G3USF's Worldwide List of HF Beacons

The IARU Region 1 beacon coordinator is Martin Harrison, G3USF. Martin is a member, and a past Chairman, of the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee (PSC). He used to maintain two comprehensive and detailed lists of beacons.

The last published version of the worldwide HF beacon list compiled by Martin Harrison G3USF was on May 23, 2018. I have saved it here: G3USF's Worldwide List of HF Beacons  for future reference. 

The Low VHF (40-50 MHz) beacon list by G3USF is still updated regularly, you may see the latest version here: G3USF's Worldwide List Of 50MHz Beacons.

An alternative 28 MHz beacon list by Bill Hays, WJ5O, is also available and updated frequently here: 10 meter Beacon List.

 

 

World War II radio & radar history (4)

More YouTube videos related to World War II radio, SIGINT and radar:



BC-375 transmitter, used in B17 "flying fortress" bombers

Still active: ROS network on 27635 kHz

Freebanders using ROS, heard on 27635 kHz

The digital freebanders' network on 27635 kHz (11 m), described in a post on 2017-04-06, remains active. The current (July 22) Es openning in Europe allowed strong signals into Greece from Maidenhead locator fields JN and JO. Stations in this extensive network use the ROS MFSK protocol calling CQ or transmitting beacons in various data rates (4, 8 and 16 baud). 

Fortunately PSK reporter supports 11m activities and allows plotting the stations on a map.

COMMON AND PRECIOUS on 6398.5 kHz

The beacon on the waterfall on my Perseus SDR

The COMMON AND PRECIOUS propagation beacon, which used to operate on various frequencies like 10237.6 kHz, recently recently moved to 6398.5 kHz. 

The beacon operates in CW and transmits the message: "JO62SK 52W DIPOLE JO62SK COMMON AND PRECIOUS". Yesterday evening it was received on my Perseus SDR with very good signal.

The string JO62SK is a Maidenhead locator centered at Aldershof, a German town southeast of Berlin.

See related previous posts on this blog:
COMMON AND PRECIOUS (2015-08-09) 
COMMON AND PRECIOUS update (TNX QSL) (2015-09-10)

For background information about the beacon, read article "Common and Precious 4" on the HF Underground wiki.
 

DAB/DAB+ digital radio in Thessaloniki, Greece

In a previous post I discussed the ERT DAB+ multiplex covering Athens, Greece. Recently the government controlled broadcaster ERT started transmitting a second  DAB+ multiplex from their transmitter site on Mt Hortiatis, near Thessaloniki. (HGRS87 coordinates: 423700, 4494181; WGS84 coordinates 40.5975 N - 23.1000 E; 871 m ASL).
 
This second experimental ERT transmssion on 174.928 MHz (Channel 5A) covers most of Thessaloniki and part of Central Macedonia Region. The multiplex contains the following audio streams:

"PROTO" (136 kbps,  AAC)
"DEYTERO" (136 kbps, AAC)
"TRITO" (136 kbps, AAC)
"ERA SPORT" (128 kbps, AAC)
"KOSMOS" (136 kbps, AAC)
"Voice of Greece" (96 kbps, AAC)
"ERA 7" (64 kbps, AAC)

The channel characteristics were logged in the afternoon of Sunday, April 29, 2018 using a Perstel DR70tc portable FM/DAB receiver at various locations in downtown Thessaloniki. 

A second multiplex under the name of "Sigmacom DAB+" is also transmitted from an unknown location in or near Thessaloniki on 225.648 MHz (Channel 12B). On April 30, 2018, it carried six private stations:

"YELLOW 92.8" (96 kbps, AAC)
"COSMORADIO" (96 kbps, AAC)
"KALAMARIA FM" (96 kbps, AAC)
"MORE RADIO" (96 kbps, AAC)
"AROMA FM" (48 kbps, AAC)
"PLUS RADIO" (96 kbps, AAC)

This seems to be an experimental transmission by local rado equipment supplier Sigmacom Broadcast Ltd. According to the official Digital Radio Allocation Plan for Greece, channel 12B would carry the 5th DAB multiplex for Thessaloniki area.


Update: Official service announcement by Sigmacom, 2018-04-30. Their transmitter site is also on Mt Hortiatis.