Ninetieth edition of the N&O column / Spooks newsletter

(Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2005 13:16:41 +0000)

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Military stations

Russian/CIS/Ukrainian stations

Morse broadcasts of the CIS navy

By Fritz Nusser

Fleet headquarters regularly broadcast plain Russian Morse messages on several frequencies. Knowing the target area of these messages may give some advise about the waters in which the units operate. They can be - at least partially - translated (better: transliterated) with a little patience, using for example an on-line translator offered via Internet. Years ago Tom Roach in the same way investigated traffic of the Soviet trawlers - with surprising results. His article still can be found on the WWW.

The following conventions are proposed:

Therefore AIRCRAFT is sent as SAMOLÉT, which means SAMOLJOT.

The normal CIS MIL preambles are used, after "BT" the message is repeated. And all messages are - surprisingly - hand sent!

The following messages are disseminated:

• NAWAREA
  These are messages edited by the stations of the worldwide NAVAREA network. Rarely heard.

• NAWIP
  These are navigational warnings of the CIS Navy. NAWIP means "NAWIGACIÄ PREDUPREVDENIE". There is always a reference made to the appropriate map "KARTA" of the region.

• PROGNOZ (PROGNOZ POGODY)
  Forecast, sometimes: Weather Forecast.

• CHTORMOWOE PREDUPREVDENIE
  Storm warning.

• Example 1:

RBE86 de RCV QTC 733 32 6 0450 733 = NAWIP 038 2320 karty 32311 93240
italiä uönia podwodnyh lodok 06 0400 do 08 0600 dek plawanie zapreqeno
rajone s 731 centrom 40/09 s 017/00 w otm étot nr 08 0700 dek +

RBE86 de RCV QTC 733 32 6 0450 733 = Navigational Warning region 038 nr
2320 maps 32311 93240 Italy underwater (works?) at day 06 0700 until day
08 0600 December. Cruising forbidden in area s 731 centered at 40/09 N
017/00 E. Cancellation at 08 0700 +

• Example 2:

RBE86 de RCV QTC 519 39 5 1430 519 = NAWIP 038 2318 karta 32213 italiä strelxby torpednye 06 09 i 10 dek 0700 do 1600 rajone 37/00 s 015/25 w 37/11 s 015/25 w 37/11 s 015/38 w 37/00 s 015/38 w otm étot nr 10 1700 dek +

RBE86 de RCV QTC 519 39 5 1430 519 = Navigational Warning region 038 nr 2318 map 32213 Italy torpedo firing on December 6 9 and 10 0700 until 1600 in the area 37/00 N 015/25 E 37/11 N 015/25 E 37/11 N 015/38 E 37/00 N 015/38 E. Cancellation at 10 1700 +

• Example 3:

RKZ de RCV QTC 403 20 15 1210 403 = chtormowoe preduprevdenie nr 838 14/17 öasom 15 dekabrä bejrute ovidaetsä sewero wostoönyj weter 12/15 porywy 18 more 3/4 +

RKZ de RCV QTC 403 20 15 1210 403 = Storm Warning nr 838 for 14/17 hours on December 15. Region Beirut easterly winds expected 12/15 in gusts 18, sea 3/4 +

Remark: Windspeed seems to be in m/s, height of the waves in m.

• Example 4:

RKZ de RCV QTC 863 17 7 1050 863 = prognoz ot 1800 7 do 1800 9 noäbrä sedizemnoe more wostok tartus wostoönyj üvnyj 6/9 more 2 +

RKZ de RCV QTC 863 17 7 1050 863 = Forecast from 1800 7 until 1800 9 November Mediterranean Sea east of Tartous southeasterly winds 6/9 sea 2 +

Remark: Tartous is a coast of Syria.

• Example 5:

RKZ de RCV QTC 769 35 19 1649 769 = prognoz pogody 1800 19 do 1800 20 dekabrä sredizemnoe more wostok tartus wostoönyj ügo wostoönyj 7/10 noöxü utrom 10/13 more 2/3 noöxü utrom 3/4 utrom dnem 8 ovidx gau 1020 0010 1088 0020 1075 0030 1066 +

RKZ de RCV QTC 769 35 19 1649 769 = weather forecast 1800 19 until 1800 20 December. Mediterranean Sea east of Tartous east/south/easterly (wind) 7/10 in the night/morning 10/13 sea 2/3 in the night/morning 3/4 in the morning/afternoon 8 expected ??? 1020 0010 1088 0020 1075 0030 1066 +

• Dictionary

Logs:

Polish stations

Asian stations

Chinese Air Defense (tentative)

Logged by Igor on 13 Nov. at 0455 UTC. Freq: 5701 kHz, CW.

5643 unn33d4 55
5643 unn33d5 56
5643 unn3373 56
5643 unn3374 56
5643 unn3374 56
5643 unn34a3 56
5643 unn34a3 56
5643 unn34a4 56
5643 unn34d3 57
5643 unn34d4 57
5643 unn34d5 57
5643 unn3473 57
5643 unn3475 5d
5643 unn34ua 5d
5643 unn35ud 5d
5643 unn35ud 5d
5643 unn35nn 5d
5643 unn35aa 5d
5643 unn35n6 5n
5643 unn356n 5n
5643 unn3566 5n
5643 unn3565 5n
5643 3tn33a7 tt
5643 3tn33u4 tt

Indian Paramilitary traffic was observed on 7005, 7020, 7030 and 18076 kHz.

Military traffic from Myanmar was noted on: 7018, 7045, 7070 and 7073 kHz.

South American stations

14403.2 kHz: c/s LTQ6, Argentine Army. Radio check with LTQ in USB on 14402.5 kHz.

Brazilian Air Force frequencies (all USB):
7929, 08834, 9010, 13224, 13586, 13972, 13978, 16355, 17982 kHz

Venezuelan stations

Compiled by Ron.

From 5-12 Dec 2004, the Venezuelan Navy conducted a large-scale exercise "Operation Liberating Armada".

According to their web site "the Venezuelan Navy (Armada) is mounting battle simulation exercises supposedly for the first time in its history. Although the Navy and other branches of the Venezuelan Armed Force (FAN) annually take part in joint exercises with the Armed Forces of other countries such as the USA, it has never organized one of its own.

The exercise will be commanded from Puerto Cabello between December 5-12 and will go by the code name "Operation Liberating Armada."

Central Naval Zone chief, Rear Admiral (LH) Francisco Ugarte Acosta says the Air Force (FAV) will take part in joint attack and interception exercises and together with the Army there will be firing practices off Orchila island. The island of La Orchila is located approximately 50 km east of the Los Roques archipelago and 160 km northwest of Caracas. Its geographical coordinates are approximately: 11° 47' to 11° 55' North latitude, and 66° 05' to 66° 12' West longitude.

Two navy frigates are taking part along with a transport ship, 4 patrol boats ands 4 helicopters. Naval War School director, Rear Admiral Gerardo Casanas Arroyo reports that each one of the navy commands will plan the exercises as a part of a new policy of unifying military actions."

Using my Icom R-75 (with PC-ALE) and Sangean ATS 909 with attic-mounted wire antennas I was able to capture extensive HF ALE, voice and data communications used during this exercise. Unfortunately my Spanish- language capability is rather weak so I was only able to capture some callsigns, numbers, and common radio procedures. I was not able to decode the encrypted voice or data signals.

Below is a compilation of information I was able to derive from the HF ALE portion of the exercise along with some research on the web.

*) shared with the Army & National Guard

ALE Identifiers as seen in traffic:

Voice stations | Morse stations | Various modes
Unid stations | Military stations | 2004 Clandestine activity survey
Memory lane | Intelligence profile : Turkey
Intelligence news | Logs
Index | NS NL Home