SINGLE LETTER MARKERS!

From: jtreed (John Reed)
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 08:23:22 -0700
Subject: Re: [Spooks] D channel marker
>
>Last night I found a "D" CW channel marker on 6550 at 0341Z.  I checked the
>frequency this morning at 1335Z and it is still active.  I didn't hear any
>traffic, just the "D" repeated in CW.  First one of these I've heard in
>years.
>

Hello spooks,

I'm a member of the ARRL intruder watch system.  We monitor the ham bands
for non-ham interference.  Over the years I've logged several what used to
be called "single letter beacon" signals.  On the 40 meter band there are
several of these still active.  Here is a list of them:

7002 Khz     V beacon  still active
7039         C beacon  still active
7038.8       P beacon  not active recently
7039.2       F beacon  not active recently

The group around 7039 is known as a "beacon cluster".  It isn't know what
the purpose of these beacons are.  They are assumed to originate from Russia.

There is also a number transmission on the 40 m band.  On 7019 reduced
carrier LSB there is a slavic sounding 5 number group transmission.  Heard
Thursday mornings around 1100 or 1200 UTC occasionally.


73, John Reed, KA5QEP



From: "Rick \"RD\" Baker" 
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 13:29:40 -0500
Subject: Re: [Spooks] D channel marker

>Over the years I've logged several what used to be called "single letter
>beacon" signals.  On the 40 meter band there are several of these still
>active.  Here is a list of them:
>7002 Khz   V beacon  still active
>7039          C beacon  still active
>7038.8       P beacon  not active recently
>7039.2       F beacon  not active recently


    I know Ary is around here somewhere, but Ary Boender was
    able to confirm last year that these are Russian Navy channel
    markers. If you look back through some of the past newsletters
    on the WUN website you will find more details.

    Ary's July, 95, and Feb., May, 1997 UTILITY ROUND-UP
    columns I know had information.

    Confirmed markers have been:

    Channelmarker 'F', Vladivostok
    Channelmarker 'C', Moscow
    Channelmarker 'L', St.Petersburg
    Channelmarker 'P', Kaliningrad
    Channelmarker 'R', Ustinov
    Channelmarker 'S', Arkhangelsk
    Channelmarker 'V', Tashkent


RD

Rick "RD" Baker  CommConf
Listening to the ute's from NE Ohio, the USA
Contributing Editor Pop'Comm, 'Communications Confidential' column
"RD's" Utility Station page http://www.concentric.net/~Commconf
---



From: "Thrash Inc" 
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 12:56:34 PST
Subject: RE: [Spooks] D channel marker


No, I have not updated the article in a long time.  From that article 
all that wasd known at the time was that the USN claimed them.   There 
was no word as to where they were registered.  I'll have to modify and 
make a note of that.
It still does not explain that one tied between the trees though, or 
others that have been found in similiar forms.
Thank you for that extra bit of info though.

Writing for the IIRG, FUK, ROT, and UNT,
                       -"Thrash"
 http://thrashinc.tzo.com


>From: CONDOR 
>To: "'Thrash Inc'" ,
>Subject: RE: [Spooks] D channel marker
>Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 05:22:29 -0800
>
>In your article, did you explain how the USN had registered the beacons 
in the Soviet Union?
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:  Thrash Inc [SMTP:thrashinc]
>Sent:  Monday, December 07, 1998 11:38
>To:    spooks
>Subject:       Re: [Spooks] D channel marker
>
>Ahhh, the old "SLHFB"'s ... (Single-Letter-High-Freq-Beacons!
>I did an article about them years ago.  The belong(ed) to the US Navy 
>(As registered) via the State Dept. and were used to mark frequencies 
>and positions.
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

---






From: Tom Norris 
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 18:43:53 -0600
Subject: [Spooks] RE: D channel marker


Hmmm. I am hearing the "D" beacon on 6550Khz here in Tennessee
at only 0030 today. Pretty strong too to be heard on my puny antenna
assemblage and R-390A. Can hear it on the DX-440 as well with the 
whip antenna. Not much else heard in the 6 Mhz range right now either,
so it is one of the first non-SWBC signals of note that has popped up tonight.


Tom


---

From: Hugh Stegman 
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 1998 18:40:28 -0800
Subject: Re: [Spooks] D channel marker

CC'd to WUN because people were asking there too...

At 07:34 12/7/98 -0600, various nice people wrote:

>Last night I found a "D" CW channel marker on 6550 at 0341Z.


That's right!  The SLBs/channel markers/cluster "beacons" are back!

My sources indicate frequencies on or around 5154, 7039, 10872, 13528, and
20048.  Most of these are clustering.  No data heard yet. (In the past,
databursts were often heard on some of these frequencies.)

>US Navy

Sure they weren't *Russian* navy?  One was supposedly in Siberia, and it
did show this kind of skip into L.A..

>Rick's good list:

I found the following in my old logs.  The 6 MHz cluster appears gone
today.  The cluster in the middle of 40 meter CW, which is still on, I
don't think I ever heard here.  The hams were too loud.  Some of these
loggings are pretty old.  I heard them other times, but these are the
original discoveries:

 4054.5  FSK 11/30/87 0630  Fast "K"
 6801.5  CW  2/1/88   0513  "D"
 6803.0  CW  10/27/87 0652  "F"
 6803.2  CW  2/17/89  0635  Slow "K"
 6804.0  CW  2/1/88   0513  "O"
 6804.5  CW  2/1/88   0513  "L"
 6934.0  FSK 8/14/87  0551  "T"
 8144.0  FSK 4/20/87  0528  Fast "K"
 8157.5  FSK 1/25/89  0703  Fast "K"
 9001.5  CW  10/27/87 1440  "R"
 9001.6  CW  10/27/87 1440  "Y"
10872.0  CW  5/22/93  0354  "S" cluster, still on
11321.0  CW  3/16/89  0520  Strange hand QSV, then "F" channel marker
13637.0  CW  10/22/87 0457  "F"
14476.7  FSK 3/4/88   0706  Fast "K"
14477.7  FSK 9/7/87   0529  Fast "K," then letter groups
14967.0  FSK 4/28/89  1424  Fast"K"
17017.0  CW  5/10/88  0253  "F"
18348.0  FSK 5/10/88  0011  Fast "K"

The fast "K" might not be a classic SLB.  Slow "K" was kind of an oddity.
Was always way the loudest of the 6 MHz bunch, and sent way slower.


-hugh

driver8                  Hugh Stegman NV6H
rfwatts                  34N 118.5W UTC-8/7
Monitoring Times Utility World
 Monitoring Times Utility World
In God we trust, everyone else we monitor.

---



From: John Maky 
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 20:36:42 -0600
Subject: [Spooks] new beacon???



On now at 0000...  6944.25 SLHFM "T"

This is a new one for me; has anybody heard it on this frequency before?


73's
John Maky

John Maky - KD5EYV  
HC 60 Box 94
Parks, Arkansas USA 72950-9706       
jcmaky      

---




From: Bill 
Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 18:48:21 -0400
Subject: [WUN] Single letter beacon on 13528


Hi folks....the past few nights I have been monitoring a single letter
P- and for the first time noted another just sending the letter C here
in New Jersey around 2245UTC on 13528.0 KHz....does any on have any info
on these 2 stations? If you do, please email me- ka2emz

73s
Bill KA2EMZ

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To:  "WUN" 
From: "Klaus Betke" 
Subject: [WUN] MISC: Russian Navy single letter beacons
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 18:35:20 +0200


... has anybody logged them recently? The clusters around 5154, 
7039, 10872, 13528 and 16332 kHz have been remarkably quiet for 
at least 3 weeks now. Usually one could hear at least the 
omnipresent C (Moscow) and P (Kaliningrad). But all I found 
is R (Ustinov) on 3195 and 3321.9 kHz and F (Vladivostok) on 
10872.1 kHz. Any comments? 


73 
Klaus 

--- 


To: Klaus Betke 
From: "RH. Oemar" 
Subject:  Re: [WUN] MISC: Russian Navy single letter beacons
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 18:35:42 +0700


Klaus Betke wrote: 
> 
> ... has anybody logged them recently? The clusters around 5154, 
> 7039, 10872, 13528 and 16332 kHz have been remarkably quiet for 
> at least 3 weeks now. Usually one could hear at least the 
> omnipresent C (Moscow) and P (Kaliningrad). But all I found 
> is R (Ustinov) on 3195 and 3321.9 kHz and F (Vladivostok) on 
> 10872.1 kHz. Any comments? 

Klaus, 

Today 08/20/99 at 11:27UTC, I just heard dah-dit-dah "K" on 10872.10 
also dit-dit-dah-dit "F" on 10872.10, 13528.00 and 16332.00 


73, 
Richard, YD1RHO 
West Java, Indonesia, 6.55S, 107.39E 

--- 


To: "WUN" 
From: "Klaus Betke" 
Subject: Re: [WUN] MISC: Russian Navy single letter beacons
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1999 10:47:06 +0200


Ary, Costas, Richard, 

thank you for your replies. Apparently a few SLBs are 
still there, while C, P, S and probably D and V are inactive. 


Regards 
Klaus 

--- 


To: wun@qth.net
From: Costas Krallis 
Subject:  Re: [WUN] MISC: Russian Navy single letter beacons
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1999 00:31:32 +0300


SLHFM "R" (Ustinov) is active on 3195 kHz on 20 21:23z August 1999. 

SLHFM "L" (St. Petersburg) is active with the charactertic 
variable pitch on 3339.7 kHz on 20 21:31z August 1999. 


Regards, 

Costas 

+------------------------------------------------------------+ 
| Costas Krallis SV1XV      *   LOC KM18UA                   | 
| P.O.Box 3066              *   FAX: +30-1-3811362           | 
| GR-10210 Athens           *   E-Mail: sv1xv                | 
| GREECE                    *           sv1xv                | 
+------------------------------------------------------------+ 




From: Rimantas Pleikys 
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 12:16:10 +0200
Subject: [Spooks] Message Formats


Hi Spooks,

Below are presented three known standard voice message formats of the
Russian military HF channel marker stations (Enigma XX - The Pip, XB - The
Buzzer, "R") - all  live, non-computerized, mostly male voices, repeated
twice, in Russian language, real examples:


XX (The Pip), 3757//5448 kHz, Rostov-Volgograd area (?), at different times:

In Russian:                               English translation;

"Dlia 854 032 471 331 629 008           " For 854 032 471 331 629 008
 Kak slyshno? Priyom."                    How can you read me? Reception."



"R", Izhevsk, Navy, 3194//3321//4325 kHz, usually on the hour, regular
schedules:

"Rotor-35, ya - Plavets-41.              "Rotor-35, I am Plavets-41.
 Reskript: 22 80 39 90                    Rescript: 22 80 39 90
 Moskovskoye vremia 0 chasov, 2 minuty.   Moscow time 0 hours, 2 minutes.
 Priyom."                                 Reception."



XB (The Buzzer), 4625 kHz, Moscow area, extremely rare:

"Ya - UVB-76.                            "I am UVB-76.
18008                                     18008
Bromal: Boris, Roman, Olga (...)          Bromal: Boris, Roman, Olga (...)
742 799 14"                               742 799 14"


The purpose of the control messages is to check a readiness of operators at
the receiving (network) stations. The received message content, or a
special answering message,  must be repeated back on the return link - HF,
terrestrial MWL, telephone line and/or satellite link. In the cases of XX
(The Pip) and "R", the final message word "Priyom" ("Reception") means that
the station is waiting for the quick answer.

Rimantas 

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From: Rimantas Pleikys 
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 18:51:36 +0200
Subject: [Spooks] Clusters


Hi Spooks,

Could anybody check elsewhere in Europe the Single Letter (cluster) Beacons
from Russia: "C", "S", "P", etc. in standard on-off keyed Morse, etc. Here
in Vilnius, from July 25th - no joy on 5154, 7039, 8495, 10872, 13528 kHz.
Frequency change or discontinued service?

Rimantas


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From: andreas.erbe
Date: Sun, 08 Aug 1999 19:17:34 GMT
Subject: Re: [Spooks] Clusters

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ursprüngliche Nachricht <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Am 26.07.99, 18:51:36, schrieb Rimantas Pleikys  zum 
Thema [Spooks] Clusters:

> Hi Spooks,
> Could anybody check elsewhere in Europe the Single Letter (cluster) 
Beacons
> from Russia: "C", "S", "P", etc. in standard on-off keyed Morse, etc. 
Here
> in Vilnius, from July 25th - no joy on 5154, 7039, 8495, 10872, 13528 
kHz.
> Frequency change or discontinued service?


Seems to be true - I also could not find a signal of those, but as you 
no noexistence of something is always harder to prove than its existance. 

Thats all - Andreas. 

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From: Rimantas Pleikys
Date: Aug 1999 22:41:01 +0200
Subject: [Spooks] UVB-76


Hi Spooks,

Recently an official source from the Russian telecommunications authority
have confirmed, that 4625 kHz frequency (UVB-76, known as The Buzzer) is
allocated to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.

Regards,Rimantas

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From: "Frank van Gerwen" 
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 01:32:24 +0200
Subject: [Spooks] =?utf-8?Q?Question_about_=C2=ABThe_PIP=C2=BB?=



In a few recent postings Rimantas gives the Pip's frequency as 3757 kHz, and
indeed a couple of days ago I succeeded in hearing a voice message (however
by an OM and not a YL, as Rimantas says) and on 3756 kHz. Moreover, whereas
3756 kHz is quite strong here (North of Amsterdam), I hear nothing
whatsoever on the other frequency indicated (5448). In normal circumstances
5448 ought to be stronger here, though of course the signal may be aimed in
another direction.
Anyway, could anyone confirm the frequency of 3756 (instead of 3757) and the
OM (instead of YL)?
Thanks in advance

Frank

Frank van Gerwen
Castricum/Netherlands
(ICQ 2231692)
(http://www.cisquet.demon.nl)
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From: Rimantas Pleikys 
Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 22:24:21 +0200
Subject: Re: [Spooks] =?utf-8?Q?Question_about_=C2=ABThe_PIP=C2=BB?=


Hi Frank,

They use both YL and OM voices, it depends who is on duty at the message time.
3757 kHz is a daytime frequency, they do not operate both channels in //,
and parralel xmission is very rare event.

Best regards,

Rimantas


At 01:32 1999.08.05 +0200, Frank van Gerwen wrote:
>In a few recent postings Rimantas gives the Pip's frequency as 3757 kHz, and
>indeed a couple of days ago I succeeded in hearing a voice message (however
>by an OM and not a YL, as Rimantas says) and on 3756 kHz. Moreover, whereas
>3756 kHz is quite strong here (North of Amsterdam), I hear nothing
>whatsoever on the other frequency indicated (5448). In normal circumstances
>5448 ought to be stronger here, though of course the signal may be aimed in
>another direction.

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From: "David E. Crawford" 
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 15:51:22 -0400
Subject: [Spooks] Pips and beacons

--- On 10 Aug 99, at 9:10, spooks-digest wrote:  ---
> Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 01:32:24 +0200
> From: "Frank van Gerwen" 
> Subject: [Spooks] =?utf-8?Q?Question_about_=C2=ABThe_PIP=C2=BB?=
> 
> Anyway, could anyone confirm the frequency of 3756 (instead of 3757) and the
> OM (instead of YL)?

If you zero-beat the "pip" sound itself, it's around 3757.  However, 
I don't think this is a CW transmission, but rather a USB 
transmission of an audio signal; there is a reduced carrier on 3756, 
so using the USB standard that becomes the "nominal" frequency.

What time of day did you hear the voice transmission?  Did you record 
it?  What was the language, Russian?

I recently returned from several-week trip to Moscow.  The Buzzer 
(a.k.a. Foghorn) is heard there at S9+20db 24 hrs/day with only 
slight fading.  Reception of The Pip wasn't as good, varied a bit, 
and was generally better in the morning.  In addition, there is one 
more similar station which I call The Squeaky Wheel on 5461.5;  its 
reception also varied and was better in the local morning hours, 
possibly indicating a site to the general west of Moscow.  Mr. Pile 
on the irc #monitor group turned me on to this one.  The Buzzer and 
Pip are both easily audible here in Florida, but I've never heard The 
Squeaky Wheel here even when Pile had it strongly in Finland.

While in Russia I also noted the disappearance of the cluster 
beacons;  they were audible when I arrived in mid-June, but not so 
the last time I checked in early August.  Incidentally, the "C" 
beacon, supposedly Moscow, didn't come in all that well at my 
location in the northwest of the city; it tended to be weak and fade 
considerably.  The time station RWM exhibited similar propagation 
though.  "S" was generally the easiest to hear, supposedly from 
Murmansk I believe.  I also heard "R" on CW on 3195, running parallel 
with A2 mode (carrier + tone) on 3321 or 7550 at different times;  
"L" was heard while I was in Peterburg on 3335, also A2 mode.  I 
don't know whether these disappeared along with the cluster beacons.

In both Moscow and St. Pete I heard local A2 mode beacons in the 
middle of the medium wave band, using 2-letter callsigns.  I presume 
these were aeronautical, but does anyone on the list know for 
certain, and why they would be here instead of the LW beacon band?

dc

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
David E. Crawford
Gainesville, Florida  29°36.28'N 82°25.44'W
United States of America
dec
ICQ:  2588570
IM:  DavidC GNV
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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From: Andreas Erbe 
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 20:01:21 GMT
Subject: Re: [Spooks] Pips and beacons

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ursprüngliche Nachricht <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> In both Moscow and St. Pete I heard local A2 mode beacons in the
> middle of the medium wave band, using 2-letter callsigns.  I presume
> these were aeronautical, but does anyone on the list know for
> certain, and why they would be here instead of the LW beacon band?


On a holiday trip to the German Baltic coast in 1995 I noted also two 
letter call signes in CW on the M.W. Band. After some disussions, one 
person told me that it might have been Harmonics (highly unlikely, 
considering th low power output), and another guy said that beacons 
are to be there up to 900 kHz. I am a bit confused about this, but the 
latter seems possible. 


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From: "Karel Honzik" 
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 07:26:21 +0200
Subject: Re: [Spooks] Pips and beacons

>On a holiday trip to the German Baltic coast in 1995 I noted also two
>letter call signes in CW on the M.W. Band. After some disussions, one
>person told me that it might have been Harmonics (highly unlikely,
>considering th low power output), and another guy said that beacons
>are to be there up to 900 kHz. I am a bit confused about this, but the
>latter seems possible.


Hi,
as fas as I know these NDBs in countries of the former USSR (and Warsaw Pact
too) are located at military airports. They were quite well audible in the
night on frequencies up to ca. 1300 kHz some 10-20 years ago. Now it seems
the number of them is continuously decreasing. We had one such NDB (Dobrany
"DR" 822 kHz) near my home town of Plzen (Pilsen) in the western part of the
Czech Republic. Some 3-4 years ago this NDB has been retuned to 398 kHz and
its call changed to "D".


Karel Honzik,
the Czech Republic
***********************
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From: Rimantas Pleikys 
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 09:14:40 +0200
Subject: [Spooks] XP

Hi Spooks:

08.28, 20:30 UTC, XP (The Pip) on 3756//3464.4 kHz, USB. 
3464.4 - a new spurious emission? Much weaker than usual 3756.

Rimantas

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From: Albert LaFrance 
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 10:02:54 -0500
Subject: Re: [Spooks] sOT: Morse beacon audible all over Ohio on


The following web site has detailed info about aeronautical NAVAIDS - you
can enter the Morse ID and it will tell you the location, etc.

http://www.airnav.com

...Albert


Message text written by Mike
>I feel sure what you are hearing is known as a NDB (non directional
beacon)
>these are used as navigation aids and can be for shipping or in your case
>probably air craft.
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