Re: [IRCA] [NRC-AM] 1500 KHz "Mystery Station"

[Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry to disappoint Rick, but your hypothesis needs some adjustment. 

Just went outside in the back yard with a Sangean PR-DR portable. The mystery signal on 1500 KHz was very loud—dominating the channel just after sunset at 6:20 PM Central Time. 

The maximum signal off the ends of the loop (sides of the portable radio) was obtained at a bearing of roughly 300 degrees (NW) or 120 SE. 

I checked several times to be sure that there was not a peak towards due North, and verified that the mystery signal did not peak in that direction. 

What does that do to the list of suspects? 

BTW, received an e-mail saying the following: 

I have a low cost app on both Android and iPhone called SigTrax that may be a benefit to you and the others who are looking for this signal.

SigTrax allows you to plot bearing on a map image and computes and crosspoints where the bearing plots intersect.  It's a perfect solution for triangulating signals from multiple points and different users. You can also save the bearings in an archive and recall and update them at any time.


73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF
121 Mayfair Park
Maylene, AL 
EM63nf

Member WTFDA, IRCA, NRC. Former CPC Chairman for NRC & IRCA. 

Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy SDR, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip. 


> On Feb 7, 2016, at 5:38 PM, Rick Dau <drummer1965us@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Glenn says he's getting it strongest on a 95 degree bearing from Enid.  Tim, you say that you're only hearing it on your south antenna.  Les, from your QTH in Maylene, I would suggest pointing your antenna due north.  If my suspicion is correct, the warble should almost be blowing your doors off.
> 
> 73,
> Rick Dau (loves playing the sleuth)
> South Omaha, Nebraska EN21af
> Http://www.dxworld.com/bcblog.html
> ________________________________________
> From: IRCA <irca-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Tim Tromp <kilokat7@xxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, February 7, 2016 4:04:03 PM
> To: Mailing list for the International Radio Club of America
> Subject: Re: [IRCA] [NRC-AM] 1500 KHz "Mystery Station"
> 
> Les,
> 
> I'm not setup with a rotatable loop so I'm unable to get a bearing on this
> other than confirming that I only hear it on my south antenna.  I know, not
> very helpful..
> 
> 73,
> Tim
> 
> 
> On Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 4:52 PM, Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
>> Tim,
>> 
>> Thank you for posting this. Extremely helpful for both DX’ers and members
>> of the broadcast engineering community who are attempting to help narrow
>> down the station with the problem.
>> 
>> Do you have a bearing on the station from your QTH?
>> 
>> 
>> 73,
>> 
>> Les Rayburn, N1LF
>> 121 Mayfair Park
>> Maylene, AL
>> EM63nf
>> 
>> Member WTFDA, IRCA, NRC. Former CPC Chairman for NRC & IRCA.
>> 
>> Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy SDR, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop,
>> Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip.
>> 
>> 
>>> On Feb 7, 2016, at 1:41 PM, Tim Tromp <kilokat7@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Just so everyone's on the same page, here's a recording of the
>> interference
>>> that's in question, which I assume is what everyone else is referring to.
>>> I have issue with calling this a "warbler" or "warbling" since I
>>> immediately think of the Cuban transmitters with the wobbling carrier
>> that
>>> sounds like someone flexing a piece of sheet metal.  This sounds nothing
>>> like that.  The noise is present in both the upper and lower sideband and
>>> it appears at 500 hz intervals centered about the carrier.
>>> 
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M4opnMHq88
>>> 
>>> 73,
>>> Tim Tromp
>>> West Michigan
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 11:56 AM, Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Excellent information Glenn. We went to Tennessee yesterday on business,
>>>> and I brought along a portable to get some DF bearings. The warbler
>> noise
>>>> was very loud on the car radio right at sunset, but I didn’t have time
>> to
>>>> try for bearings then. After dinner with clients, I checked again and
>> the
>>>> noise was so low in the mix of stations that getting a solid bearing
>> would
>>>> have been fruitless.
>>>> 
>>>> I can confirm that WQCR in Alabaster is powering down completely at
>>>> night—often an hour or more than would be required by rule. I live in
>>>> Alabaster (Maylene) and they’re not even staying on at the 3 watt level
>> now
>>>> at night.
>>>> 
>>>> The station was an infrequent cheater in the past, but I haven’t heard
>>>> them do that for the past couple of years.
>>>> 
>>>> We can eliminate them as a suspect for the noise.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 73,
>>>> 
>>>> Les Rayburn, N1LF
>>>> 121 Mayfair Park
>>>> Maylene, AL
>>>> EM63nf
>>>> 
>>>> Member WTFDA, IRCA, NRC. Former CPC Chairman for NRC & IRCA.
>>>> 
>>>> Elad FDM-S2 SDR, AirSpy SDR, Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop,
>>>> Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active Whip.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Feb 7, 2016, at 10:05 AM, Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> UNIDENTIFIED. 1500, Feb 7 at 0119 UT, not much signal from KSTP, so I
>> am
>>>> hearing the blues music station and the warble-tone. KSTP is so weak
>> that I
>>>> can get pretty good bearings on these two, nulling them without KSTP in
>> the
>>>> way: warble is about 95 degrees, and blues about 135 degrees (assuming
>> they
>>>> are both eastward rather than westward). Tends to confirm blues source
>> as
>>>> the station doing that all-night, KCLF New Roads LA. At least on
>>>> weeknights, with weekends unaccounted for:
>>>>> http://kclf1500am.com/shows.html
>>>>> 
>>>>> Closest to the 95 degree angle from Enid with the warble are three
>>>> Alabamans and one further Georgian: WQCR Alabaster, 2300/3 watts, WVSM
>>>> Rainsville, 1000/-, WKAX Russellville, 1000/-; and WDPC Dallas GA,
>> 5000/CH
>>>> 3200 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On 2/5/2016 11:55 AM, Rob Keeney wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> If everyone posts their location and loop bearing of the
>>>>> noisy xmtr, I'll
>>>>> 
>>>>> try and plot the data.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Rob Keeney
>>>>> 
>>>>> Goose Creek SC
>>>>> 
>>>>> EM92xx
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Fri, Feb 5, 2016 at 11:09 AM, Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Most of us are using bi-directional (simple) loops, but
>>>>> we’re spread out
>>>>> 
>>>>> geographically. If we plot these on a map, we should be able
>>>>> to determine
>>>>> 
>>>>> the location pretty quickly. Assuming that the culprit is a
>>>>> licensed
>>>>> 
>>>>> broadcaster with transmitter problem, there are a limited
>>>>> number of
>>>>> 
>>>>> suspects.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Anyone have time to try this?
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 73,
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Les N1LF
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Les Rayburn, director
>>>>> 
>>>>> High Noon Media Services
>>>>> 
>>>>> 130 1st Avenue West
>>>>> 
>>>>> Alabaster, AL 35007-8536
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Feb 4, 2016, at 8:00 PM, Rob Keeney <rkeeneybbq@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> I had WFED in pretty well at first look around 1730 ET with
>>>>> no sign of
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> the
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> warbler.  Next check was 1845 ET and the warbler was
>>>>> present, but
>>>>> 
>>>>> definitely looping west of WFED.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Rob Keeney
>>>>> 
>>>>> Goose Creek SC
>>>>> 
>>>>> EM92xx
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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