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Report #005 11/01/99

INFO REQUEST I have been unable to answer a long standing request from an individual for info regarding Russian station RTZ. This is NOT the RTZ Time Signal station of more recent years. The RTZ I am referring to was a high-speed Morse station which was active during World War II and into the late 1940s. The station was believed to be located in Russia but it is not known if the controlling authority was the Soviet Military or the KGB. Through the courtesy of Simon Mason in England, the appeal for details was carried ion the Enigma Newsletter a few years ago but with negative results. Hopefully someone familiar with that time period will recall something regarding this station.

USAF CALLSIGNS Kevin Tubbs, VT advised me that Jeff Haverlah reported on the wun@qth.net that background material on USAF callsign assignments could be found on:
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/33-217.htm

USCG NEWS According to a Washington Post 30 September article, 56 tons of cocaine was confiscated by the USCG in the Caribbean region during the past year. Drug smugglers had become much more adept at avoiding detection through the use of small high-powered boats that could attain speeds up to 50 knots. This is twice the speed possible by a CG cutter. The Coast Guard has been able to counter the drug smugglers through increased expenditures for intelligence systems plus employing aggressive new tactics.

PBS -RED FILES I hope that many of you were able to view the PBS four-part documentaryh which described Cold War Soviet Union/US interaction. The four episodes were Secret Victories of the KGB, Soviet Sports, Secret Soviet Moon Mission, and Soviet Propaganda.
There is a neat web site related to the PBS documentary at www.pbs.org/redfiles which offers interview texts, video clips, references, maps, etc. I printed out 54 pages of items that were of interest to me.

RESEARCH LINK Kevin D. Tubbs, VT sent in this very fine research aid address.
http://call.army.mil/call/fmso/RESRCHLK.htm#Menu

EQUIPMENT MANUAL SOURCES John McColman, VA provided these two web addresses that offer old manuals for sale:
www.agtannenbaum.co and www.w7fg.com

OCTOBER RECOVERIES/FAPSI AMERICAS NETWORK

*Thanks to Tom Sevart, KS for assists with coverage of several skeds.
NOTE: Although I do not agree completely with the present all-inclusive use by some SWLers of the FAPSI designator, I have dropped MFA and will use FAPSI in its place.

Traffic was very heavy during 4-9 October. For example, PSN on the 04/1850 sked received 4 msgs with a total of 1153 grps. On the 06/1800 SPK sked, he received 5 msgs with a total of 2090 grps.
On 19221 kHz the ETFNJX TKAGAS callup was heard in FSK Morse at 06/1848. Then at 06/1853 that callup was observed on 16021 kHz. Both of these freqs are for traffic to PSN.
I wonder if the TKAGAS might actually be QAG AS with QAG indicating traffic upcoming and AS being the normal procedure signal for "wait". I have tried different combinations of the dots and dashes of the ETFNJX group to see if some sense could be made of that group but I had no luck.

On 16270 kHz the ETFNJX QAG AS callup was heard 09/1410. I did not find him on another freq.

MIG tried to make contact with WFO at 12/1415 on 14455 kHz but no response. At 12/1445 MIG had 2 xmtrs up, 14455 and 14786 kHz. WFO ON 13422 kHz tells MIG QSSY 15837 but MIG wants 15829 kHz. MIG sends traffic to WFO. At 12/1510 MIG sends following to WFO: FM 14/10 QTR 00.00 WRK QPP QAA-1 WRK NOT

U/I station being sent traffic, on 14978 kHz, RTTY 75/500, 5 figure groups. Then at completion of traffic, transmitter sends OP TIKAS SEE QWI MAIL. Transmitter went down at 20/1318. This xmtr seemed too weak to be the Cuban relay transmitter!!

OCTOBER LOGGINGS in frequency order (kHz) w/comments and UTC date/time
3026 Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW. Not parallel w/9238 kHz. 07/1025
9229 YL/SS w/Atencion 728 04 then 04 61 & into msg. 11/1000
9238 Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW at 07/1008
9307 Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW. Parallel w/9253 kHz. 11/1008
12074 8BY (French Intel) w/V's then 532/706/686/099/055 at 06/1046
12092 Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW at 19//1332
12550 7/ 7/ 7/ over and over. Call may very well b e MSTF but he clearly sending it as 7/. 29/1254
12954 QB Fox tape, RTTY 75/850. 06/1053
13535 Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW at 15/1128
14390 Signal sounds like whale singing. 11/1200
14536 Steady dits interspersed with S S U U and then just the letter S every couple secs. 12/1312
14543 Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW at 19/1312. Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW also hrd this freq at 29/1100
14580 YL/EE w/3-2F grps at 06/1213
14738 YL/EEin USB w/715 1-0 count at 12/1300
14798 Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW at 15/1120
16270 COY851 COY851 in CW. Nil more hrd. 09/1420 Somewhere I saw a listing for this callsign as CubanNavy, Havana.
16355 CLP7 (EmbaCuba Brazzaville, Congo) DE CLP8 (EmbaCuba Conakry,Guinea) QSV K. No response noted. CLP8 then called CLP25 (EmbaCuba Maputo, Mozambique) QSY NR 23330 QPP QSY NR 23330. Then CLP25 DE CLP8 QSV K followed by QSY 20020. Dropped at 07/1131
17130 QB Fox tape in RTTY at 08/1624
18207 Xmtr tuning foll by V's and CLP4 (EmbaCuba Bissau, Guinea Bissau) DE CLP1 (MinRex Havana, Cuba) QSA IMI QSA 3 QRU IMI NIL NIL. 11/1708
20386 Cuban cut nbrs in auto CW at 12/1319
20945 8BY (French Intel) V's in auto CW. Parallel w/18414 kHz. 04/1659
22864 5F grps in auto CW, each grp rptd twice. Signs off w/5 dashes. 04/2221

The Underground Frequency Guide A Directory of Unusual, Illegal and Covert Radio Communications By Donald W. Schimmel A fascinating directory of unusual, illegal and covert radio communications. Anyone with a shortwave radio can eavesdrop on espionage - shadowy individuals and organizations - if they know where to tune. With hundreds of frequencies and informative commentary. Third Edition. ©1994 HighText 209 pages. Only $14.95 Available from Universal Radio and other select radio and book dealers. Click here to visit Universal Radio's online catalog.