Nags Head Report #6

Andre' Kesteloot akestelo@bellatlantic.net
Sun, 24 Jan 1999 15:56:44 -0500


LF Listening Log from the AMRAD LF Test
January 16-18, 1999
Frank Gentges K0BRA

16 JAN 1999 Zulu
Site is House at Nags Head N.C.
Testing setups prior to deploying to the beach.

Time    Freq. kHz     ID      Remarks

a) NRD525 Receiver, N4ICK tuned efield probe
0300Z  162  Music   Q2-Q3

b) Cubic Receiver, N4ICK tuned e-field probe
0355Z  153    Q2
0435Z  183    Q3 3.2 kHz BW
0455Z  162    Q4  Speech in French
0511Z  137    Spectrogram 137LOOP
Spectrogram  made with NRD525 on Carbonyl Iron Loop antenna
0525Z  171  Radio Medi1  Q3 Morocco, in French, 2Mw station
0630Z  153    Previously heard, now gone
0635Z  183  Europe1  Q4 good copy, strong
0642Z  162    Q2 Starting to fade out
0652Z  189 (tentative) Iceland  Q1 Male and female voice slow

17 JAN 1999 Zulu
Site is Oregon Inlet, Outer Banks, NC
NRD525 Receiver, Burhans efield probe
Scan of LF Broadcast band picking up NDBs as they occur

Time    Freq. kHz     ID      Remarks
0050Z  182.83  A3O  Q3  Lowfer, Monroeville PA Note 6
0110Z  153  Donebach Q3
0111Z  162  FranceInter Q4
0112Z  171  Nador (Morroco) Q4
0113Z  189    Q1
0114Z  198  DIW  S9  NDB Carolina Beach, NC
0115Z  203(206) GLS  S4 NDB Galveston, TX
0119Z  206  QI  Q4 NDB Yarmouth Nova Scotia
0121Z  207  CL  Q3 NDB Charlo, New Brunswick
0121Z  207    Q1 Unidentified Voice, Broadcast?
0123Z  210(212) UMO  Q3 NDB Cuba
0125Z  216  CLB  Q5 NDB Carolina Beach NC
0129Z  217(218) YUY  Q2 NDB Rouyn Quebec
0131Z  219.5  BX  Q1 NDB
0133Z  221  PMZ  Q3 NDB Plymouth, NC
0135Z  226(230) AQE  Q3 NDB Greenville, NC
0136Z  227  CPC  Q3 NDB Whiteville, NC
0138Z  232  EYK  Q3 NDB
0142Z  234.5    Q1 Unidentified Voice, Broadcast?
0144Z  241  VBW  Q3 NDB Bridgewater, VA
0145Z  242  NKT  Q2 NDB Cherry Point, NC
0147Z  251.6  LLW


17 JAN 1999 Zulu
Site is Oregon Inlet, Outer Banks, NC

a) NRD525 Receiver, Burhans efield probe
Time  Freq. kHz     ID      Remarks
0239Z  182.83  A3O  Q4 Lowfer Monroeville, PA 393 mi Note 6
0243Z  186.32  GIR  Q3 Lowfer New Eagle PA Note 6
0247Z  188.5  QYV  Q2 Lowfer Donora, PA Note 6

b) NRD525 Receiver, Sony AN-1 Active antenna
Time  Freq. kHz ID  Remarks
0338Z  153  Donebach Q4
0339Z  162  FranceInter Q3
0340Z  182    Q3, French broadcast

c) NRD525 Receiver, Burhans efield probe
Time  Freq. kHz ID  Remarks
0351Z  525  ZLS  Q5 NDB Stella Maris,Long Island, Bahamas 0356  21
Q4 FSK
0357Z  24    Q5 MSK
0523Z  16    Q4 FSK, now heard, not heard earlier
VLF band is very active now, Never heard it like this.  I will log the
band

Time  Freq. kHz ID  Remarks
0531Z  19.5    MSK
0532Z  19.8    MSK
0533Z  20.85    MSK
0533Z  21.36    MSK
0534Z  22.16    FSK
0535Z  22.46    MSK
0535Z  23.04    MSK
0536Z  24.00    MSK
0536Z  24.8    MSK
0537Z  25.13    FSK
0540Z  37.45
0540Z  40.75
0541Z  42.25    FSK
0541Z  45.92    MSK
0542Z  48.07    FSK/MSK?
0543Z  53.37    FSK
0543Z  55.49    MSK
0543Z  57.33    FSK
0544Z  60.00  WWVL CW/Data
0609Z  137    Spectrogram 137AA Note 1
0624Z  137    Spectrogram 137AB Note 1
0633Z  136.5    Spectrogram 1365AC Note 1&2
Notes:
1. Spectrograms made with NRD525 receiver and Burhans efield probe 17
JAN at 0600-0700.
2. Spectrogram 1365C was made with receiver tuned first to 137, then
136.8, then finally 136.5 showing spectral line at 137.1 kHz that was
observed with the Cubic receiver and spectrum program on that setup.

3.  A few static crashes heard all evening but lots of quiet period in
between them.  The site is really quiet with regard to power line
harmonics.  We are about 1/2 mile or more from any power lines.  We
seem to be far enough away to achieve our goal.

4.  Signals on the beach seem stronger than at the house.

5.  Some NDBs were heard through the heavy QRM din common to this band
and frequencies logged were where they were heard and when looked up
were listed at a different frequency.  The listed frequency is in
parenthesis.

6. All 3 lowfers are clustered in the Pittsburgh area, observed off
and on with propagation changes.  It is curious that no other lowfers
were copied this night.  Approximate distance using a ruler and
scaling is 367 miles.  There were no closer lowfers that we could
hear.  We tried specifically to hear RL at Herndon VA on 181.62 kHz
without hearing it.  Other GA, NC and VA lowfers were listed in the
Lowdown but were not heard.


18 JAN 1988
Notes:

1.Noise, Noise, Noise.  The noise is awful.  Can't hear anything
worthwhile.

2.  Spectrogram ran on the Loran-C signal to see line structure.
Saved as 100_05.gif.

3.  Later weather reports relate tornadoes in Arkansas and
Tennessee.   This QRN is similar to that heard other times on HF with
tornadoes.  When tuned to the HF bands it was not heard probably due
to propagation.  It is continuous static crashes at an unusually high
rep rate.  Seems to be characteristic of tornado bearing storms (super
cells?) on both HF and LF.


DISTANCES from Oregon Inlet 
(thi is the beach where we set up our equipment the second and third
days)

Oregon Inlet to Worthing UK (G3LDO)
3,754.8 Statute Miles; 48 degree azimuth

Oregon Inlet to Carolina Beach NC (where Loran C Station is located)
180.3 Statute Miles; 229 degree azimuth

Oregon Inlet to Monroeville PA 
393.9 Statute Miles; 325 degree azimuth


LOCATIONS:

Oregon Inlet	N 35 d  47.515 min	W 75 d  32.147 min
Worthing UK	N 50 d  51.84   min	W 0   d  21.45   min
Carolina Beech	N 34 d  03.76   min	W 77 d  54.78   min
Monroeville PA	N 40 d  26.265 min	W 79 d  44.930 min