139.650MHz?

[W4BOZ]

I used to hear whatever is on this frequency when I first got a scanner about 10 years ago. Just recently have I gotten around to recording what I hear on it. Does anyone have any idea what these tones being transmitted do and what this frequency is used for? I editted a small clip to include the tones transmitted along with data that is sent at certain intervals.

Any ideas?

Click here to listen to 139650MHz

 

[trainman111]

I hear the SAME EXACT thing on a railroad frequency (can't remember which one) when I'm in downtown Petersburg. Once I leave Petersburg it goes away. Do you hear it in a specific location or just everywhere?

*Edit*
I just turned the scanner on and I am also getting those weird tones downhere in Chesterfield. It's in FM mode.

 

[kicktd]

hmm towards the end it sounds like a digital transmission. But the harmonic tones are interesting..

 

[trainman111]

It just goes on and on like that forever. It doesn't end. At first I thought it was fire tones when I heard it on the RR frequency. Once it began to last for 5 minutes, I decided it couldn't have been fire tones. I really don't know what it is.

*Another Edit*
After comparing our audio sample to the one I have, it seems that the signal is coming from my area. I get it crystal clear, while yours sounds like it is somewhat distant from your receiver. Nothing came up on the FCC website and I've never heard anything like it before.

 

[W4BOZ]

As far as location, I'm hearing it in downtown Richmond. I first heard it years ago when I first got a scanner and was traveling thru Virginia on my way to North Carolina. It's been on the air for a while....

Can you find that railroad frequency?

 

[freqhopping]

At first I thought it was fire tones when I heard it on the RR frequency. Once it began to last for 5 minutes, I decided it couldn't have been fire tones.

I had the same thought because that's what it sounds like when Frederick Co tones out all the stations prior to a general announcement.

Worth asking in the general forum I think.

 

[Don_Burke]

I did some poking around on the web and there are reports of 139.650 being used for tones at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona and for voice at Hickam Airforce Base in Hawaii.

http://www.totse.com/en/media/radio_scanner_frequency_lists/dmafbfre.html

http://www.totse.com/en/media/radio_scanner_frequency_lists/hawfreq.html

Perhaps the folks in Arizona have already figured it out.

 

[gcgrotz]

Sounds like paging to me, maybe a bunch of tone-only pages and then digital that sounds like 512 baud POCSAG. I worked in paging for 12 years. Does anybody have a better quality recording? You guys in Richmond can listen to 454.500 for some old fashioned paging.

It could be coming from Ft. Lee I suppose.

 

[vern23882]

That's something I haven't heard in a long time. It seems to me, I heard years ago the transmissions were from Fort Lee, and was telemetry related to their buildings enviromental systems. I don't recall where I heard this, or know if it's true.


Vern

 

[appalachianscanner]

Re

Good Posting

 

[KF4ZTO]

I too can hear it from downtown Richmond, only about S-3 on my HT here

 

[trainman111]

Fort Lee would make sense because when I was north of Petersburg I couldnt hear it, but once I got to downtown area near the exit for Ft. Lee it came in. Once I got south of there it faded away again. I might be heading down this weekend, if I do I will get the frequency. Give me a couple hours and I'll post a recording of it on 139.65. I'm not sure how to post media files so I'll have to figure it out.

 

[Don_Burke]

Fort Lee would make sense because when I was north of Petersburg I couldnt hear it, but once I got to downtown area near the exit for Ft. Lee it came in. Once I got south of there it faded away again. I might be heading down this weekend, if I do I will get the frequency. Give me a couple hours and I'll post a recording of it on 139.65. I'm not sure how to post media files so I'll have to figure it out.

If you can get the sample rate up to at least 44.1 kHz and improve the signal to noise ratio, it will help quite a bit. The noise on the file we have is a bit much for my audio editor's analysis feature.

 

[trainman111]

I'm going to give it a try right now. How do you upload audio to RR?

 

[W4BOZ]

I'm going to give it a try right now. How do you upload audio to RR?

You can do like I did and go to putfile, open an account (which is something I usually hate to doing but was really easy with putfile), and upload it that way so it will show up like the link I posted originally.

Or you can host it somewhere like your own personal webpage and just post a link to it.

 

[trainman111]

I can barely receive the tones right now. Not sure why but it keeps cutting in then out. If it gets better at all I'll be sure to record it. I'm not sure why reception is so with that signal right now.

 

[Don_Burke]

I tried picking it up from work (fifth floor in downtown Norfolk), but no luck.

It is going to be a while before my next trip over that way.

 

[runslow]

Solid S-6 in Mechanicsville, using ICOM R8500 with Scantenna.

 

[kc4jgc]

I barely picked it up just now with open squelch on my Kenwood TM631A and antenna at 25 feet. If I think about it I may disconnect my diplexer to hopefully bring it in better.

 

[kc4jgc]

IVT,
Do you know why one has to go through 20 "click here" pages just to download?
Seems odd to me.......