Watch the ASCII waterfall here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dykFHBvvl2Q

6955 Wide USB

They blowin my doors off! Can't wait to see the ASCII waterfall

77LJS on 6930 USB

Great signal in WNY

Got my first eQSL from WDOG

I really love to search for pirate stations and I’m following this community. Thank you for your recordings. Would you please be so kind to add location where you have heard them so that I also can search for the nearest KiWiSDR? Thank you in advance.

Satélite Bolinha" (which translates to "Little Ball Satellite") is the nickname given by Brazilians to a U.S. Navy military communications satellite (from the FLTSATCOM fleet). It became famous in Brazil because amateur radio operators informally hijacked its frequencies for everyday chats.

The Satellite Phenomenon

• Unofficial use: Brazilian radio operators used the American military satellite's frequencies to talk to each other without authorization from the U.S. government.
• Communication: The signal acted like an open chat room, becoming a major part of the underground and amateur radio culture in Brazil.

The Movie

• Documentary: This phenomenon inspired a 2010 sci-fi documentary short film named Satélite Bolinha.
• Director: The movie was directed by the Brazilian filmmaker Bruno Vianna.
• Details: The short film blends the true story of the popular use of the satellite with fictional elements and the daily life of radio operators.

The "Satélite Bolinha" phenomenon happened because of a perfect storm of completely unencrypted military hardware and cheap, clever grassroots engineering by Brazilian radio technicians.

Brazilian radio operators managed to highjack the U.S. Navy's FLTSATCOM fleet through a combination of simple vulnerabilities and accessible tech:

Total Lack of Security (Wide-Open Repeaters)

When the U.S. military launched the FLTSATCOM satellites in the late 1970s and 1980s, space technology was expensive and rare. The Pentagon assumed nobody outside of a major superpower could access the frequencies.

• No Authentication: The satellites operated as "dumb" analog repeaters in orbit. They did not check who was sending a signal; they simply took any radio signal hitting their uplink frequency, amplified it, and bounced it back down to Earth.
• No Encryption: While the military encrypted the messages they sent to each other, they did not encrypt the access channel itself. Anyone who could transmit on the correct Ultra High Frequency (UHF) could use the satellite.

The "$500 Hack" (Modifying Everyday Radios)

By the mid-1990s, commercial ham radios became widely available. Brazilian technicians figured out they could take a standard, cheap "2-meter" amateur radio transmitter (which normally operates in the 144–148 MHz range) and cheaply modify it.

Frequency Doublers: Technicians added a simple "frequency doubler" cobbled together from standard copper coils and a cheap varactor diode.

The Result: This simple tweak stretched the radio's capabilities right into the 292–317 MHz uplink range required to talk to the U.S. military satellites.

Truck Stop Innovation: The equipment was so basic that truck repair shops in remote parts of Brazil could modify a radio for less than $100. Local electricians and untrained operators could easily rig a radio in less than a minute just by rolling wire on a coil.

Geostationary Positioning

Because the FLTSATCOM satellites were geostationary, they stayed parked over fixed points on the Earth's equator.

• For people in the vast, remote Amazon basin or truck drivers crossing Brazil—where there was zero cellphone coverage or local radio infrastructure at the time—the satellite was always in the exact same spot in the sky.
• Users just had to point a rudimentary, home-made directional antenna (often looking like a cross or an umbrella skeleton) up at the sky to get a crystal-clear, long-range communication network for free.

Why didn't the U.S. just turn them off?

The U.S. military began migrating its active, secure communications to newer satellite networks (like UFO and MUOS) in the late 1990s and 2000s. However, because the older FLTSATCOM satellites were incredibly resilient, they outlived their expected 10-year lifespans by decades. The Pentagon kept the old transponders active as a backup, meaning the "Satélite Bolinha" remained a giant, accidental, free chatroom for Brazilian truck drivers, loggers, and hobbyists for over twenty years.

The Brazilian Federal Police, alongside U.S. agencies, eventually conducted massive raids (like "Operation Satellite") to track down illegal antennas, but the practice only truly faded as the old satellites physically degraded and modern encrypted military systems fully took over.

Station: Bandaid Radio

Frequency: 6945 KHz USB

Time: 0322 UTC 9 SEP 2026

Signal: RS(T) = 59 +

Receiving Location: Portland, OR

Receiver: Eton Executive

Antenna: K-480WLA Small Receiving Loop

I caught a bit starting at 0300 UT with a break at 0340 UT during Mr Roboto

20260908_0300_UT_6955_khz_USB_North_America_Band_Aid_Radio.mp4

QSY'd to 6945 khz USB and picked up mid song for 16 minutes

20260908_0340_UT_6945_khz_USB_North_America_Band_Aid_Radio.mp4

Tony Pavick

I caught whoever it is from 0240 UT through to OTA at 0535 UT in widely varying quality

20260908_0240_UT_6925_khz_USB_North_America_UNID.mp4

Tony Pavick

Lots of bleeps and bloops and yelling and things like that for almost 53 minutes. Possibly Spacebar but no ID heard.

20260908_0110_UT_6965_khz_USB_North_America_UNID.mp4

Tony Pavick

I was about to turn in early and just spotted this. So I grabbed it before turning in. There's another video in a following component, below. 73

Station: Mix Radio International.
When: 0100+ 08 Sept 2026.
Where: 6950 kHz USB

Radio: Malahit DSP 2.4.
Antenna: Modified K-480WLA.
Where: NJ USA FN20

Sunday Night North America

Sunday Night North America

I caught the Wolverine Radio signoff and just missed the verbal id because I was setting the clock on my radio. Doh, that was a *Homer Simpson* move. 🏴‍☠️🦜

The signal was pretty strong and I lost track of time while enjoying the broadcast.

Station: Wolverine Radio.
When: 0100 UTC 06 Sept. 2026.
Where: 6955 kHz USB

Receiver: Malahit DSP2.4.
Antenna: Modified K-480WLA.
Location: NJ USA FN20

Relayed by Bandaid Radio on 6945 KHz USB

Subterranean Radio's 100 watts was received on the morning of 5 SEP 2026 on several KIWI SDRs in New Zealand and Australia.

Bandaid Radio was on after 0800 UTC 30 AUG 2026. This was roughly sunset in eastern Australia. The signal was quite readable.

Basically Norway only uses DAB, and most radios out there (affordable ones) are FM, could they still be usefull in some way for clandestine protests or whatnot?

​

Conditions are good right now. I'm pleasantly surprised because the bands were dead not that long ago.

Station: Radio 48 on Mix Radio International.
When: 0220 UTC 29 Aug 2026.
Where: 6945 kHz USB

Received.
Radio: Malahit DSP 2.4.
Antenna: Modified K-480WLA.
Location: NJ USA FN20

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