What the....siren on ch3!!

[Mike-CT]

It seems that every time we get Es from the Caribbean/Venezuela area, a bunch of us hear this siren on ch3. To me it seems like a carrier gone berserk. And it does sound like an ambulance siren.

Could it be TVes is causing this?

I can't check the carrier with Spectrum Lab because the R75 only does ch2.

Give it a listen...WHAT IS IT ?

[cd637299]

I am at work & cannot listen now, but I kinda understand what u hear....to me it sounds more like someone using an electric shaver.

I cannot remember, but I think I hear that effect in Central America Es as well. I doubt it's TVes causing this. I may have heard that stuff when RCTV was still around.

cd

[Robert Grant]

When I got RCTV on 3 in 2003, I noticed that the beat between it and WEDU was changing "up and down", so they (or WEDU?) had an unstable carrier, but I don't recall if it sounded exactly like this.

I still haven't identified the "Eastern Warbler", a 2+ whose carrier varies extremely quickly (as if the video carrier were FM modulated by audio!). It seems to come in after an opening to Nova Scotia has shifted through New Brunswick, so I suspect it is transmitting from Northern New Brunswick or Southeastern Québec.

[pjdyer]

That sounds like a malfunctioning crystal oven (if they still use such) or a vid-carrier xtal that needs replacing. I need to get some good recordings of this 55.25 (and now 61.25) "gurgling" that comes out of Latin America.

73, Pat - WA5IYX EL09ql

[KW4RZ]

There's a number of "unique" video carriers with a variety of unstable, unusual and off-frequency characteristics that could be used for quick and easy identification.

I have heard a similar drifty "siren" on ch 4 video
One of the two Tele Antillas video carriers on 55.250 from the Dominican Republic has this distinctive "warble"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItfV_9_75QI
One of the CTV Ontario TV2's has a carrier that zeros in at 55.241 and is erratic sounding, I don't have a recording.
When Es seems to be to Central America this "squirrely" sounding 55.250 often comes through.

[Robert Grant]

I heard the "siren" on channel 3z (61.25) on Monday (7/27) at 1800 EDT, while up at Manistique, MI (EN65vx), on my VX-5 with 6m mag mount.

[mrhoover]

That's the one I've always been calling the sweeper,Attached a speclab
pic of it weakly visible under other carriers & a sound clip.
It almost sweeps 2KHz peak to peak with the little "blip" at the end of a cycle.

I would say more Carribean area here from Portugal but not really sure.

Hugh

[mrhoover]

Attached a better spectrum lab picture of the siren/sweeper on ch A3.

The 14th July Ch 2 zero offset was "different",as well as the Dominican warbler there's an unstable carrier there making this strange jittery noise along with the warbler.

It's there on the other spectrum lab picture as the mess around 650 Hz.

Anyone have ideas on this one?

Hugh

[LMolineux]

Attached a better spectrum lab picture of the siren/sweeper on ch A3.

The 14th July Ch 2 zero offset was "different",as well as the Dominican warbler there's an unstable carrier there making this strange jittery noise along with the warbler.

It's there on the other spectrum lab picture as the mess around 650 Hz.

Anyone have ideas on this one?

Hugh
That almost sounds like a Fan that you can hear it pusling up in speed and not able to stay at that speed for long so it has to pulse back up.

[mrhoover]

The Iranians have been firing up a new lowband transmitter today so it seems.
On channel E2 negative offset around 48.240 MHz just below RTP E2

They have one there already but this is a second one

Some problem stabilising the frequency,see the attached spectum lab pictures.....maybe there's a shortage of crystals in Iran.

It's improved during the day but still not quite right.

Hugh

[mrhoover]

I heard this warbler last week and again this afternoon here in Portugal.
Around 55.26 and is there together with the Dominican one around 55.25.

Is this Tele Antillas gone a bit wrong ? Never used to be like,this sounds like a speeded up version of 55.25 MHz.

Hugh

[cd637299]

I have no idea, Hugh, but remember that "el gubierno de la republica dominicana" or its FCC equivalent said that all affiliates of the same network in DR will be on the same channel.....so it could be a TA station from a different city (and w/ a different offset).

All this doesn't explain my channel 6 (87.75 FM actually) catch with a promo of Telemicro in the DR, which is on ch 5 in Santo Domingo. My only guess, is that if the decree as above stands, this would have been a different station/network, co-owned w/ Telemicro with a cross-promotion.

Of course, one market cannot have both a ch 5 & a ch 6.....<shrug>

cd

[Jo-OH]

First time hearing "the siren"
It is active right now at 6:53 pm with Venezuelan station ch. 3

reminds me of turning the bfo...

[Mike-CT]

Yes I heard it today also on ch3. I saw TVN Panama with news at 6pm local time and Caracol Colombia on ch4 with Futureworld cartoon. Unfortunately, caught off guard with no camera around. You ON/OH guys got much better video than I got.