SV1SIX beacon active again

After a few months of inactivity, 50 MHz beacon SV1SIX is back on the air. 

It transmits on 50040 kHz in F1A (frequency shift Morse code), sending the following message: SV1SIX LOCATOR KM17UX ATHENS 30W ERP.

Alternative site for Athens Digisonde

Today I discovered that the digisond of the National Observatory of Athens host an alternative website with different skin but with the same basic information. The address is http://noa-dps.astro.noa.gr/ and I don't know if it is a permanent service or some provisional or experimental feature.

Their main site at http://www.iono.noa.gr/ is again fully operational.

 

ADS-B broacast from a crane !

ADS-B plot from https://planefinder.net/

A strange marker shows up on ADS-B plots in the Docklands, near London City Airport. A relevant NOTAM has been issued, indicating that it is a fixed ADS-B beacon on a crane at a construction site:

Q) EGTT/QCBXX/IV/BO /AE /009/999/5130N00001E

A) EGLC

B) 16/01/28 23:59

C) 16/03/12 23:59

E) LOW POWER AUTOMATED DEPENDANT SURVEILLANCE-BROADCAST (ADS-B) TRANSMITTER OPR ON CRANE AT 513030N 0000057E (ROYAL VICTORIA DOCK). EQUIPMENT WILL NOT INTERACT WITH TCAS BUT MAY BE DETECTABLE ON TRAFFIC INFORMATION DEVICES AND DEPICT WITH CALLSIGN CRANE. PILOTS ARE REQUESTED TO IGNORE THIS TRANSMISSION DURING THIS TRIAL.

I believe it is the first time that a Mode-S/ADS-B marker is used in this way. Stay tuned for more info.

UPDATE 2016-05-17: See additional information by Pat Carty in Radio User magazine, 11 (5), May 2016, page 49, ISSN 1748-8117.
 

Meteo FAX on 7100 kHz

Surface analysis for N. Atlantic chart - 2016-01-18

Yesterday afternoon a meteo station started sending meteo charts by FAX on 7100 kHz (this is the USB dial frequency, "white" is on 7101.9 kHz). No station identification is sent but it is believed that it is a military station in the United Kingdom.

Flash and strobo tube data

During the last few days I tried in vain to locate online the base pinout of an octal xenon flash tube type STC150, like the one shown on the picture.  Finally I discovered a discared box of a related but physically different device, a Velleman S106A flash tube.

On the two sides of the card I discovered the pinouts of some flash tubes including the STC150, the associated trigger transformers, plus a small table with some technical data. I upload it here so they are available to anybody interested.

Connection diagrams for flash tubes and trigger transformers

 

Technical data for flash tubes.

The tubes included in this data sheet are the U-style S106A, S8538, S4668 and the octal base STC150.