Morse code on 8095 - 8097 USB

[lurking]

I'd normally post something about this in the Enigma 2000 yahoo group. But there are probably many people here that do not know about that group or the stuff they keep track of.

For around the last week or so there has been an usually strong Morse code signal from 8095 to 8097 USB. This signal will sometimes air groups of 5 characters or just individual characters. Today, it' groups of 5 letters and letters only.

I live in the Kansas City metro area and this signal starts right around noon time and runs for 20 to 40 minutes.

Just another signal for everyone to catch if they have a chance.

 

[WA1CRZ]

Im hearing an S9 signal, just a steady carrier on 8097 khz

 

[kb2vxa]

Lurch, er, Lurk, Morse code is not USB, it's CW. You have the wrong frequency, you're offset by the frequency of the tone. Zero beat the signal and switch back and forth between USB and LSB, when the tone disappears on both you're on target +/- readout calibration error. My guess is 8095 being HF is channelized every 5KHz except for the ham bands.

Fulminator, you're hearing transmitter adjustment or a frequency marker for receiver adjustment purposes.

 

[gcgrotz]

OK, I heard it this afternoon around 19:13z (2:15pm EST). It is AM, on 8907KHz, full carrier, both sidebands. I was able to zero beat the carrier. According to Skysweep, the audio is 990hz. It is 5 figure groups. It was S9+20 here in VA on the '746. I guess this is a new numbers station, probably from Cuba using one of their broadcast facilities.

 

[gcgrotz]

Just checked it a few minutes ago, 11:00 EST and there was a loud hum similar to what I heard the other day as China Radio Intl. signed off of its broadcast from a Cuban relay site. I believe they are using Chinese made transmitters there.

 

[CharlesDom]

And who needs the CIA or FBI for eavesdropping? lol

 

[kb2vxa]

Cuba has always been a hotbed of covert activity, more recently and famously the Russians and when they left the Chinese took their place. Yes they're using Chinese transmitters and yes the "interesting" stuff comes from their broadcast facilities.

Funny how nobody mentions all the funky stuff WE have in Puerto Rico. The Caribbean must be the most intriguing place on Earth and the pirates haven't gone away either.

 

[gcgrotz]

Anybody been to Key West? Did you go down to the marker at the beach and look over at all those antennas on the Navy base pointed south? I bet we have some funky stuff at Gitmo too Warren!

BTW, the new MT arrived yesterday and they have this particular station ID'd as M08a, Cuban "cut numbers" see page 30.

 

[kb2vxa]

Since it's the Conch Republic and not US soil (or at least the Conch seem to think so) pretty much anything goes. You need a passport and every year they celebrate their independence by throwing rotten tomatoes at the Coast Guard. Pretty interesting place eh?

I don't know what they have at Gitmo besides a ham station and a bunch of beards in chicken suits. Now tell everybody the callsign prefix for Havana Provence. (;->)

 

[lurking]

The last time I talked to anyone in Cuba, I believe they had a CO2** call sign. I do know the QSL card came through Canada. I have that somewhere in a box.

 

[papavictor]

I know this is an old thread now, but I had to make a report anyway.

Today I was playing with my old Knight Space Spanner 3-tube regen set, literally connected to an antenna made from zip cord, quite hummy and deaf anyway ...

I passed by 8 Mhz on SW with the Main tuning and WHOA!

Heard this LOUD signal; a steady AM carrier with a clean tone sending Morse code (MCW mode) at about 15 WPM.

I copied it for a while and it seemed to be all five plain character groups, obviously ciphertext.

So I tuned the main rig (IC-735) over there and noted the frequency as 8097 Khz. And was it LOUD!

On a 20m double extended Zepp (long dipole wire) up only 30ft it was nearly pinning the S meter!!!

Now note - this was at 14:30 in the afternoon, and I am located near Sarasota Florida ...

So I have to believe this is probably another one of the famous "spy" transmitters located in Cuba.

But I am still amazed at the signal strength! They must be really pouring on the coals; louder then I have ever heard Radio Havana!

Who needs the internet? US CIA / FBI probably doesn even have signal analysts that can copy Morse anymore. This is so low tech, ie, reliable, easy to access, Boris and Natasha could hear it literally on an xtal set !!!

 

[Fast1eddie]

Can you say Bullwinkle??? (My name is Earl, Randy is hitting on a Russian babe, his one good line from that episode).

Tubes are cool, I would like to build some tube stuff and re-acquaint myself with CW.

Good DX,

Ed

 

[Token]

I know this is an old thread now, but I had to make a report anyway.

<---snip--->

Heard this LOUD signal; a steady AM carrier with a clean tone sending Morse code (MCW mode) at about 15 WPM.

I copied it for a while and it seemed to be all five plain character groups, obviously ciphertext.

So I tuned the main rig (IC-735) over there and noted the frequency as 8097 Khz. And was it LOUD!

On a 20m double extended Zepp (long dipole wire) up only 30ft it was nearly pinning the S meter!!!

Now note - this was at 14:30 in the afternoon, and I am located near Sarasota Florida ...

So I have to believe this is probably another one of the famous "spy" transmitters located in Cuba.

But I am still amazed at the signal strength! They must be really pouring on the coals; louder then I have ever heard Radio Havana!

Who needs the internet? US CIA / FBI probably doesn even have signal analysts that can copy Morse anymore. This is so low tech, ie, reliable, easy to access, Boris and Natasha could hear it literally on an xtal set !!!

More like about as loud as you hear Radio Havana, as it most likely comes from one of RHC's own transmitters . It has been speculated for years that this signal and another couple use RHC transmitters, speculation is based on many things, but cross-talk and the occasional cutting in and out of RHC audio during a numbers TX is not unheard of. The RHC audio popping up in the middle of a V2 or M8 numbers TX is a pretty strong indicator.

The signal in this thread is Cuban numbers station M8a. The frequency is 8096 kHz, the mode is AM, and the modulation is MCW. It can, naturally, be received equally well in AM, LSB or USB whern tuned to 8096 kHz, even CW if you tune to the tone frequency, not the carrier. If you tune to the tone instead of the carrier, tuning in CW mode on the RX using most modern radios with CW offset, you will find your readout saying about 8095 when tuned to the low side, and about 8097 when tuned to the high side (as the tone is about 1 kHz). On their current schedule this frequency is used every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting about 1400 UTC, and may be used other times also.

The comment several post back about this being letters, not numbers...this station very often uses "cut numbers". Still numbers, just not 5 morse element numbers.

T!
Mohave Desert, California, USA

 

[Lobstah_Guy]

Key West antennas

Anybody been to Key West? Did you go down to the marker at the beach and look over at all those antennas on the Navy base pointed south? I bet we have some funky stuff at Gitmo too Warren!

BTW, the new MT arrived yesterday and they have this particular station ID'd as M08a, Cuban "cut numbers" see page 30.

Here's a picture of those antennas as seen on the approach to Key West on a cruise ship

 

[poikaa]

Here's a picture of those antennas as seen on the approach to Key West on a cruise ship

Those might be a CODAR station, use of this give wave heights I believe.