Odd pulsating radio signal on 14.320MHz

That time you mention is interesting because the earth's resonate schuman waves are also strongest at 22 utc..

could be a link, maybe research or something else going on..

My chart shows it a mariners beacon and weather warning station for the N & W Indian Ocean.

There are a number of these stations around the world. The pulse is so ships know they are on 14.320MHz and have not drifted off. and they can use it with a direction finder

Just to keep this going... today the tones are strings of dual-tones. At around 18:45UTC I'm getting S7 up here in New England with some signal fading. I can detect varying sets of dual tones. 37 pulses at roughly 1.2sec and then the tone-pair changes. Five minutes later and the tones have dropped to just above background. It almost sounds like there are more than one transmitter.

Originally posted by ANNED
My chart shows it a mariners beacon and weather warning station for the N & W Indian Ocean.

There are a number of these stations around the world. The pulse is so ships know they are on 14.320MHz and have not drifted off. and they can use it with a direction finder

I see that the sub-band 14.250 to 14.350 is shared with fixed stations in certain countries in the Eastern hemisphere, including Russia, China, Iran, Ukraine, and many of the former central Asian republics of the old Soviet Union. To which nation was this maritime station on 14.320 supposed to be attributed? No one has reported hearing weather warnings or call sign identifications in the signal being discussed on this thread. I've heard such maritime stations many times. They send a series of tone pulses and then pause and give their call sign, repeating this pattern continuously. Ross

reply to post by jtma508


Could someone please post an audio of this as yesterday in the middle of nowhere I heard some off the wall pulsating tones coming from the AM. radio in my car.I sometimes listen to static to counteract the high pitched frequencies Im hearing that won`t quit.Thankyou

Signal heard only very weakly and briefly, yesterday and today, at around 17:00 UT, give or take a bit. I am looking into the possibility of doing some rough direction finding on this signal, when it comes back on strongly enough. This can be quite difficult to do with signals that fade in and out. *** To follow up on my last post, the fixed service radio stations allowed in certain Eastern Hemisphere countries on 14.250 to 14.350 MHz are intended to send send signals between two fixed stations, not to vessels. They are limited to about 250 watts of power, which would be impractically low for a maritime station. These typically use 3000 to 5000 watts. Could the notation cited by ANNED have been about an Amateur Radio Maritime net? Nets are arrangements for hams to meet over the radio on a particular frequency, at specific times. Ross

Looking further into the issue of Amateur Radio maritime nets, I find the following: Many listings of such nets mention 'Ray's Net' which is based in Perth, Western Australia, on the Indian Ocean coast. It is or was held on the frequency of 14.320 MHz. It is described as giving weather warning bulletins and communicating with vessels in the Northern and Western Indian Ocean It is reported to be on the air between 11:15 and 11:30 UT. This is such a close match to the description given for a supposed commercial maritime station on 14.320, that I feel it must have been the source of the confusion. It is not clear if this net, at this frequency is still in operation. In any case its schedule does not match the times the signal currently under discussion is reported to have been heard. Neither does it have the sort of verbal and message handling traffic that a maritime net would. Ross

I'm hearing the signal consistently, and fairly strong this morning, (1800-1815 UT) on the West coast of the United States; S.5 much of the time. A good opportunity for anyone who wants to try to hear it. Will try again to get a rough sense of the direction of the signal source from here, using a portable receiver and directional antenna arrangement. Ross

The strange, pulsating signal is still being heard; intermittently, as before. It can not always be heard at the stated times, nor can it be heard every day. This obviously makes it difficult for some to take or maintain an interest in it, and for even the most patient and persistent observers to get information about it. I find that the signal is now more likely to be heard from 23:30 to 01:15 Universal time, than the hours previously noted. The signal has persisted for over 7 weeks. As more and more routine explanations are suggested, and then must be discarded as unworkable, the more mysterious the signal appears.

Wonder if it has anything to do with the goings-on on 14.275 and 14.313. If you are not familiar just look up VE7KFM on Google. Apparently its been an issue for years and its not likely to end anytime soon. I will have a listen around later today and see what I hear.

I'm aware of the situation you mention on 20 meters. I don't know of any connection to the signal on 14.320 MHz. One also hears normal ham traffic on and very near '.320, but not the sort of things heard on '.313, etc. The signal on 14.320 MHz can be very elusive. Sometimes disappears for days at a time. It can take a good deal of patience and persistence to hear it.

It's been a little over two years since I posted to this thread. The odd pulsing signal had become less frequent and fainter, and finally seemed to cease altogether. Well, I'm back because it's back!
I have listened at infrequent intervals in the past two years at the same frequency of 14.320 MHz, on the chance that the signal might resume. Up until today, it never has.
Today, I heard it begin at 20:56 GMT. It is still going, and quite strong, here in northern California, as I type this (at 21:32 GMT). First it sends 37 pulses in two combined tones, then pauses, then begins again, giving out 37 more pulses, this time in two combined tones at a higher or lower pitch. Overall, the rate of pulsing is 50 per minute, just as before.
It's already been established that this signal is not localized interference at my location. It has been been heard at points as far apart as California and New England. Occasionally, the pulsing will stop for a short time-- perhaps a half a minute, or a minute, then start again.

As before, I would appreciate seeing other reports of this signal, and any suggestions, not already proposed and found unworkable, for what this signal is, and where it comes from.

A new type of odd, pulsing signal heard on 14.320 MHz from 15:42 GMT today. Audio tones, about 3 seconds long, repeating at approximately 35 second intervals. Quite strong-- 5 bars.
The pitch of the tones is quite low, reminiscent of some foghorns. I believe that it is made up of two tones, combined. This does not sound like a ordinary amateur radio digital mode signal. Single sideband voice signals are what is usually heard in this part of the 20 meter band.

Ross 54
I have been hearing an odd signal on 14.320 MHz, since December 30th, 2011. It sends our regular, long pulses at a rate of about 50 per minute. 37 pulses in a row are at one audio frequency, then there is a slight pause, and then 37 more pulses are heard at a lower or higher frequency. Two audio frequencies alternate. I can hear the signal as I write this at 19:57 Universal Time. The signal has been strongest at around 22:00 UT. This frequency is within a band reserved for Amateur radio, but the 'hams' don't seem to know what to make of it. Can anyone else hear this signal, and, perhaps, identify it? Ross

14.31818 MHz is 4x the color burst frequency of a TV set. It's a reason you don't see many HAMS work that area - too much leakage. Most TVs use that frequency to derive a reference, and the TV's color signal tends to leak out at the 3rd and 4th harmonic.

Not sure if that's related, but it's sort of suspicious.

alienreality
That time you mention is interesting because the earth's resonate schuman waves are also strongest at 22 utc..

could be a link, maybe research or something else going on..

22 utc? It's ALWAYS 22 (you mean 2200 or 0022?) SOMEWHERE. Sort of like not feeding the gremlins after midnight...

At any rate, the Schumann resonance is at ULF frequencies and requires a rather specialized receiver. You won't be seeing it at 14.3MHz, because that's six orders of magnitude off.

Bedlam

Ross 54
I have been hearing an odd signal on 14.320 MHz, since December 30th, 2011. It sends our regular, long pulses at a rate of about 50 per minute. 37 pulses in a row are at one audio frequency, then there is a slight pause, and then 37 more pulses are heard at a lower or higher frequency. Two audio frequencies alternate. I can hear the signal as I write this at 19:57 Universal Time. The signal has been strongest at around 22:00 UT. This frequency is within a band reserved for Amateur radio, but the 'hams' don't seem to know what to make of it. Can anyone else hear this signal, and, perhaps, identify it? Ross

14.31818 MHz is 4x the color burst frequency of a TV set. It's a reason you don't see many HAMS work that area - too much leakage. Most TVs use that frequency to derive a reference, and the TV's color signal tends to leak out at the 3rd and 4th harmonic.

Not sure if that's related, but it's sort of suspicious.

I doubt it's localized television interference. The signal is subject to propagational fading. This suggests it's made a long distance trip through the ionosphere before being refracted back down to the receiver.
I don't hear the signal in the evening when nearby tv sets are most likely to be turned on. I do get a constant (24/7) low level signal centered on 14.319 MHz. It is strongest when the receiver is near my tv, even when the tv is turned off. I assume that this is the harmonic of the color burst. The pulsing signal I've heard is very intermittent and much stronger than this.

Just a typical rag-chew on USB at the moment (17:00UTC). I'll check again around 22:00 and see what's shaking.

The signal appeared just above the noise floor at around 19:30UTC here in New England. I've been able to hear at least three different tone pairs. 1.2sec pulse. 37 (I think) pulses of a dual-tone, short pause (maybe one pulse) and then it repeats with a different dual-tone. Disappeared into the noise floor at around 20:00UTC.

The 37 pulse signal heard from 20:50 GMT onward, here in northern California. Not very strong-- 0 bars, so less than S. 2. Fading in and out somewhat. Slower pulsing signal mentioned above ceased after about 14 minutes, has not be heard again since then. I suspect that the two signals are connected.
Besides the coincident frequency, there are the facts that the 35 second pulsing signal also pulsated in a regular fashion, and was also apparently made up of two, low pitched, audio tones, sounding quite similar to some of those in the 37 pulse signal.

After fading out, signal was back on by 21:48 GMT, with a higher pitched set of tones than before, and sounding a somewhat stronger, at times. Zero beat the frequency at approximately 14.3185 MHz.