jammers

These can be heard with some regularity on: 5320, 5600, 6420, 6880, 7040, 7050, 7070, 8320, 8340, 8515, 9360,10280,10470 and 13410, 16176kHz.

Mazeilka (X06)

The X06 "Mazeilka" 6 Tone Repeating seems to have increased in activity although many transmissions just vanish suddenly with nothing further sent afterwards. Those that send some Morse, usually as a prelude to a transmission of FSK/RTTY continue to suffer from very bad keying, the characters so badly formed it is often difficult to make any sense of them.

7-Mar-03	Friday	2244z	6,870 kHz	X06 with a strong signal, slight background buzz. Went off as though someone had pulled the plug out 2250z; listened until 2254z, nothing further heard.
9-Mar-03	Sunday	1436z	16,227 kHz	signal strength S7 to S8, went off suddenly 1443z, listened for another 3 minutes, nothing further heard.
18-Mar-03	Tuesday	1507z	12,215 kHz	strong signal, vanished just after 1510z, again nothing further heard.
20-Mar-03	Thursday	0908z	13,319 kHz	tones stopped about a minute after being tuned in; carrier went QRT after a further 20 seconds. Unlike many X06s heard recently this was the traditional format; sent CW Morse "DN DN VU RR NW" - the standard of sending better than usual - followed by FSK data. Was not on for long, went off 0913z.
21-Mar-03	Friday	0939z	14,720 kHz	strong signal, tones stopped 0946z, carrier off 15 seconds later - then Morse, badly keyed this time - something like "DN DN ASM ISM NW" followed by FSK.
22-Mar-03	Saturday	1335z	16,227 kHz	- there had been an E06 English Man transmission on this very same frequency 15 minutes earlier but I expect that's just a coincidence - or is it?. This was another X06 which suddenly vanished, just before 1338z; listened for a few minutes, nothing further heard
24-Mar-03	Monday	2110z	6,848 kHz	tones stopped 2113z, carrier went off approx. 20 seconds later, nothing further heard.
28-Mar-03	Friday	1946z	12,224 kHz	good signal, S8 to S9, went on for some time, weaker by 1955z. Tones stopped 2004z, carrier went off shortly afterwards, nothing further heard.
2-Apr-03	Wednesday	2024z	7,680 kHz	tones stopped and carrier went off 2034z; listened until after 2037z, nothing further heard.
4-Apr-03	Friday	1725z	17,463 kHz	strong signal, tones stopped 1727z, carrier went off 30 seconds later followed by very badly keyed Morse, "UDL" ( something unreadable) "NW" followed by FSK data.
5-Apr-03	Saturday	1806z	10,815 kHz	strong signal, tones stopped 1817z followed by CW which was so badly sent as to be totally unreadable followed by FSK. A short transmission, gone by 1820z. [Tnx PoSW].

Other logs:

6840kHz	2112z	19/03
6870kHz	2150z	03/03
8055kHz	2011z	07/03
8082kHz	1805z	20/03
8123kHz	0700z	26/03
15625kHz	1318z	29/03
16228kHz	1115z	05/04
	1603z	14/04	[off 1613z]

S28 [formerly XB]

A common signal on 4625kHz but down when 'E' checked it at 2026z 19/03. It had returned by 2200z when he checked again. Heard again as:

4625kHz

2219z

12/04

via selco

S30 [The Pip]

Continues to dominate 3757kHz in the 80M band.

Another pip worth listening too was heard by 'E' and may still be active:

7505kHz

0909z

23/02

Slot machine (XSL)

XSL is heard on 4152.5, 4231, 4290.5, 6249.5, 6416.5, 6444.5, 8312.5, 8587.5 and 8703.5kHz. USB mode

Still being heard in US, Oceania and like areas. E2k would like to receive details of any observations made in Great Britain, Eire and Europe please.

XSL general transmission times [freqs of 8588.0//8703.5]

Sun	1500z	1600z	1900z
Mon	0900z	1700z	2215z
Tue	1510z	1530z	1600z
Wed	1400z	1500z	1545z
Thu	1600z
Fri	1450z	1600z	2140z
Sat	1400z	1600z	1700z

8313.5kHz	1600z	09/03
8588.0kHz	1600z	09/03

Squeaky wheel (XSW)

Whilst this enchanting station can be heard strutting its stuff on 3828kHz PLondon heard another case for 3in1 treatment on 7050kHz.

3828kHz	1900z	16/04
7050kHz	1650z	02/04	[still operating at 1730z].

Teleprinter 4710

Can be heard on the usual frequencies of 4710, 6702, 9000kHz, 11122kHz [daytimes] and 15020kHz [evenings].

4710kHz	1030z	11/04	Carrier
6702kHz	1030z	11/04	NRH
9000kHz	1033z	11/04
11122kHz	1031z	11/04
15020kHz	1036z	11/04	NRH

More Info on 'oddities' can be found on Brian of Sussex excellent web pages:
http://brogers.dsl.pipex.com

Frequency information and trends can be downloaded from:
http://www.cvni.net/radio/

Thanks to AB, AF, AK, ANUER, Anon UK, AnonNI, Anon Scandinavia, AR, BMDartford, CD, D of Kent, 'E', GallusGallus, Gert of Holland, HFD, IB, J of Aylesbury ,J Derby, JM, JMM, K of Kent, LP, Manolis of Crete, Ben Mesander, Mike of Kent, Mark Slaten, Miles, PLondon, Peter of Saffron Walden, R anon, Rob of Essex, RN GB, selco, US', Spy Numbers Robot, and all others for their contributions to the Morse, Voice and Oddities columns. As ever we acknowledge information from the Spooks site.