Hundred twenty-sixth edition of the N&O column / Spooks newsletter

(Date: February 2008)

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Utility round-up

Satellite pirates

Pirates were heard on the following satellite frequencies.

Languages: Portuguese and Spanish. Most likely from South America.

252.1500, 253.7407, 253.7500, 253.8500, 255.3500, 255.4610, 255.5410, 255.5500, 257.1500, 258.5400, 258.5500, 260.4100, 260.4200, 260.4300,260.5300, 261.4400, 261.4900, 261.7400, 261.7600, 263.7361 MHz.

Pirate beacons

Unid 8GAL

Glenn Hauser's unid 8GAL is still not identified. Glenn writes

"Steve Lare in Michigan has also heard 8GAL, but I have not seen any other logs of it. People should also check the frequency at times other than 1400 UT. Here's another one from me:

UNIDENTIFIED. 6074, 8GAL check on Feb 28: good thing I tuned in a bit early, since the one-minute V/CQ marker was ending just before, rather than after the 1400 time signal from Russia on 6075. First time I have heard it running one minute early. The transition was so smooth that you would not know they were from completely different sources: the pitch of the CW het against 6075 was the same as the 1 kHz pitch of the time pips."

Glenn sends us more logs:

• UNIDENTIFIED. 6074.0, 8GAL, Jan 13 started CW marker a few seconds early, overlapping the Russian time signal at 1400.
• UNIDENTIFIED. 8GAL, 6074, heard once again Jan 17 at 1400-1401 with VVV/CQ marker, but not audible Jan 18 at same time.
• UNIDENTIFIED. 6074, not having checked for it in over a week, 8GAL still there as usual at 1400-1401 Jan 29 with V/CQ marker immediately after, or slightly overlapping the closing time signal from Russia 6075. Nothing further heard on CW in the next few minutes.
• UNIDENTIFIED. 6074, 8GAL V/CQ marker was the most out of synch I have heard it yet compared to the closing R. Rossii time signal at 1400 Feb 7. VVV started a bit before the TS did.
• UNIDENTIFIED. Not having checked 8GAL for several days, I did so Feb 21 at 1400 on 6074. Usual VVV/CQ CQ CQ marker started up immediately on CW after Russian time signal on 6075 and as I switched on BFO to keep hearing it. But the marker stopped before DE. This was about the same time the Russian carrier went off. Several seconds later, 8 dits came over two or three times, which means "error", and then the marker started over to completion, ending about 1401:30. First time I have heard this happening: implies it is actually done manually rather than automatically.

Voice stations | Morse stations | Various modes
Military stations | Utility round-up | Logs
Index | NS NL Home