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

(Date: January 2009)

Utility round-up

Quite a lot of unids this time. Several stations have been reported earlier but we still don't have enough information to identify the stations. If you can help please contact me.

Unid 4500/5115/5715 kHz

The unid Morse numbers station that uses 4500, 5115 and 5715 kHz is still very active. I mentioned earlier that the station is most likely transmitting from South Korea (see also N&O 135). Bearings from various locations in Asia and Australia confirm that the location must be somewhere in South Korea. Tomonori noticed an increased activity since the news was aired by Pyongyang that South Korea had planned to assassinate North Korea 's leader Kim Jong-il.

Freq.	Date	UTC	ID / remarks
5115	05-1	1400
5115	07-1	1304
5115	07-1	1433
5115	08-1	1430
5115	10-1	1330	id: 815, 28 5FGs
4500	11-1	1405	ends with "bt ar k tu va"
5715	12-1	1204	ends with "bt ar k tu va"
5715	12-1	1400	ends with "bt ar k tu va"
4500	12-1	1600	id: 104, ends with: "bt ar k tu va"
5115	20-1	1400	id: 3539
5715	20-1	1500	id: 521
5115	21-1	1400	id: 3539
5715	21-1	1500
4500	27-1	1601	id: 109
5715	28-1	1505
5715	31-1	1500	id: 521

Sample message:

vvv vvv vvv cq cq cq de 3539 3539 qrv qrk5 qtc k
vvv vvv vvv cq cq cq de 3539 3539 qrv qrk5 qtc k
vvv vvv vvv cq cq cq de 3539 3539 qrv qrk5 qtc k
hr w23 bt
82841 31250 46413 94576 05453 87676 57419 20441 94845 01327
35985 34452 96120 42864 62036 11385 91754 78069 66486 29701
38652 02626 47572
rpt bt
82841 31250 46413 94576 05453 87676 57419 20441 94845 01327
35985 34452 96120 42864 62036 11385 91754 78069 66486 29701
38652 02626 47572
bt ar k tu va

Unid Chinese on 17100 kHz

Eddy Waters discovered an unid station on 17100 kHz, transmitting in Chinese at 0827 UTC. A recording can be found in the files section of UDXF and on the N&O website.

Unid 7536 kHz

Fritz reports an unid station on 7536 kHz. He has heard the station on 24 Jan. at 1500 UTC transmitting "P1BT P1BT P1BT +". This is repeated for 2 minutes. Nothing more than just this.

Unid "RBI"

4850 kHz, 0525 UTC, 14 Jan. Unid Russian station "RBI". Mode: Baudot 50Bd/500Hz.

Logged by Alf.

Samples:

RBI wkg RII2, RJW2, RRH9 with short 5LG/5FGs
HT: NR 34 GR 30", OP-chat.
RII2 DE RBI KAK PRI MOI RDO NR 33 8 NR ...
RYRYRY RII2 RII2 RII2 DE RBI RBI WAGI RDO NR 8 8 NR 9 09 30 GR PRINQL POLNOSTX
DE RBI DAJTE SWOI RDO PRIEM", "CH DE RBI RBI SLD AT
into CW OP-chat "CQ CQ de RBI RBI SLD (?) SLV QTR 00 K.

Unid =50= station

The same message format was heard on 4819, 9045, 9072, 9148 and 14823 kHz.

Mode: RTTY ITA2 50Bd/500Hz. CW Op-chat. Short zero's. Time is UTC.

Samples:

RYs, 5FGs "... 20 0500 9876= // 12976 ... 99547 -0523 K" to LENJ
into Op-chat "LENJ(x3) de LTJQ(x2) // CFM QRX 56180 54294 k"
5FGs "... 51907 // 0823 - K", OP-chat "CFM NIL K // SK"
"368 115 01 1130 4567 = 75569 42095 96692 93918 59283 77164 36979 2163 60157
92300 =50= ends with (cw) k rpt k bk cfm nil sk"

Logged by Wolfgang and Alf.

Unid "XXX" station

Jim sent us his logs of an unid station/net. Probably from Russia/CIS.

It sends 5FG messages that start with "XXX". The time that is used is UTC.

Frequency: 5275 kHz. Mode: CW.

Samples:

OK ZFF ZYV ZFU ZHH ZEH ZKC QRR3 K.
NR F XXX 26588=31E=31450 61780 41775 34683 K.
NIL SLD SLV K.
VV KJUI de NRFI QSA NO QLP 10. QSA1 QLP 10 K.
QTA QLX K.
XXX 26585=09876 54321 K.
NIL XD SLV K.
QTR? K. QTR 1758 K.

Driftnet beacons

1772.0 kHz	KW133.	3x with long dash, every 4 minutes, 3 WPM
1932.0 kHz	4JSS.	Long dash, continuous, 3 WPM
2014.9 kHz	4HED.	3x with long dash each time, every 5 minutes, 3 to 5 WPM
2015.0 kHz	4JSX.	3x with long dash each time, every 5 minutes, 3 to 5 WPM
2031.0 kHz	4HWB.	3x with long dash each time, every 4 minutes, 3 to 5 WPM

Italian pirate

The unid Italian pirate who has been transmitting religious and political messages for years is still active on "his/her" frequency 6998 kHz. "SH7" is the callsign now. Tom copied the following on 25 January.

"VVV VVV DE SH7 SH7 + VVV VVV DE SH7 SH7 + SH7 SH7 - - PONTIFICIA
BASILICA DELLA SANTA CASA – SANTUARIO INTERNAZIONALE - LORETO VVV VVV
DE SH7 SH7 + VVV VVV DE SH7 SH7 + VVV VVV DE SH7 SH7 + FONDAZIONE
INTERNAZIONALE - ICI SANTA CASA - PER LA DIFESA DEI DIRITTI DELL'UOMO -
- - DE SH7 SH7 - 25/01/2009 = IN UN MESSAGGIO DEL GIORNO 23/01/2009, DATO
AL VEGGENTE OMEGA, COORDINATORE DEL GUPPO DI LAVORO DELLA FONDAZIONE
INTERNAZIONALE ICI SANTA CASA, GESHADATO LE CIFRE DELL'ULTIMO SCEMPIO
D'UMANITa COMPIUTO DA ISRAELE ... NI QESTI ULTIMI DUE ANNI ECCO IL
MESSAGGIO --- ...."
etc.