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

(Date: March 2009)

Voice stations | Morse stations | Various modes
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Utility round-up

North Korean intelligence (tentative)

Mode: CW

Samples:

• VVV VVV VVV CQ CQ CQ DE 958 958 QRV QRK5 QTC K HR W24 BT
• VVV VVV VVV CQ CQ CQ DE 521 521 QRV QRK5 QTC K HR W21 BT

Logs submitted by Tomonori and Token.

Unid 3343 kHz

Like last month Greg supplied logs of the still unid station on 3343 kHz.

Unid 6523 kHz

Jim copied this unid CIS station on 6523 kHz at 1730 UTC on 17-3. Mode: Morse.
Repeating "OchKL OchKL OchKL de RKOW RKOW RKOW QSY 19298 19298 K"
(ch = ---- accented letters are rare in callsigns).

Then "QSY 19538". "BK QSA3 QSA? OK AS. QRV K. BK RPT QSY K. OK QSW 19264" and gone. Nothing happening on the 19 MHz frequencies; could be disguised references.

Unid =50= station

The unid =50= station that has been reported quite often before was active again on 5845 kHz at 0520 UTC on 11-3. Mode: RTTY-ITA2/50/500. Traffic: 5FGs (x215) separated with "=50=", ends with "- 0524 K CFM NIL K SK".

Unid 6998.5 kHz

On the frequency of the notorious Italian pirate, 6998.5 kHz, ALF heard morse transmission of an unid Russian(?) station. Any additional info is most welcome.
logged on 03-3, 1115 UTC and 14-3, 1155 UTC.

• "... VDX = WID = UH = NH = TEM = DN = TTT = ShH = NOTshXYu = NNN = BBB = PDP = VARKOW = NRNR = ShBS = ShRA = ZSL ? K".
• "... OSUQESTWITX = DOZAPRAWKU = GSM = DO = POLNYH = ZAPASOW = OT = PSKR = NOWOROSS = OB = ISLOLN _ NII = I = PRINYaTYH = WRK = DO = STI = PDP = MASL = NR NR = ShBS = ShAU = ZSL? BK" into sx OP-chat.

Trond also copied traffic on 6998.5 kHz on 6 March. Trond writes:

"First heard last night with what sounded like ID HWA7, with call to YC37 using this callup: "YC37 YC37 YC37 DE HWA7". The HWA7 is a bit uncertain though as AGC was off and some static crashes blanked out the signal.

A second very weak station spaced approximately 50Hz off, was obviously trying to respond but no joy. Later at 1946 UTC the morse operator reduced the speed, and spaced every letter approximately 2 seconds and made this call: "Y Y C 3 7 DE". The sender was unfortunately totally unreadable in the QRN. Again a second station pops up but most of the transmission drowns in noise as heard from this end. At 1950 UTC some pro-signs; "qrd qrd iÿiÿ" followed a bit later by "qso qso at qit". Then this string followed: "= = = YYC37 KTC3 DE HWJH". Several minutes later a long string of "zczczczczczczczc" and nothing more heard. Even though the speed of the operator not was stable, as well as some more disturbing static crashes, I am almost 100% certain that the ID of the sender this time was given as HWJH. The ITU monitoring station at Rambouillet in France has in one of the monitoring newsletters given the bearing to a unid station on 6998.5 as 152 deg. If that is the same station as this one, then the location is not in Russia or eastern Europe, but indicates Northen Africa or UK . Guess that is not correct though.

The pro-sign QRD made me think if the broadcasts are aero related, as some other monitors of these broadcasts has suggested. (QRD; "where are you bound and where are you from ? " / I am bond from .... from ....)The iÿiÿ could then be a origin or destination code?? I would be very interested to hear from others who has monitored this station lately !"

Unid 2011 kHz

• 2011 kHz, 2100-2210 UTC, 03-3, Mode: CW.
  Unid Russian(?) station using various callsigns.

Who has more info or can id this station?

Callsign change, same station:

First callsign again:

(Logged by Wolfgang)

Pirate beacons

Driftnet beacons

4191 kHz Japanese fishing net beacons:

• JQMY, JHWF, JINZ, JIQA.

Satellites logs

The Gonets-D1 and Strela-3 satellites transmit an id bleep at x-seconds after each minute. The data bursts are in GMSK mode. All Strela-3 satellites also infrequently transmit on a second frequency between 261.0345 and 261.0375 MHz. They transmit GMSK bursts and/or 6 bleeps.

Gonets D1 satellites.

Strela-3 satellites.

Parus satellites.

Years ago the Russian Parus system consisted of dozens of active satellites.

Now only 3 of them are still alive.

Other satellites logged in March.

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