75 Meter Anomaly

[W1AEX]

This afternoon (Friday) at around 2:15pm, several of us in the 1 and 2 call areas were hanging out on 3865 and having a nice chat on AM. For about 30 seconds we encountered a very strange "buzzing" signal that filled the spectrum impressively. Note that this is not the H.A.R.P. transmission that wanders up the bands frequently. I grabbed a screenshot of the comb-like signal showing about a 40kc swath with our frequency at the center. At the same time, Eric - WB2CAU was able to see it fill up the full 96 kc that his panadapter could display. It appeared to be strongest up around 3890, and our best guess is that the only attenuating factor up and down the band was the bandwidth characteristics of the antenna utilized at the point of origin. It would be interesting to know if anyone saw this event higher or lower in frequency, or even outside of the 1 and 2 call areas.

It left us all wondering what could generate a signal like that? Anyone see anything like this before?

These are very strange days we live in!

Rob W1AEX

[Mike/W8BAC]

Short answer, Yes. But not for 30 seconds! I use an SDR-1000 and try to find the source when it happens but haven't seen it last long enough to look very far up and down the band. I wish I could see more than 192 KHz.

Mike

[K1JJ]

It appeared to be strongest up around 3890...

...what could generate a signal like that?

Could it be the FCC executing a "cash for junkers"  sentence on a KW-1 in Belgrade Lakes?

T

[W1AEX]

It would have been nice to have seen that signal on a Perseus or similar DC to light receiver Mike.

How long will we be blessed with the eternal emissions of K1MAN on 3890? I only know that if it was me Tom, the black Suburban vehicles would have skidded up my front lawn a long time ago!

[WU2D]

Rob, I was in the shack and listening to you at the time of the buzz bomb and the band was not in normal shape. The buzzer sound could have come from anywhere. I joined a group of AMers tonight at 7PM and it turned out that it was the Florida AM Group. I heard everybody like it was a round table. One guy was using a DX60 from Ft Lauderdale.

[K9PNP]

Interesting pattern.  The peaks seem to be spaced regularly at about 3 kHz with most of equal amplitude.  The regularity makes me think it is man-made noise.  Have seen jammers on panadaptors, but none looked like this.  Time to go try to find some of my old references on that technology.

[K6JEK]

ET

[K7EK]

Anyone managed to make a recording? ARRL's Intruder Watch may be able to help.

Best regards,

Gary, K7EK

[k4kyv]

Could it be the FCC executing a "cash for junkers"  sentence on a KW-1 in Belgrade Lakes?

I'm not sure he even has the KW-1 any more, or at least he doesn't use it.  Lately  his signals  have been piss-weak, piss-poor quality slopbucket that is sometimes so distorted it is unreadable even when it is louder than the background noise. I'm sure that garbled, distorted signal wreaks havoc with the 3885 activity in the northeast, though.

Maybe it'll be auctioned off to the highest bidder.  I hear the going price for a KW-1 these days is around $21,000.

[w5omr]

Could it be the FCC executing a "cash for junkers"  sentence on a KW-1 in Belgrade Lakes?

  I hear the going price for a KW-1 these days is around $21,000.

I doubt that would be enough for his bail money...

[k4kyv]

Could it be the FCC executing a "cash for junkers"  sentence on a KW-1 in Belgrade Lakes?

 I hear the going price for a KW-1 these days is around $21,000.

I doubt that would be enough for his bail money...

But that would pay off his $21K NAL.

It will be interesting to see how the  case plays out in court.

Baxter's antics may well be the reason for the alleged AM power reduction.  He took the FCC to court BEFORE their stated "reconsideration in 1990 if there is justification" clause in the original R&O.  He generated a very well researched legal document to present to the court, but reports from AMers who attended the hearing said he totally blew the case in his presentation, by going off on a tangent patting himself on the back for his claimed assistance (transmitted on slopbucket) via IARN during the 1985 Mexico City earthquake disaster. Following the court's decision to reject his suit, he then generated an equally well researched complaint to the US Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear the case.

I attended one of he FCC forums at Dayton in the late 1980s, presided over by Johnny Johnston, while the AM power issue was still pending. When it came time for Q-A from the audience after Johnston's half-hour of drivel, I asked him if the FCC was going to follow through on their commitment, as stated in the original R & O, that they would "reconsider" the alleged AM power reduction before it went into effect as scheduled in 1990.

Johnston replied, "You took us to court, remember?"

My response was that it was K1MAN who took the FCC to court.

Johnston replied, "As far as I am concerned, it was the amateur radio community. (That issue) was caught up in  circumstances." Without pausing, he then went on to take questions regarding some trivial matter pertaining to (pre-vanity) call sign rules.

Dave Sumner of ARRL stated, commenting on the Petitions for Reconsideration that had been submitted, that Baxter's suit had "hardened the FCC's position" on this issue, and that it would be "much more difficult" to reverse the alleged power reduction.

We should remember that the ARRL fully supported us on the AM power issue, petitioning the FCC to make the "grandfather clause" permanent.

[Steve - K4HX]

There was an AM power reduction?

[KM1H]

Johnston never saw a tube with handles he didnt like. I used to sell him lots of QRO stuff.

[W3LSN]

We should remember that the ARRL fully supported us on the AM power issue, petitioning the FCC to make the "grandfather clause" permanent. [/b]
[/quote]

I seem to recall that before the FCC changed the old 1 kW DC input rule in the 80's that SSB was allowed up to 2 kW PEP.  If so, I wonder what the justification was for that reduction, and why they settled on 1.5 kW PEP for all modes?

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3

[Steve - K4HX]

No reduction for SSB. The old rule was 2 kW PEP input or about 1.2 kW PEP output. The new 1.5 kW output rule was a slight increase.

[WA1GFZ]

Same as AM, 1 KW carrier and 250 watts in each sideband

[WD8BIL]

The most important one is;

"Sufficient power to maintain reliable communications!" 

[W3LSN]

No reduction for SSB. The old rule was 2 kW PEP input or about 1.2 kW PEP output. The new 1.5 kW output rule was a slight increase.

Ahhh, I forgot about the INPUT proviso on 2 KW SSB.  I misplaced my old rulebook some years ago, and my memory just needed some jogging.

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3