ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 21

March 2004
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest :enigma2000-owner@yahoogroups.com

Morse stations | Voice stations | Oddities
Numbers predictions | Non numbers
Enigma control list update | Single letter beacons
Propagation and noise | CVNI schedules
Ana Belen Montes : Fidel's pal in Pentagon | Non-standard German numerals
Spam experiences | Euston tower
News Items | Web sites | Stop press | Contribution deadlines
Index | E2K NL Home

Oddities

I have a casual interest in catching the more unusual fish in the HF spectrum, which I reel in on a short length of wire at my less-than-ideal QTH in Cambridge (UK). Despite the local noise, most of the regulars are easy to find - I often use the Squeaky Wheel, the Buzzer and the Pip as a guide to reception conditions.

One oddity that makes a regular appearance is a strange repeating tune on 6826 kHz USB, of which I have been unable to find any matching reports. The tune is made up of four sets of seven alternating tones (six short and one longer), strung together and repeated over and over. I've only ever logged the tune during the day (mostly Sundays), and I have yet to catch any traffic or variations. I've heard it at another QTH in Sussex, with roughly equal signal strength (typically S1 or S2, but always with good readability). I'd love to know if anyone has any idea what it is, if only because it's so irritating.

Other signals that have mystified me include a sound like a mechanised duck quacking rapidly on 6815 kHz, and a wavering carrier logged on 9355 kHz during the early evening. The latter was interesting because the depth of the frequency modulation varied; yet the modulation rate didn't (circa 4 Hz).

The most bizarre signal I've logged yet is a splattering sound, rather like someone blowing air through his or her lips in imitation of a horse (sorry, don't know the technical term for that! - blowing a raspberry seems an adequate description). It appears sporadically up and down the spectrum - I've logged it several months running on 8364 kHz. I've yet to confirm that it isn't local noise, but it is intriguing nonetheless. [Tnx Antony]

An unidentified oddity was heard by JoA and PLondon 9115.5kHz 0700z to 0706:46z 15/01 a warbling like signal was apparent.

Initially it gave the impression of a fast tty signal but on investigation it was anything but. E2k will be keeping an eye on this.

Backwards music station (XM)

Buzzsaw [XBS]

Nil Reported

Carriers [Blank]

Nil Reported

Crackle [XC].

Gert offered this at 2318z via group on 31/12: “Very strange signal now on 5308.5 kHz. Family of crackle? I have heard it several nights now, it's daily I think. Every evening from +/- 22.00 or 23.00 UTC on 5308.5kHz for hours. It is a wide signal, about 4 kHz and sounds a little like the crackle but it is not exactly the same.” Later Gert compared his taped sample of this signal and identified the new signal as the Crackle

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)

Jochen writes 1400z 24/01 X06 was audible on 16117 kHz with a usual tone sequence. The signal came almost 3 or 4 minutes, then it stopped, nothing further heard, but then - a few minutes later - it moved to 13517 kHz (also a freq with a "17" at the end) with a stronger signal than on 16117.

The sequence was the same, and it went from 1407 till 1411z, and then also nothing further heard, the carrier went away.[Tnx Jochen].

PoSW offers his log for this six tone repeating station:

[Tnx PoSW]

S28 [formerly XB]

It buzzes away on 4625kHz.

The buzzer was reported from the US as audible.

Buzzer info via: www.geocities.com/uvb76

S30 [The Pip]

Continues to dominate 3757kHz in the 80M band.

AnonUK wrote, 'I heard S30 the pip last nigh [21/01] it was a very strong signal. There was another pip on 3830kHz sending pip bleep bleep pip and so on. I wonder if that is the same as S30 or is it another one? [Tnx AnonUK].

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]

The text via <http://www.geocities.com/hfasia/files/Japanese-PSK.html> describes the Slot Machine as Japanese PSK with a Vertical bandwidth of 3kHz. It states frequencies in use as: 4152.5, 4231, 4290.5, 6249.5, 6416.5, 6444.5, 8312.5, 8587.5,

Squeaky wheel (XSW)

Can be heard strutting its stuff on 3828kHz

in addition to this last report seen in NL20 Gert of Holland reports a night freq, which he had not heard before:

Teleprinter 4710

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

Nil Reports.

• More Info on 'oddities' can be found on Brian of Sussex excellent web pages:
  http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/brogers/page2.html

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

Thanks to AB, AF, Anon UK, AnonNI, BMDartford, CA [US], CD, D of Kent, 'E', Gallus Gallus, Gert of Holland, HFD, IB, J of Aylesbury ,J Derby, JM, JMM, K of Kent, LP, Ben Mesander, Mike of Kent, Mark Slaten, MLF, PLondon, Peter of Saffron Walden, R anon, Rob of Essex, RN UK, TomH, 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.

Morse stations | Voice stations | Oddities
Numbers predictions | Non numbers
Enigma control list update | Single letter beacons
Propagation and noise | CVNI schedules
Ana Belen Montes : Fidel's pal in Pentagon | Non-standard German numerals
Spam experiences | Euston tower
News Items | Web sites | Stop press | Contribution deadlines
Index | E2K NL Home