File:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png

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==Summary==
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[[Image:ColoradoBeaconQSL.png|thumb|right|A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon]]
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QSL card from a [[High Frequency Beacon]] in Colorado, USA.
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'''High Frequency Beacon''' is a colloquial term for an unlicensed '''[[radio beacon]]''' that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as [[Part 15]]), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as [[HiFER]]s.
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<P>
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==Description==
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[[File:PRV-6852-001.jpg|thumb|right|PRV (6852 kHz) under test]]
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There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.
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There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:
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* [http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/board,9.0.html HF Beacon Loggings]
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{{clear}}
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== Reported High Frequency Beacons ==
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{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
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|- style="background: #E7E7FF"
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! Freq (kHz)    !! Station ID  !! Location !! Operation Notes     
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|-
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| 2097 || A || Arizona || (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009)  
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|-
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| 3450 || OK || OK || ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5u6KWtJHk Youtube video])  
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|-
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| 3810 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])
 +
|-
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| 4056 || dasher || || Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230
 +
|-
 +
| 4062 || C || SW, probably CA || Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063.  Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah.  24/7
 +
|-
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| 4078.14 || WW || Colorado || 300-400 mW Inverted L  night time  only
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|-
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| 4077.27 || MO || Oklahoma || Solar 200 mW 118ft  end fed wire  24/7 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjw68RO_qTU Youtube video])  
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|-
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| 4079 || TMPnnn || SW Arizona || The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt  
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|-
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| 4089 || . || Death Valley N.P. || About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole  
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|-
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| 4094.2 || PA || Arkansas || Solar power 200 mW  Dipole  24/7
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|-
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|<s> 4094.8</s>  || <s>Dasher</s> ||  WV || <s>Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only</s> Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs
 +
|-
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| 4096 || ......_|| VA ||  6 dots 1 dash
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|-
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| 4096.1 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7  
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|-
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| 4096.25 || Dasher || Joshua Tree N.P. || 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie')  
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|-
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| 4096.6 || Dasher || Mojave Nat. Preserve || 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie')  
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|-
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| 4097.2 || Dasher || Inyo County, CA<BR>near DVNP  || 55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only,  at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w  
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|-
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| 4097.4 || KX ||  || "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times.  
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|-
 +
| 4102.3 || W... || s.e. California desert || The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits.  
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|-
 +
| 4194 || MX || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID.  
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|-
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| 4608 || MXC || Europe || Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.
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|-
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| 5157.6  || Dasher || Florida || BLINKY    200 mW  Dipole 24/7   
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|-
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| 5484  || SD || San Diego, CA ||
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|-
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| 5499.13  || Dasher || WA ||  ||
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|-
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| 5678.4 || Dasher || Colorado || PIKE  solar/battery 100 mW Dipole  24/7 "Honker"
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|-
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| 6549.3 || FL || Florida || 300 mW    Dipole    24/7
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|-
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| 6626.2 || S || Inyo County, CA,<BR> near DVNP || About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky')  
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|-
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| 6626.4 || Dits || Mojave N.P. || Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy')  
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|-
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| 6700.4 || Dasher || Joshua N.P. || About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k)  
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|-
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| 6815 || [[SV1TEST]] || Athens, Greece<BR>(KM18VB) || Active, no further info. (Source: [[UDXF]])  ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHzK-nKO3Y Youtube video])
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|-
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| 6852  || PRV  || Preveza, Greece || 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: [[UDXF]]) [http://6852khz.blogspot.com/]. Defunct? <sup>(2)</sup> <sup>(3)</sup>
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|-
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| 6994.8 || - || Norfolk, UK || "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS<BR>RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: [[UDXF]])
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|-
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| 8001.5 || S || S.W. Arizona || sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: [[UDXF]]).  
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|-
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| 8003 || Dasher || Colorado || Solar/battery  dipole    24/7  "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min 
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|-
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| 8188.7 || W || Colorado || Solar/battery  100 mW  dipole daylight /7  Location: Colorado  
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|-
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| 8211.7 || OR || ||
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|-
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| 8261 || F || Western Canada || 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500
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|-
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| 8350 || Dasher || North Carolina || 
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|-
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| 8497.7  || Dasher || || Pike 26  26 dashes/min   
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|-
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| 10236.7  || FL || || Dasher  
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|-
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| 11002.7  || CO || Colorado || Solar  battery 300 mW    dipole 24/7
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|-
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| 11009.9 || S || ? || Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia <sup>(1)</sup>
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|-
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| 14400.3  || UFO || Colorado ||
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|-
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|<s> 26600</s>  || <s>Dasher</s>  || || Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works.   
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|}
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==See also==
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[[Image:69BY-beacon.jpg|thumb|right|27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica]]
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* [[Pictures of high frequency beacons]]
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* [[HiFER]]
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* [[PHFER Beacon Madness]] - A glimpse into the Pathology and Symptoms of this Disease
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* [[Radio propagation beacon]] - beacons with an official license
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
# Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp.17
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 +
== External Links ==
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 +
*[http://highfrequencybeaconsociety.bravehost.com/ High Frequency Beacon Society]
 +
<!-- *[http://www.auroralchorus.com/4096khz.htm Auroral Chorus] -->
[[Category:Beacons]]
[[Category:Beacons]]
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[[Category:Pirate Radio QSLs]]
 

Revision as of 12:08, 3 April 2011

A QSL card from a High Frequency beacon

High Frequency Beacon is a colloquial term for an unlicensed radio beacon that does not follow government regulations for operation (such as Part 15), and is technically illegal. HF beacons which operate legally, according to rules for low power transmissions are classified as HiFERs.

Contents

Description

PRV (6852 kHz) under test

There are many of these beacons, quite a few are run as propagation experiments. Due to their nature, the exact location of these stations is generally not known, although many are believed to operate from remote locations in the deserts of the southwest USA. Likewise, these stations tend to suddenly appear and disappear from the air. Most run with very low power levels of just hundreds or even tens of milliwatts of power, and are often solar powered, so they can be hidden in open areas. Some are switched via a photocell, so they only operate at night, running off of a battery that is charged during the daytime by a solar panel.

There is a message board where listeners can report reception of beacons, it is also useful to see what other folks are presently hearing:


Reported High Frequency Beacons

Freq (kHz) Station ID Location Operation Notes
2097 A Arizona (15 watts) - 'A' ident or malfunctions as series of dits - 15 watts max., 24/7 (back on the air, recently reported on 6 April 2009)
3450 OK OK (Youtube video)
3810 SV1TEST Athens, Greece
(KM18VB) 		no further info. (Source: UDXF)
4056 dasher Reported on March 11, 2011 by bryan24230
4062 C SW, probably CA Very drifty, but slow drift, logged form 4052 to 4063. Its morse is not timed correcctly, it is probably sending a C with a short first dah (longer than dit, shorter than dah), but it could be an ER with a long dit, or a TR with a short dah. 24/7
4078.14 WW Colorado 300-400 mW Inverted L night time only
4077.27 MO Oklahoma Solar 200 mW 118ft end fed wire 24/7 (Youtube video)
4079 TMPnnn SW Arizona The TEMPERATURE BEACON - Temperature in deg. F. - sends 'TMP' then 2 - 3 digit temp. in CW every 10 seconds. 1 watt
4089 . Death Valley N.P. About 80 dits/minute, 24/7, 500 mW to inv. vee. dipole
4094.2 PA Arkansas Solar power 200 mW Dipole 24/7
4094.8 Dasher WV Sputnick - 60 dash/min, night only Reported off air September 2009 due to lack of QSLs
4096 ......_ VA 6 dots 1 dash
4096.1 Dasher Joshua Tree N.P. 4.5 sec long dashes (about 13 dashes per min.) - big signal - north-facing dipole ('Coxie') 24/7
4096.25 Dasher Joshua Tree N.P. 1 sec dash (about 30 per min.), 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Hexie')
4096.6 Dasher Mojave Nat. Preserve 2 sec. dash (about 16 per minute) 400 mW to inverted vee, 24/7 ('Kelsie')
4097.2 Dasher Inyo County, CA
near DVNP 		55 dashes per minute with chirp when sun is low; day-only, at 5300 ft. elevation ('Inyo-whooper'), inv. vee., 0.5w
4097.4 KX "KX" ten times, then "TEMP IN F", then the temp (three times) inside the enclosure, then "TEMP OUT F", and the outside temp, again three times.
4102.3 W... s.e. California desert The WIND BEACON - sends 'W' ident and series of dits - each dit correlating to a turn of its anenometer, so if it is windy in the , it sends lots of dits; and no wind, no dits.
4194 MX Europe Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID.
4608 MXC Europe Xtal controlled milliwatt beacon operated occasionally in europe. Sometimes sends straight carrier instead of ID. Sister beacon to MX.
5157.6 Dasher Florida BLINKY 200 mW Dipole 24/7
5484 SD San Diego, CA
5499.13 Dasher WA
5678.4 Dasher Colorado PIKE solar/battery 100 mW Dipole 24/7 "Honker"
6549.3 FL Florida 300 mW Dipole 24/7
6626.2 S Inyo County, CA,
near DVNP 		About 60-200 dashes per min., sun-only, ~200 mW ('Rocky')
6626.4 Dits Mojave N.P. Fast 'drippy' sounding dits about 100/min., sun-only, 1.5 watts ('Rainy')
6700.4 Dasher Joshua N.P. About 62 dashes per min., 24/7 (Hexy2k)
6815 SV1TEST Athens, Greece
(KM18VB) 		Active, no further info. (Source: UDXF) (Youtube video)
6852 PRV Preveza, Greece 15 W Op: SW2HMU (Source: UDXF) [1]. Defunct? (2) (3)
6994.8 - Norfolk, UK "RRR RRR RRR UK BEACON PROJECT 0.8E 52.8N 0.1 WATTS
RRR RRR RRR REPORTS TO UKBEACON _ GMAIL.COM" (Source: UDXF)
8001.5 S S.W. Arizona sun-only, 1 watt. strong signal daytimes. Recently reported on 8000.6 kHz (Source: UDXF).
8003 Dasher Colorado Solar/battery dipole 24/7 "Pike 78" 78 dashes/min
8188.7 W Colorado Solar/battery 100 mW dipole daylight /7 Location: Colorado
8211.7 OR
8261 F Western Canada 250mW into a 1/2 wave inverted vee, 1400-0500
8350 Dasher North Carolina
8497.7 Dasher Pike 26 26 dashes/min
10236.7 FL Dasher
11002.7 CO Colorado Solar battery 300 mW dipole 24/7
11009.9 S  ? Discovered at 1032 UTC on 2011-03-26 in Australia (1)
14400.3 UFO Colorado
26600 Dasher Obliterated by lightning in June 2010. Replacement is in the works.

See also

27 MHz beacon 69BY in Costa Rica

References

  1. Ary Boender: "Numbers and Oddities", issue 162, March 2011, pp.17

External Links

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