Re: [IRCA] 1500 KHz "Mystery Station"

[Rob Keeney <rkeeneybbq@xxxxxxxxx>]

Friday night I logged WAYS with CBS Sports Radio and WDCP s/off, although
their programming did continue(CH?).  The noise never reached a level I
could DF.  Saturday night and last night produced some better results.
Several times the noise reached a level on my PL-390 that allowed me to
get a decent bearing of approx 310Â.   That doesn't jive too well with what
Les and Glenn are reporting.  It's very possible my radio's DF ability is
not very reliable.  I may have to drag out my old Crane portable to see if
it gives me a good bearing tonight.

Rob Keeney
Goose Creek SC
EM92xx


On Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 10:32 PM, Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Maybe someone in GA would help out? Iâm going to be in the Atlanta area on
> Fridayâif we donât have an answer by then, I might be tempted to drive
> South and try to solve the mystery directly.
>
> Maylene is part of Alabaster, but was once a separateAlabaster community.
> Itâs near Alabaster and Helenaâjust off Highway 17. Not far from Birmingham.
>
>
>
>
> 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 7:08 PM, Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > Looks like your 120/300 bearing would be closest to WAYS Macon GA, or
> maybe further south WSEM Donalsonville GA, both 1 kW daytimers. It`s so
> weak here I would not be surprised if it`s that far away.
> >
> > BTW, Maylene is not in my Rand McNally large scale road atlas, nor the
> index. But I could find Alabaster.  73, Glenn Hauser, OK
> > --------------------------------------------
> > On Mon, 2/8/16, Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> >
> > 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 loudâdominating
> > 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
> >
> >
> > 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
> > ________________________________________
> >
> > 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
> >
> >
> > Tim,
> >
> > Thank you for posting
> > this. Extremely helpful for both DXâers 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
> >
> > 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
> >
> >
> > 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 didnât 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
> > nightâoften an hour or more than
> > would be required by rule. I live in
> > Alabaster (Maylene) and theyâre not
> > even staying on at the 3 watt level
> > now
> > at night.
> >
> > The station was an infrequent cheater
> > in the past, but I havenât 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
> >
> > 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
> > weâre 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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