Data on 160.455

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N9JIG

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This afternoon I was hearing data on 160.455. It is a continuous carrier, repeating beep signal. A few minutes later it moved up to 160.470, same weak signal and same beep tones.

Below is a link to the signal I heard. Listen closely, it is in the weeds....

Is anyone else hearing this?

I live 15 miles west of Loop 303 off Bell/Sun River Parkway if it matters.


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18949030/160.455_data.MOV
 

KG7LER

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Are you hearing it all the time or does it come and go?
I will take a listen tonight when I get home.
 

N9JIG

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It is so weak that it is possible that it could have been hidden under the squelch level.

I seem to hear it on several Uniden scanners (HP1, HP2, BCT15X) but not the R8500 or my GRE scanners.

I still hear it now at home. I just got back from driving out to Luke AFB and back and did not hear it on that trip from the car at all.
 

KG7LER

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I can't hear it from 107th & Camelback, I think I might hear a very faint carrier signal but nothing I can make out and it probably isn't anything anyways, on 160.445.
 

N9JIG

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I am wondering if there isn't something local creating the noise, between a couple dozen radios a few computers, 3 WiFi AP's and the rest of the stuff it could be creeping in.

Since I didn't hear anything when I went east today I will try to the west towards Wickenburg tomorrow.
 

Phoenix805

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160.455 & 160.470 are (or at least were) railroad freqs. I'm not sure what data they might be transmitting, unless possibly the end of train telemetry. I'm not sure if that's what you're hearing, but it might be a possibility.
 

SCPD

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I think it is an image of a satellite beacon. That would explain why you hear it on Unidens but not other brands, different IFs
 
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N9JIG

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160.455 & 160.470 are (or at least were) railroad freqs. I'm not sure what data they might be transmitting, unless possibly the end of train telemetry. I'm not sure if that's what you're hearing, but it might be a possibility.

There is quite a bit of data on rail freqs around the country, although I haven't heard much around here. The BNSF has a ton of VHF ARES data on the former BN lines but this sounds nothing like that and AFAIK they haven't used it on the ATSF side.



I think it is an image of a satellite beacon. That would explain why you hear it on Unidens but not other brands, different IFs

I suspect you are right, but I wonder what the original freq is. I will scout around...
 

N9JIG

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The mystery deepens!

I now hear the mystery data on 160.440 so it seems to have ranged downward. This points to NC4DX's thoughts about a satellite beacon.

I set a BCT15X on a search from 138 to 175 and heard the data on 152.420. Weird...
 

N9JIG

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Nothing on 138.74 that I can hear. It seems to move from 160.44 thru 160.47.

I am pretty certain now that the noise is being generated here at home, perhaps from the Stridsberg Multicoupler that feeds these radios. I only hear it on radios connected to that multicoupler. I have 2 8-port and 2 4-port multicouplers and only the radios (which are all Unidens) are hearing it. That 8-port has the HP-1, HP-2, 4 BCT15X's and a couple 996's connected to it and each hear it. AS soon as I switch the power off on the multicoupler the noise goes away. Since the HP's have their own power sources they stay on when the main power goes off. Since the signal is so weak I don't know if it is the multicoupler causing it or providing just enough amplification to push it above the noise threshold.

We are busy this weekend but maybe next week I will swap out the multicoupler and see if that changes things. I might also hook it to the R8500 or other radios to see if it follows.
 
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