SWL Monitoring and Respective MODES

[ab5r]

As long as I have been listening to various SWL frequencies (won't admit to HOW long); I am not sure of what MODE a station may be operating. Of course, the Broadcast station are generally AM, Ham Radio can be FM, SSB or digital, but other bands like military, Utility and others are not listed, that I can find. The frequencies are readily available, but not the MODES of operation.

Is there such a list that I may have overlooked?

Regards,
Jerry

 

[Token]

As long as I have been listening to various SWL frequencies (won't admit to HOW long); I am not sure of what MODE a station may be operating. Of course, the Broadcast station are generally AM, Ham Radio can be FM, SSB or digital, but other bands like military, Utility and others are not listed, that I can find. The frequencies are readily available, but not the MODES of operation.

Is there such a list that I may have overlooked?

Regards,
Jerry

In general Utilities (this includes pretty much everything not Ham or Broadcast, and includes Mil, maritime, and aviation) are almost always USB. Outside the ham bands most signals are USB, even the digital stuff.

T!

 

[SCPD]

I'm not exactly sure where the confusion lies. I mean you have a 50/50 choice.

Is there some reason you cannot press USB or LSB to discover which is which? :lol:

FM doesn't really exist much in SWL. AM is well AM and sounds rather obvious. That leaves USB or LSB.

As Token said most everything is confined to USB except for swearing fisherman who prefer LSB for whatever reason.

 

[ka3jjz]

There have been a few ALE networks - Mexicans, for one - that have been known to use LSB...but no, there is no such list I know of that lists every mode that you can hear on HF...

Anyway Jerry if you subscribe to the UDXF (Utility DXers Forum) on Yahoo groups, you'll quickly see that when there's a digital log, the mode is usually also listed (and when it's not known, generally, there's enough folks around with enough knowhow to figure out what the mode is).

Digitally speaking, the military generally uses - with some exceptions - modes not commonly found on amateur digital decoding software. If you could be a bit more specific, like with logs (time in UTC and freq in Khz, please) - and go to our digital decoding forum - we can try to give you a hand here. Mike

 

[Token]

And the Chinese Mil likes LSB for its digital modes also. But still most Utes are USB. When in doubt try USB first, LSB next, then get creative. Don't forget to try AM even I you think a signal is in USB or LSB. Remember that AM can be received in both LSB and USB, and SSB + carrier can be received in the respective sideband mode or in AM.

T!

 

[ab5r]

Thanks to ALL answering, but these replies exemplify what my quandary is. These replies say it is usually USB, unless such in such uses it otherwise. And, some groups use XYZ unless .......

I guess my confusion is when I read an article or post stating a particular frequency, the mode is seldom listed too. And, I guess that I am too dumb to push USB or LSB buttons!

Thanks to all replies.
Jerry

 

[Token]

Thanks to ALL answering, but these replies exemplify what my quandary is. These replies say it is usually USB, unless such in such uses it otherwise. And, some groups use XYZ unless .......

I guess my confusion is when I read an article or post stating a particular frequency, the mode is seldom listed too. And, I guess that I am too dumb to push USB or LSB buttons!

Thanks to all replies.
Jerry

That is the nature of Utility station listening. These are not broadcast stations that list times and modes. Certain services might be always one mode, but with the thousands and thousands of services out there it would be impossible to list them all here.

You might hear any mode on any freq, dependent on the service you happen to hear there at the time. Without you asking about specific frequencies and services, not just a general "what mode might be used", no one can really say with more certainty. And no, there is no one list that says "this freq will always be USB, that one always LSB" etc. There are only general rules of thumb to follow. HF Aviation traffic, regardless of freq, is almost always USB, as is most USCG and Mil traffic.

When in doubt, USB first.

T!

 

[Ed_Seedhouse]

We don't seem to know what kind of radio the OP is using. On my receiver switching from USB to LSB to AM to CW to FM is just a mouse click. Not all radios are like that, you know. Some radios might need two or three button pushes. Or turning a VFO knob back and forth.

Be careful what you assume.

 

[Token]

We don't seem to know what kind of radio the OP is using. On my receiver switching from USB to LSB to AM to CW to FM is just a mouse click. Not all radios are like that, you know. Some radios might need two or three button pushes. Or turning a VFO knob back and forth.

Be careful what you assume.

Who has assumed anything? All anyone has said is try different modes, and he did ask about modes. No one told him how to try the different modes, only to do so. On SDRs that include a waterfall you do not even need to switch modes to see which is being used, the different modes are immediately identifiable visually. You only need to switch modes to hear a signal, not to ID the mode used.

T!