USCG using DRM?

[ka3jjz]

Seems so, for some kind of test transmission. The UDXF Yahoo group has a string on this, starting here with our own Token...

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/UDXF/conversations/messages/73183

And see this article for a very brief introduction into Digital Radio Mondiale, or DRM

DRM - The RadioReference Wiki

Included at the bottom are many DRM related links, including links to a few SDRs that natively support DRM. That list is undoubtedly not complete. For example, the Bonito RadioJet (not technically a SDR) has such support, and I believe some of the higher-end WinRadios also do. The RX320D from TenTec had a built in tap so you could run DReaM in this mode.

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

From Tom DF5JL...it appears these xsmns might be encrypted (the German ones are), however during this test phase, who knows...they MAY be running in the clear...(again, via the UDXF Yahoo group)

US Coast Guard Interested in Applications of DRM for Ships-at-Sea | Radio magazine

Mike

 

[Token]

US Coast Guard testing DRM, 5200 kHz, 06 November 2016

About 0110 UTC, November 06, 2016, I noticed a DRM signal on 5200 kHz that did not seem to be broadcast related. I have never really messed with DRM before, but I wanted to know what this was. USing a DRM decoder I found the signal did not appear to have audio, but did have an ID tag that said "USCG Journaline".

Antenna bearing and propagation was consistent with the source possibly being Kodiak, Alaska.

A little research revealed that the US Coast Guard has been investigating the use of DRM for some months.
US Coast Guard Interested in Applications of DRM for Ships-at-Sea | Radio magazine
http://www.rfmondial.com/fileadmin/downloads/factsheet_drm_datacasting_RFmondial.pdf
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportu...33f189d412260de2bf7b3154106&tab=core&_cview=0

The next morning the signal was still present, and the signal faded out for me at about 1600 UTC, again consistent with Alaska as a possible source.

Tonight, November 07, 2016, I was ready for it, and saw it fade up out of the noise around 0100 UTC.

The data stream includes weather, safety, general maritime information, and news. The weather and some maritime information is for Alaska.

A video of the reception, and some of the information included, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttXgXkoSqG0

T!

 

[Token]

Mike, not encrypted right now. And from the type of information sent I doubt they would encrypt it. I posted a video example in the Utility forum here, with decodes, you might want to move it to this forum instead, not sure.

T!

 

[ka3jjz]

We'll keep it here, T. This is DATA decoding (as the forum name implies), after all, even tho it isn't the standard digital modes you would expect from an ute. It is interesting that organizations are looking at DRM for datacasting,

Mike

 

[Airboss]

Included at the bottom are many DRM related links, including links to a few SDRs that natively support DRM. That list is undoubtedly not complete. For example, the Bonito RadioJet (not technically a SDR) has such support, and I believe some of the higher-end WinRadios also do. The RX320D from TenTec had a built in tap so you could run DReaM in this mode.

Mike

There is an excellent article on the RTL-SDR website on using the Dream software package with the various SDR receivers (RTL-SDR) including the Airspy/Spyverter package that I own. You can read that article at RTL-SDR Tutorial: Decoding DRM Radio - rtl-sdr.com

Chief

 

[ka3jjz]

Excellent, Larry. I will add this to the DRM article. Nice find

Mike

 

[DaveNF2G]

I did a search on Journaline, thinking it might be a place. It is a software application.

 

[Token]

Journaline is a subset of the DRM data stream. If you look at the video I posted you will see that I have the Journaline window open (data stream #1 on this USCG use of DRM) and am able to see they are sending various things over that data stream, weather, news, etc.

T!

 

[Token]

Tonight I noticed this signal fading up out of the noise at about 0100 UTC (November 08, 2016) on 8000 kHz and not present on 5200 kHz, where it has been for at least the last 2 nights.

T!

 

[ka3jjz]

Here is a great deal of information on the broadcasts courtesy of Brendan Wahl on the UDXF mailing list. Note that they are soliciting reports, and would also seem to like plots of the signal...
=================================
I have been corresponding with the USCG Research and Development Center regarding the USCG experimental DRM broadcasts in Alaska. I took the lead in contacting them as I am a former USCG Radioman from many years ago and I am quite intrigued by this experiment. They are very interested in outside reception reports and will appreciate any and all reports. The following quote is from an email to me from the civilian staff member for this experiment:

"To give you a little background about this project. The Next Generation Arctic Navigational Safety Information System (ANSIS) project is an ongoing U.S.Coast Guard (USCG) Research and Development Center (RDC) project that is attempting to meet the challenge of disseminating Maritime Safety Information in the Arctic.

"For a variety of reasons we ended up with DRM over HF. Where the data rate would allow transmission of detailed weather, ice edge, and notice to mariner's information, as well as electronic chart updates. A one year field test is being conducted in Alaska. We completed installation during
the Week of Oct 23, 2016. We have been working with RFMondial and Fraunhofer. We are transmitting (at around 800 watts) from Kodiak and our receive equipment is in Cordova (shore side and aboard the buoy tender). We have 10 authorized frequencies to use between 2.45 and 29.9. But have reduced them to the 6 lowest frequencies.

"Initial research indicates that lower frequencies are best, so we came up with the attached schedule for transmissions. The test will go for one year, so we may change this schedule at some point to maximize reception."

I had a conference call on the 21st of November with the good folks at R&D to go over what can be offered by the monitoring community and myself to their experiment. They are quite interested in reports that are as detailed as possible. I am running the DReaM software here and using DRMPlot to produce graphs of my logs, and they like those graphs very much!

Further, I asked about the antenna system, which was relayed to me as being a TCI 530 antenna (omnidirectional and NVIS). I want one, but I don't have the real estate or the money! This is DRM of a very different variety than normal as they are not transmitting any voice, only data in both Journaline and USCG proprietary forms. I have been able to receive the Journaline data at my QTH, so I know it's there. We did address the frequencies, as two of them are in broadcast bands and I relayed my concerns about directly adjacent and on-frequency interference from much higher powered broadcasters. The frequencies may or may not change, as it was apparently difficult to arrange what they did get allocated. Currently they are 2450, 5200, 6850, 8000, 9900, and 11200 kilohertz with four more inactive higher frequencies in reserve. The Kodiak, Alaska site (NOJ) is the only transmitter site for this experiment, and is located at 57.778455N, 152.526588W.

I have a Dropbox link below that is the current schedule for the entire experiment, and if it changes they will send a new one to me and I will notify everyone and make it available.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/phz3h6hvqfr7vto/AACoJSGoJihmi6G3vC4DmQHya?dl=0

The broadcasts are on 24 hours a day and last until the next frequency change in the schedule. I hope the transmitter can take it...

Reception reports may be emailed directly to the R&D Center in New London at the following email address: drminfo@uscg.mil

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me here at the group and I'll try to answer them.
===========================================
If you are interested in participating in these trials, we have some basic information on DRM here...

DRM - The RadioReference Wiki

If you know of any other SDRs that natively support DRM, please feel free to add them to the list. And if you do write a report, do say you saw it on the UDXF and here at RR (free publicity plug, after all)

Mike

 

[DaveNF2G]

Any SDR that receives HF should "support" DRM. As long as the receiver parameters can be adjusted to accommodate the necessary mode and bandwidth, and there is a way to route the signal to a DRM decoder, it should work.

The only caveat I have seen (and experienced) is that you need a nearly perfect signal to get good decoding.

 

[ka3jjz]

All true, except that I specified native support; i.e. you don't need the DReaM software or similar to decode it. Evidently someone put in the hardware for a Fraunhofer (or similar) decoder for some of these SDRs. It would, of course, take software that can access the DRM mode as provided by the unit to actually access the decoder.

Certainly the WinRadios would fit your description (as they have their own licensed DRM software) but there may be others..;.Mike

 

[DaveNF2G]

I understand you now. Such support would probably operate at a higher speed and be more reliable with less than perfect reception. Nice feature to have.

 

[Airboss]

Just posted yesterday an update to this story on the MilcomMP blog at Milcom Monitoring Post: U.S. Coast Guard Testing DRM Journaline for Maritime Safety Broadcast
It includes the latest frequencies from the USCG and their test schedule through the summer of 2017.

Thanks to Hugh Stegman (Spectrum Monitor columnist), Token and Brendan Wahl WA7HL in Washington for their input to this online feature.

73 and good hunting,

Chief

 

[ka3jjz]

I have some additional information, provided by Dr.Walter Salmaniv and copied from the DXLD Yahoo group. All errors in the transcription are entirely mine. I will attach the remaining schedule (as a text file) to this message. I've deliberately removed the USCG officer's name and contact for PII reasons.
============================================
The Next Generation Arctic Navigational Safety Information System (ANSIS) project is an ongoing U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Research and Development Center (RDC) project that is attempting to meet the challenge of disseminating Maritime Safety Information in the Arctic. We selected DRM over HF as a means to disseminate this information. Using DRM allows a data rate that supports detailed weather, ice edge and maps, and notice to mariner's information, as well as electronic chart updates. A one year field test is being conducted in Alaska. We completed installation of the DRM transmitter equipment during the Week of Oct 23, 2016. We have been working with RFMondial and Fraunhofer. We are transmitting (at around 800 watts) from Kodiak and our receive equipment is in Cordova (shore side – using a loop antenna; and aboard the buoy tender – using a vertical whip). Next week we are moving the shipboard receive equipment to the CGC Healy for the summer. We have 10 authorized frequencies to use between 2.45 and 29.9. But have reduced them to the 6 lowest frequencies.

Initial research indicates that lower frequencies are best at least in the winter months, so we developed the attached schedule for transmissions.During the first six months of the test we transmitted on a TCI 530 (high take off angle and horizontally polarized) and have shifted to TCI 550 (lower take off angle and vertically polarized) on April 7. Test will end in Oct 2017. The goal of the effort is for the CG to gain some experience with DRM. This experience will be combined with several other projects working on Iridium satellite, ALE, and other HF testing. The ultimate goal is to develop a network combining Iridium and HF to improve interoperability and compatibility between CG assets and Arctic mariners
for sharing maritime safety information. Eventually, we would like to use the results of this work to be included in an “Arctic Communications” annex to the ITU-R M.1789 document.

The 2nd channel data is AIS data. We are working with the Marine Exchange Alaska (MXAK) to transmit AIS weather data via their network of AIS transmitters using message 8 application specific message (ASM). This data is also being transmitted via DRM/HF to extend reception range and to demonstrate DRM capability to modulate a variety of formats.

The 3rd channel is test data.
=============================
Our friends on the West Coast are probably in a better position to hear this than us Easterners, although it's propagationally possible on the higher freqs. The schedule given doesn't give the times of the broadcasts, but I think - I could be wrong, so don't take this as gospel - that they happen around 1600 UT.

They are evidently continuing to look for reports and waveforms (spectrgrams) using DRM tools - see the original announcement for more on this.

Mike

 

[Token]

Our friends on the West Coast are probably in a better position to hear this than us Easterners, although it's propagationally possible on the higher freqs. The schedule given doesn't give the times of the broadcasts, but I think - I could be wrong, so don't take this as gospel - that they happen around 1600 UT.

Mike, 1600 UTC is the time they change frrequency, I believe they are on the air 24 hours a day. At least I see them anytime I have propagation to that area, regardless of time. And then at 1600 UTC on the dates listed they move to the next frequency on the list.

T!