Hundred forty-second edition of the N&O column / Spooks newsletter

(Date: July 2009)

Voice stations | Morse stations | Various modes
Military stations | Utlility round-up
Intelligence profile : Italy | Logs
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Military stations

Russian, CIS, Ukrainian military SSB & CW stations (including M32)

We'll start this section with an interesting note and logs from Rimantas who found new Russian VLF frequencies.

"On July 10th I have observed a new communications frequency of the Russian navy VLF network: 20.2 kHz. (Possible clash with 20.27 kHz at Isola di Tavolara, Italy).

Currently the traffic is transmitted on:

• 18.1 kHz + 20.2 kHz + HF, or
• 18.1 kHz + HF, or
• 20.2 kHz + HF.

On July 13th a new 18.6 kHz frequency was shortly tested, probably by the Krasnodar station.

On July 10-12th a Russian VGK/navy traffic was transmitted on VLF and HF 24 hours a day.

Until now, the following VLF frequencies were used for communications:
18.1; (18.6); 20.2 and 21.1  kHz.

The synchronization frequencies are: 20.5; 23.0; 25.0; 25.1 and 25.5 kHz.

I can confirm that RJH69 (Vileyka) is transmitting on 20.2 kHz. At least two other stations were monitored as well. I presume that all Russian VLF transmitters (including Krasnodar, N. Novgorod, Arkhangelsk and Bishkek, no idea about Khabarovsk) are capable to operate on 18.1 kHz or on 20.2 kHz."

Thanks for the information, Rimantas!!!

Trond comments re 10676 kHz:

"RJE56 is a most interesting entity. It has been heard calling and working RJH69.

RJH69 is the ident of 43rd communications hub in Vileyka, Belarus .

Channel(s) carrying "Russian Navy RTTY" (Bee / T600 ?) has also been observed with FSK morse where the id RJE56 has been observed. Traffic pattern as this; varying length msgs using Bee / T600, short idle, fsk morse opchat / exchange of prosigns, back to Bee / T600 idle, again varying length msgs, - and so on. NCS alwasys RJE56. (Most likely this has been a duplex net, as the other stations never has been heard. NCS RJE56 was on 7520.

RJE56 has been heard calling both RIW, RMP, and RCV for signal strength feedback.

And most strange of all; RIW has been observed using ID RJE56 on 11000 kHz. This was a rather strange net with Naval HQ's and 3 individual station as players. The UDXF member who observed this is almost 100% sure that the operator who id'ed as "RIW" Naval HQ Moscow was the same as the one holding the key whose ID was RJE56. These is very likely as others who has been monitoring these HQ frequencies, at times have observed HQ channels with short opchat from the actual radio center in charge. If so then RJE56 is most likely a Naval Radio center just as RAB99 Khabarovsk, RJH63 Krasnodar, RJH66 Chaldovar aka 338th communications node Kara Balta Kyrgyzstan, the above mentioned RJH69 aka 43rd communications hub in Vileyka Belarus, RJH77 Arkhangelsk and a lot (!)others.

But as RJE56 is very active, with qso's and prosign exchange to several branches of the Russian Navy, one must assume that the facility is of more then modest importance.

Feedback to this theory very welcome from UDXF members!"

Voice stations | Morse stations | Various modes
Military stations | Utlility round-up
Intelligence profile : Italy | Logs
Index | NS NL Home