ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 22

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

Polytones

To start, we have received a notification from E who has heard ‘Electronic Tones. Possibly a polytone they repeat like telephone dial tones,’ he states.

E logs them as:

4095kHz

2155z

06/02

adding that there was possibly a voice, OM , heard 2034z 10/02.

RNGB discovered another schedule, in part, on 14/04. the frequencies at 1700 and 1730z were 10643 and 7432kHz respectively. RNGB managed to catch the message each time, which on comparison was the same. [12218kHz 1200z 19/04 was another XP sending from RNGB. He contacted PLondon asking him to search out the other sendings – with no success. [Tnx RNGB].

10643kHz 1700z 16/04/04 ID474 dk/gc 00279 00294

474 474 474 1 474 474 474 1 474 474 474 1 474 474 474 1
474 474 474 1 474 474 474 1 474 474 474 1 474 474 474 1
474 474 474 1

MESSAGE
R>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ______00279 00294 41887 52298 58997
09052 02378 50454 65037 20063 12817 12722 35043 79145 48758
23096 83063 49210 26948 97880 58120 42403 99514 23046 02436
76457 43066 06002 67486 30898 89767 07969 68173 71246 49563
18759 67537 38617 90808 62891 39709 57325 79953 27218 18069
57889 51435 16516 10989 45125 94195 02053 75665 04633 62098
95757 38513 34154 01603 96939 02514 01313 17606 04778 05934
85198 57320 83582 16960 81656 15906 90343 21795 60327 98460
38303 98678 94873 16916 93063 82452 06347 85357 48597 35077
58741 47359 86095 05052 59831 21568 45712 38416 93678 62718
16018 41892 18543 41295 37154 97153 21536 16868 01472 84109
78353 23675 17563 84615 26602 56943 90365 23005 70120 10850
94798 39413 29870 23216 09863 84847 61642 25803 39125 40673
57559 82056 31840 79538 23974 18084 39138 49455 79230 98796
52499 74348 71531 51942 57157 59309 08249 36682 41714 93903
96370 24826 53251 20530 37522 12213 02621 58968 57876 30509
75024 32170 55170 98477 74756 76037 86803 04781 37827 64942
32050 36966 24963 45783 42543 54086 21780 87247 50259 60236
35982 091_3 13590 48546 00256 15390 09597 64716 08010 63072
93205 75915 90181 73984 30732 26512 10941 71496 59763 31029
05478 90142 15426 79023 82174 91476 28162 78393 60380 65900
64208 68693 94284 73406 41858 17158 97029 79092 71382 17956
03047 14287 87969 58401 23913 29045 46775 74156 54843 64931
58206 29468 52479 20457 95413 19126 29382 94103 72758 29414
53494 32518 36851 62680 12387 80828 51541 78234 56514 83974
62316 97209 08964 07343 73860_42251 70525 42817 54970 40193
74108 19301 55617 87585 01395 27963 78318 53270 50105 45905
96929 87682 26739 40839 27480 25170 72921 62424 68214 33260
62918 12862 03437 49761 36846 16127 95682 30795 25_96 39481
99210 28061 67124 73736 94987 68386 79402 73187 90116 91680
96729 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

This is another schedule similar to that which PoSW notified us of in March 2001, that was at 1700, 1720 and 1740z. It would appear that the opening sending for this schedule would be at 1630z. An anomaly appears to be the ident – note the freqs as 10643 and 7432; that makes for an ident of [4]64, not 474, yet RNGB compared the previous messages from 14/04 and found them to be the same.

The very next day, AnonUK informed E2k that he had discovered another schedule on a Saturday morning.

13380kHz

0700z

17/04

Good strength sigs at S9. AnonUK then searched unsuccessfully at 0720 and 0740z to find subsequent transmissions.

On 20/04 E2k received an email from RNGB showing the three associated freqs along with a full message 00995/00323. Most interesting was the ID of 474, which like the 1700z sendings frequency bears no relevance.

The associated morning and evening sendings have been termed the ‘474 Net’.

Apart from the usual XP chart we also have some extra reports for XPA and XPL that will follow the XP chart. As the March and April chart show XP Schedules 2 and 3 have not been heard again. XPH is also not active either. We anticipate that these schedules are now silent and will not report on them further. Their slots are now occupied by the ‘474 Net’

If anyone does hear apparent out of schedule XP transmissions we would be glad to learn about them.

So far the XP discovered by RNGB Wednesday 14/04 has also been heard Fri 16/04 Sat 17/04 and Sun 18/04 [00733 00291]. Work done by RNGB and AnonUK has confirmed the times/freqs as 1700z 10643kHz, 1715z 9043kHz and 1730z 7432kHz.

Due to the resulting Signal Strength RNGB surmised that the sendings were probably not destined for Western Europe. He also commented that the sendings that he had monitored were around the 300 group mark.

Adding to the list of polytone stations AnonUK notified E2k of an early Saturday and Sunday sending at 0700z on 13880kHz. 17&18/04.

Gert heard what he thought was an other sending in the polytone stations on 18/04 as: 8148kHz 1330z 18/04 and then offered:

12218kHz

1200z

20/04

This sudden exposure to this many additional polytone sendings proves exactly what had been stated before; that the network was far larger than we would know.

PoSW received a listing from E2k re the changing polytone scene and was prompted to send details of his observations on the ever fluid XP sendings.

“In March the Tuesday and Thursday schedule starting at 2100z with repeats at 2120z and 2140z turned up on the same frequencies 9,139, 7,608 and 6,838 kHz as in March last year - I see the "XP By Month" list shows a kHz or two difference in the frequencies, but no matter, whenever I heard them they were so strong you couldn't miss them! On Thursday 4-March the total transmission time was about 4 minutes and 21 seconds and, a useless piece of information, all three transmissions started about 10 seconds early. On Tuesday 30-March, which was after the weekend in which British Summertime began, XP had stayed on the same UTC which meant it started up an hour later UK time, i.e 10 PM instead of 9 PM - the same procedure was also noted on the related E07 English Man transmissions in the last days of March following the start of BST. In April XP has compensated by an hour to bring the start time back to 9 PM in the UK, noted on Thursday 1-April-04 with S9+ signals at 2000 UTC, 12,179 kHz, then 2020 UTC, 10,968 kHz and 2040 UTC, 9,475 kHz, the last sending over-riding a broadcast station in the 31 metre band.

I noticed some early morning XP activity on the weekend of 17 and 18-April;-

17-April-04	Saturday	0704 UTC	13,380 kHz	8.04 AM BST, the distinct sound of an XP transmission in "Full message" mode but a weak signal, not the usual rock-crushing transmission we are used to, only about S4 or S5 at best; ended 0706 and 35 seconds UTC. Another transmission heard in progress a bit after 0720z on 11,472 kHz, - as per "XP By Month Issue 10" - ended about a minute after being tuned in. I did wonder if there were two separate schedules running because these transmissions did not have the standard 20 minute spacing between them.

18-Apr-04	Sunday	0633 UTC	8,188 kHz	7.33 AM BST, XP tone transmission in progress, full message, strength S5, ended 0634 and 10 seconds UTC.

		0700 UTC	13,380 kHz	very weak signal, as noted on Saturday. The 8,188 kHz sending must have started at 0630z and might be tied in with another schedule.
		0715 UTC	11,472 kHz

I had also noted on Good Friday, 9-April-04, the following;-

9-April-04	Friday	0621 UTC	10,852 kHz	7.21 AM BST, XP in progress, full message, S9 signal, ended 0623 and 45 seconds UTC
		0640 UTC	12,152 kHz	strength S8 to S9, must be the second and third sendings of a schedule.

The log sheets [Note change in the table for the month of April]:

XP Daily Log [Insert M for message, N for Null message, add ‘o’ if from other source. Underscore indicates 50^th tally mark].

MONTH: March 2004

Sch1

Sch2

Sch3

XPH*

0700z

10923

2100z

9140

2100z

10972

9052

2220z

10369

1830z

11614

9168

0720z

12123

2120z

7608

2120z

9475

7585

2240z

9169

1850z

10132

7695

0740z

13523

2140z

6838

2140z

8122

5875

2300z

7569

1910z

nnnn

59nn

ID915

ID168

01[Mon]

01134/00239

NRH*

NRH

04601/00153

NRH

00865/00257

NRH

07[Sun]

01735/00175

NRH

01735/00175

NRH

01896/00269

NRH

14[Sun]

09447/00147

06215/00161

NRH

06215/00161

NRH

00632/00175

NRH

21[Sun]

03479/00225

00476/00193

NRH

00476/00193

NRH

01715/00303

NRH

28[Sun]

03498/00277

02477/00185

NRH

02	:	2100z	*Despite diligent searching between 6000 to 10500 kHz by JoA, PLondon and AnonUK
04	:	2100z	Excellent sigs, 35, 25 & 10dBs respectively at PLondon QTH
09	:	0700z	Very poor signals – lots of carrier, audio down – noticed by PLondon/JoA 2120z likewise.
18 and 23	:	2120z	tx had QRM from E10 noted by, JoA, KopfE2kde, PLondon and interestingly, CS in US.

On 22^nd April PoSW noted, “I think there are two XP schedules running, and the transmissions are spaced by 15 minutes rather than the usual 20. The 0730z on 8,188 is the third sending of a schedule which would have begun at 0700z on a higher frequency - two more sendings to find here, then - and the other three are all the sendings of a separate schedule.”

PoSW was correct, RNGB, AnonUK, and Gert all finding the same frequencies. As a result of their work and observations we were able to make an addition to the April chart, excluding Schedules 2 and 3, as well as XPH – none of which have been intercepted by E2k monitors for at least three months.

XP Daily Log [Insert M for message, N for Null message, add ‘o’ if from other source. Underscore indicates 50^th tally mark].

[Freqs in italics indicates those used when sendings last heard]

MONTH: April 2004

	AM		Sch1		474 Net
					Morning		MidSch		Afternoon
1.	0600z	9452	2000z	12179	0700z	13380	1200z	12218	1700z	10643
2.	0620z	10852	2020z	10968	0715z	11472	1215z	10447	1715z	9048
3.	0640z	12152	2040z	9475	0730z	9344	1230z	8189	1730z	7432
			ID481		ID194		ID474		ID474

01[Thur]			02477/00185
02	00436/00123
03
04[Sun]
05

06	07762/00149		018n2/00227
			00436/00123
07
08			01802/00227
09	08221/00109
10
11[Sun]
12
13	06194/00155		N
14									Mo
15			N						Mo
16	00916/00303								00279/00294
17									00829/00295
18[Sun]									00733/00291
19							00290/00325		08860/00290
20	07891/00219		N		00995/00323				09828/00321
21					00557/00290		00593/00313o		00532/00307
22			N		03102/00329o		00763/00323o		00278/00302
23	06185/00101				NRH		NRH		NRH
24					NRH		NRH		NRH
25[Sun]					NRH		NRH		NRH
26					NRH		NRH		NRH
27	05267/00261		N		NRH		NRH		NRH
28					NRH		NRH		NRH
29			N		NRH		NRH		NRH
30	01463/00285				NRH		NRH		NRH

01	:	2000z	good sig strength [30dBs]at JoA and PLondon. Msg repeat of Tues 30/03.
02	:	0600z	started well but some QSB marred the sending. 0620z was a good sig, 0640z was very poor with nearby QRM [JoA and PLondon]
06	:	0600z	QSB on first two, third ok, Two message format, First 2 msg format since 11/03 when 3 were sent in the month. 2000z poor condx.
13	:	0600z	los grps 93-98 missing; 0620z full sending, 0640z sening ended abruptly – no 319/511 tones.
14	:	1700z	this ‘afternoon’ schedule was discovered by RNGB and has been followed daily. Note msgs around 300grps.
20	:		‘474Net’ 13380kHx freq discovered by AnonUK and rest RNGB. This net is obviously a very busy one. 1720z sigs very poor. 2020z very strong carrier.
21			o via RNGB 22 o via AnonUK
22	:		474 Net Morning Sched – all sendings very poor, Mid Schd likewise – 1230z best.
27			Unless propagation has drastically changed for the worse 474 has not been heard since 23/04 and may be a ‘special.’
27	:	2000z	Apart from the last two repeat cycles being null msgs tonight’s has start-up problems. At start of transmissions a single tone was heard, presumably 351Hz then the transmission stopped abruptly – only to restart quickly after.

XPA

RNGB sends in the first XPA report this year as:

8098kHz

0820z

15/03

RNGB

This was a quick ending so there might be a well early start.

XPL

It would appear that the low tones are the product of the mixing of 2 non harmonically related tones, analysis not yet completed but tone pairs identified as (+-3Hz), tone product in parenthesis:- 150/235[80], 165/255[90], 180/245[65], 205/260[55], 215/290[75]Hz. XPL is believed to be related to M12 [Family IB - see ENIGMA Control List].

AnonUK reported hearing this station [sounds like a bored Nicholas Kynaston playing the Organ at Westminster Abbey]:

11505kHz

2120z

05/03

lasted circa 3 mins.

AnonUK produced a recording, heard by E2k and which matches our sample on group.

He also heard the low tones on Thursday 04/03 on a frequency around 67nn kHz at 2100z.

6742kHz	2123z	11/03	ended 2132z strong sigs S8/9 JoA/PLondon
	2115z	18/03	read below:

Leaving a guard receiver open PLondon saw the double traces of XPL start at 2115 whilst he was waiting for XP[1] to commence. For around 17s XPL went through its transmission, ceasing suddenly. A few seconds later it was back up – a couple of rumbles and it was down again. This fiasco reoccurred until 2123z when it ceased abruptly. The gap between the transmission being [according to PLondon’s software – not spectrogram ] was 7.058s. Interesting samples that have been posted to group.