ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 22

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

Oddities

E wrote in with some Oddity UNIDs:

4532kHz	2110z	21/02	Noise like a car alarm; Barp every sec
5750kHz	0917z	14/02	Continuous whopping noise // 6815

Backwards music station (XM)

5388kHz	1806z	21/03	E
5689kHz	2105z	19/03	RNGB
6820khz	2146z	09/03	PLondon

See XWP reports

Carriers [Blank ]

A quick spin around 6600 to 7000kHz on 05.03 revealed many open carriers that remained so for sometime, eventually disappearing, so says PLondon.

6817kHz	Carrier heard by E at all times 06/03. E asks do we know what it is? The answer is no, but it was heard by PLondon and KW too.
7571kHz	High pitched carrier – heard ofter 23/03 E Any ideas on this?

Crackle (XC)

Nil Reports

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)

7529kHz	2120z	05/03	JoA
7680kHz	1920z	06/03	E
	2109z	18/03	[VyWeak,rarer tone sequence ends 2119z]KopfE2Kde and RNGB
9081kHz	2100z	05/03	end 2110z JoA
11435kHz	1600z	26/03	RNGB
13506kHz	1220z	06/03	Gert/Jochen

PoSW’s Mazeilka log:

26-Feb-04	Thursday	2311 UTC	6,956 kHz	good signal with a slight background hum. Went off 2318z; listened until 2321z, nothing further heard.
2-Mar-04	Tuesday	2050 UTC	6,870 kHz	strong signal with the tone routine where the last five tones sound like Snow White's "Whist-le while you work", noted on many previous X06 transmissions. Tones stopped a bit after 2052z, carrier stayed on for a short while then went off, nothing further heard.
5-Mar-04	Friday	2106 UTC	9,080 kHz	very strong signal, tones stopped after 2114z followed by that carrier shifting "Twittering" sound which has been noted before with X06, i.e some kind of frequency shift data mode, receiver needs to have the BFO/CIO switched on to hear it. Went on and off several times in short bursts, not heard after 2120z.
6-Mar-04	Saturday	1529 UTC	10,420 kHz	S9 signal, tones stopped after 1536z, carrier went off 20 seconds later followed by the same carrier shifting data as heard last night.
		1546 UTC	12,224 kHz	signal strength S7, went off suddenly complete with carrier 1553z, nothing further heard.
9-Mar-04	Tuesday	1944 UTC	9,235 kHz	good signal, went off 1947z, listened for several minutes, nothing further heard.
		1953 UTC	9,174 kHz	just a few minutes after the above, very strong, S9+ signal, tones stopped just after 2005z, carrier stayed on for another 30 seconds, nothing further heard.
30-Mar-04	Tuesday	1802 UTC	13,940 kHz	strong signal, went off about a minute after being tuned in, nothing further heard.
3-Apr-04	Saturday	1322 UTC	16,227 kHz	strong signal with background buzz, tones stopped 1331z, carrier stayed on for another 30 seconds or so then went off, nothing further heard.
8-Apr-04	Thursday	2015 UTC	9,197 kHz	strong signal, tones stopped just after 2017z, carrier went off approx 30 seconds afterwards, nothing further heard.
16-Apr-04	Friday	1801 UTC	11,093 kHz	S9+ signal, was still on at 1816z, had gone when checked again 1821z.
		1857 UTC	10,420 kHz	another S9+ X06, went off a couple of minutes after being tuned in, nothing further heard.
19-Apr-04	Monday	1944 UTC	12,089 kHz	inside 25 metre band but clear of broadcast stations, signal strength S7, vanished suddenly just after 1950z, listend for three minutes, nothing further heard.

[TnxPoSW].

S28 [formerly XB]

It buzzes away on 4625kHz.

www.geocities.com/uvb76

S30 [The Pip]

Continues to dominate 3757kHz in the 80M band.

Laurent Carbonneax sent from France:

3756kHz	2325z	06/03	[USB strong signal from the pip]
	2110z	11/03	LC

And dominate it does:

On 22/03 Brian Rogers QSPd, to E2k, a report sent to him from George of Pennsylvania USA a licensed amateur WA2RCB :

"I read a report in rec.radio.shortwave concerning an unknown time station operating on 3756.6kHz USB. Sure enough I heard it here in Pennsylvania USA near Harrisburg with an s-5 signal at 01:14 UTC. This is local 8:14 PM Eastern Time on the East Coast of the USA."

"It appears to be "The Pip" S30 operating on 3.756 as is reported on your web page http://www.brogers.dsl.pipex.com/page7.html

Not bad for a long-path signal from Russia at this early time of the night! Receiver is a Drake SW-8 using a 45 foot longwire antenna oriented NorthWest/SouthEast.

I am currently at a friend's home staying over for a few weeks. Wire is insulated #24 out of a 2nd story window to a tree in the back yard about 40' off the ground. Thought you would like to have this SWL report."

George’s USA report arrived with Brian on 09/03 and that is interesting indeed. PLondon noted, "This is an exciting event! On the ninth I was working into Southern Spain using just 10W RF 3775kHz 2235 to 2242z 09/03 with 5/9+ each way. The station was EA4EJR and was situated in Badajoz, SW Spain. I was also hearing VP9's and W's coming in [very weak] too.[20M long wire antenna orientated 178/358 deg].

Both PLondon and DoK previously experienced a station that was using just 4W from the pacific - a very good transmission on 20M; again PLondon worked into Pennsylvania on 10M over the Christmas period using just 25W and it is obvious that unexpected openings occur more often than we expect.

And for something different; whilst sitting on a train at Clapham Junction at around 0620z 22/03, PLondon received an alert via his mobile phone. The phone is configured to display the telephone code for the area it is in. That should have been 0207. Instead the phone displayed 01930 which is Appleby, Cumbria. Immediately PLondon mentioned it to those he was travelling with who looked at their phones, one displayed 020 whilst the other also showed 01930. This display was maintained until the train reached Battersea Park, about 8 mins up the line. An excellent example of 'ducting'. [Thanks to George USA, Brian Rogers and PLondon]

Whilst we write about the pip JoA emailed to mention that, “MSF 60kHz Scheduled to be off air 06/04/04, 06/07/04, 05/10/04 from 1000-1400z.” [TnxJoA].

Laurent Carbonneax further reported S30 via ‘Spooks’:

3757kHz	2030z	09/04	LC
	2030z	11/04	LC
	1930z	12/04

Whilst Manolis of Crete offered:

5448kHz	1434z	21/04
	0606z	22/04

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

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, 8703.5kHz

At 2105z 19/04 Ary wrote to Group: Slot Machine on 6445, 8313, 8588, 8703.5kHz

XSW [Squeaky wheel]

Can be heard strutting its stuff on 3828kHz

3828kHz	2240z	10/03	LC
3830kHz	1950z	12/04	LC

XWP [Wop Wop]

Some reports have come in about this station, suggested, by Ary, to be HF Coastal Radar. Nonetheless an interesting sound [some might say therapeutic].

PLondon recently tuned around after his Tuesday night affair with a schedule 1 transmission of XP to hear WopWop doing its thing as:

6820khz

2146z

09/03

PLondon

What as different was the XM [backwards music station] operating on the same frequency. A sample has been posted to our sound samples archive on Group.

JoA sent:

8161kHz

1238z

30/03

[ceased at 1239:35z starting again at 1240:35z]JoA

Teleprinter 4710

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

4710kHz	1230z	S2 Central London PLondon
9000kHz	1230z	S5 Central London PLondon
11222kHz	1230z	NRH Central London PLondon
15020kHz	1230z	S1 best, Central London PLondon

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, Anon Scandinavia, AR, BMDartford, CD, D of Kent, 'E', GallusGallus, Gert of Holland, HFD, IB, IW, J of Aylesbury , JM, JMM, K of Kent, LP, LW Ben Mesander, Mike of Kent, Mark Slaten, MLF, PLondon, Peter of Saffron Walden, RNGB, 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.