some modes,frequencies & software that will decode,even an ID

[alok]

Forgetting ham radio modes are there any other modes that will decode something. I have tried to decode a number of modes on HF, while there is an attempt to decode by the software, SORCERER, I see nothing. Anybody got modes, frequencies and software needed that will show me someting , even an ID.
I have tired SORCERER the most , it says it is decoding but I see nothing ???

Al

 

[WA0CBW]

The software you mentioned only decodes a few modes. What modes and frequencies are you trying to decode?
BB

 

[ka3jjz]

Most of the modes Sorcerer uses are no longer in use. There are a few that still work, though. Take a look at this article from our wiki

Testing Your New Setup - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

If you really want to get into this side of the hobby, consider joining the Utility DXers Forum (UDXF) reflector on groups.io. They also have one of the most extensive collection of utility stuff on a website you will ever find...

UDXF groups.io Group

The Utility DXers Forum - UDXF is centered around the exchange of news and information relating to "utility" radio stations and signals, below 30 MHz. The Utility DXers Forum - UDXF is centered around the exchange of news and information relating to "utility" radio stations and signals, below...

groups.io

UDXF - Utility DXers Forum

UDXF or the Utility DXers Forum is an on-line community of radio enthusiasts who are interested in utility HF radio stations

www.udxf.nl

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

The software you mentioned only decodes a few modes. What modes and frequencies are you trying to decode?
BB

Actually that's not true. It decodes quite a few modes, but a good part of the non-ham stuff is no longer being used...

Sorcerer Decoder Download | KD0CQ

SORCERER is a collection of decoders for modes found in the ELF-SHF range. These work in tandem with proprietary intelligent bit parsers automatically identifying targets of interest. (ie - country and specific service as well as identifying data link protocols, compression schemes, file...

www.kd0cq.com

Mike

 

[GB46]

Most of the modes Sorcerer uses are no longer in use. There are a few that still work, though.

I use Sorcerer for HFDL (ARINC 635), which it decodes very well. It also works well on Navtex (SITOR B), provided that the signal is strong enough, but if it loses sync on a station during a fade, it takes quite a long time to resync once the signal returns to its full strength. Fax images are never a problem.

However, I've never gotten Sorcerer to decode anything in either RTTY or CW mode successfully. It lacks any kind of squelch, which would help minimize the appearance of random characters. Instead, it displays a steady stream of them. I even tried it on a very strong local CW signal with no fading and very little noise, but no luck. I've lost interest in those modes anyway, because I don't run across them very often, except during amateur radio contests, when the transmissions usually don't contain much more than CQs and station IDs. Same is true of RTTY. If I want to monitor communications like that, I can use WSJT-X to decode FT8. Those frequencies are active all day long, and often well into the evening hours.

 

[ka3jjz]

As shown in the above article, there's very little Baudot RTTY (outside of the ham bands) anymore.

I understand it does a respectable job on STANAG signals (but note that the tuning is VERY critical to get it to work). For the most part, STANAG signals are heavily encrypted UNLESS you happen to catch them running a test tape, which is in the clear. This mode is used by NATO, so the encryption is well understood to be necessary

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

By the way, there is an article on how to make Sorcerer read the current HFDL site tables (the ones it comes with are hard coded, and very outdated) here...note there is a bit of surgery needed to make it work

How to display correct HFDL ground stations in Sorcerer

I have noticed some people using Sorcerer to decode HFDL shortwave aircraft messages. Unfortunately, Sorcerer is no longer supported and the...

hikeofyourlife.blogspot.com

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

alok what are you using for the radio? And what are you trying to decode?

A lot of folks use MultiPSK but are understandably turned off by all those blasted buttons. It seems Patrick is no fan of pull downs....Mike

 

[GB46]

By the way, there is an article on how to make Sorcerer read the current HFDL site tables (the ones it comes with are hard coded, and very outdated) here...note there is a bit of surgery needed to make it work

How to display correct HFDL ground stations in Sorcerer

I have noticed some people using Sorcerer to decode HFDL shortwave aircraft messages. Unfortunately, Sorcerer is no longer supported and the...

hikeofyourlife.blogspot.com

It's not difficult if you're comfortable editing the registry.

Also worth mentioning is that on the first run, some people, including me, have had problems getting Sorcerer to work with Windows 7. Sometimes the control panel would indicate that it was running, but the program wouldn't come up at all. Or it would come up, but crash frequently. That can be fixed by closing the program (or killing it in the task manager) and completely deleting the following values from Sorcerer's registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sorcerer\MainH
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sorcerer\MainW
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sorcerer\MainX
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sorcerer\MainY

They're automatically created during the first run, and are responsible for the size and position of the app on the monitor, apparently assuming that it's running on an older version of Windows with an older screen resolution (probably something like 800x600).

That will fix it, but you can then adjust the display to a more acceptable position and size by dragging the window with the mouse. This will insert the corresponding values into the registry. What I did after that was export Sorcerer's registry key to a .REG file as backup in case I need to use it again. So far I haven't, and the program has been running flawlessly ever since.

 

[alok]

Thanks to all that replied, I am using a Kenwood TS-430S , my ham transceiver. I'll give the Sorcerer another try. I think the fact that so may are encrypted is the thing. Where can I find HFDL ( ARINC 635 ) as well as STANAG, frequencies & times, Eastern or GMT, that are very active . . . even an open test or ID will be good for me.
I do use MultiPSK. I think I am looking for "easy" decodes, like ham radio. I find with Sorcerer it seems to lock but decodes nothing on what I guess was a STANAG signal.
Again thanks for the responses,

Al

 

[GB46]

Thanks to all that replied, I am using a Kenwood TS-430S , my ham transceiver. I'll give the Sorcerer another try. I think the fact that so may are encrypted is the thing. Where can I find HFDL ( ARINC 635 ) as well as STANAG, frequencies & times, Eastern or GMT, that are very active . . . even an open test or ID will be good for me.
I do use MultiPSK. I think I am looking for "easy" decodes, like ham radio. I find with Sorcerer it seems to lock but decodes nothing on what I guess was a STANAG signal.
Again thanks for the responses,

Al

Here's a recent list of all the known HFDL ground stations with their frequencies. Note that, strangely enough, the channels are numbered from the highest to the lowest frequency for each ground station. Those channel numbers are essential, because each station will occasionally list the active frequencies, and they use only those numbers. So, for example, if San Francisco states that their active frequencies are 3 and 7, that's 13276 and 6559 khz respectively. Ground station 12 is missing from the list for some unknown reason. The station I receive most often is from San Francisco.

 

[GB46]

Another thing that just occurred to me: At the top of Sorcerer's HFDL screen you'll find a row of checkmarks for choosing what parts of the transmissions you want to decode. You need to check at least one of them, or nothing will be decoded at all. I'd recommend selecting all of them except for HEX, which displays long hexadecimal numbers that you probably wouldn't be able to interpret, and Verbose, which displays a lot of technical details about the transmissions, likely more than you'd want to see or would be able to understand. So everything except for HEX and Verbose should be checked.

On the Output tab you should then be able to see something, depending on propagation and time of day. Transmissions are usually 32 seconds apart. Your location should also be taken into account. I get my best results in the early morning and evening hours on 6559 khz from San Francisco, because I live in western Canada.

Of course, your receiver should be in USB mode, but you probably already knew that.

Hope I'm not causing information overload here!

 

[ka3jjz]

Thanks to all that replied, I am using a Kenwood TS-430S , my ham transceiver. I'll give the Sorcerer another try. I think the fact that so may are encrypted is the thing. Where can I find HFDL ( ARINC 635 ) as well as STANAG, frequencies & times, Eastern or GMT, that are very active . . . even an open test or ID will be good for me.
I do use MultiPSK. I think I am looking for "easy" decodes, like ham radio. I find with Sorcerer it seems to lock but decodes nothing on what I guess was a STANAG signal.
Again thanks for the responses,

Al

Al, see message 3 of this thread. The testing article I linked gives you several potential 'easy' decode targets....Mike

 

[alok]

Again, thanks to all. Easily saw tonight ( 9/24) at approx 9:30PM ET on 6559 Mhz USB - SF, Calif. Receive info, signal was good.
Was decoded in ARINC 635 using Sorcerer.
Al

 

[GB46]

Glad to hear it, Al! If you monitor HFDL frequently, you'll eventually see transmissions from Air to Ground, complete with the flight IDs and current position reports. Sometimes you'll see plain English messages from the ground station, too. I'm kind of hooked on HFDL myself. Judging from the time you heard it, you must be on the east coast, so that's a pretty good catch, which you got about 25 minutes ago, as my time is now 6:55 PM PDT.

 

[alok]

Yes, beside SF I also heard Riverhead,NY and Shannon,Ireland. Shannon was very weak with many fades and did not decode all the time.
Again thank you all.
Al

 

[GB46]

Yes, beside SF I also heard Riverhead,NY and Shannon,Ireland. Shannon was very weak with many fades and did not decode all the time.

I can get Riverhead briefly in the early evening here, but it's kind of weak and disappears altogether after an hour or two. I'm partially blocked to the east coast by several mountain ranges. The only other ground station I've picked up is Molokai, Hawaii early in the morning, but I haven't seen that one for months now, even at a time of day when gray line propagation is possible.