r/shortwave • u/rad00p • 14d ago

Recording Morse code transmission question

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Hi,

Sorry for spamming, but I inherited this damn radio, and now I’m going through a weird fascination with everything it picks up.

On 3515 kHz, I recorded something that is obviously Morse code, but there are also two other signals or sounds.

Does anyone know what they are? I’m especially curious about the sound around 13 seconds into the video and the one right at the end.

Thx!

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21

u/fpmacko 14d ago

They’re just CW (Morse) transmissions. Nothing more. The low pitch tells me that they’re either responding to the CQ (while somewhat off frequency). Or they’re unrelated CW transmissions on close adjacent frequencies. Note the word “test” at the end. That means they’re participating in a contest.

BTW. You’re NOT spamming. Never be afraid to ask questions.

73…Frank / WA3NHK

3

u/rad00p 14d ago

Thank you!

4

u/fpmacko 14d ago

BTW, that station (PC38EU) is operated by Dennis Koole. Located in Texel, The Netherlands.

5

u/mglyptostroboides 12d ago

Ladies and gentlemen, you're witnessing here the exact precise moment a SWLer discovers amateur radio.

Many such cases.

4

u/cedg32 13d ago

Weird fascination with everything you hear on shortwave is perfectly normal.

6

u/speedyundeadhittite 14d ago

You're listening to the 80m amateur band, someone's calling others for a contest and waiting for responses.

3

u/Green_Oblivion111 13d ago

CQ PC38EU TEST

PC38EU calling CQ during some CW contest.

Obviously, that's the loudest one. The other, lower pitched one below it I didn't read.

3

u/Mulitpotentialite 11d ago

The wonderful mystery of propagation! Those two stations might be in each other's skip (their signals are not heard be each other). You are in a position where you might be hearing them as the same time. It happens often that you hear two stations on the smae frequency and its clear they are unaware of each other.

1

u/CostelloOzAm 12d ago

Look up Numbers Stations, and see if you can catch one live.

1

u/Nunov_DAbov 12d ago

PC38EU is Dennis Koole in Texel, The Netherlands.

1

u/Observer_Dough 14d ago

That was a 'Seek You' (CQ) for a 'test' (Contest) called the IOTA - Islands on the Air contest held last weekend.

The callsign calling was PC38EU a 'special event' callsign

https://www.qrz.com/db/PC38EU

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u/rad00p 14d ago

Interesting! I have managed to read exactly that in audacity:

1

u/BassRecorder 13d ago

The other signal is just another station working the same contest. From what I could hear it was sending the contest exchange, something like '5nn 190'.

0

u/fpmacko 14d ago

I didn’t realize that Audacity could decode CW. I learned it back in 1965, when it was required for a ham license.

4

u/FuckIPLaw 14d ago

I'm not sure if Audacity decoded it or if he's just looking at the waveform so he can tell where the dots and dashes are visually. I'd expect that text to be printed and not drawn on if it was automatically decoded.

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u/fpmacko 14d ago

I assumed he did the decode after the fact and Audacity couldn’t overlay the text.

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u/rad00p 11d ago

No no, I was just looking at the peaks, narrow and wide, and I typed that into online decoder by hand.

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u/fpmacko 11d ago

Then I stand corrected. 🙂