DXer's Notebook
David Braun,
dcbraun@delanet.comIssue 6820 - March 17, 2001
In early February a series of reports began to show up on various internet mailing lists of unusual interference on 1140. It was hard for many of the initial reporters to find a description of the sound of the interference. One listener put a file of the interference on an internet site (www.sharkk.com/1140). There was speculation that it was a Cuban jammer, as often heard around 1140, or an off-frequency AM station. Initial reports were almost entirely from the western portion of the US and Canada.
The sound was described as some sort of digital data, an idling RTTY transmitter, or, as IRCA member Charlie Taylor described it, "One can hear the FMing of modulation on the "jammer". It sounds to be an off-frequency AMer whose unlocked frequency is being modulated by its audio, AND which is "strummed" by some other recurring waveform in its transmitter or on its audio. Could be KCMJ off frequency, some other 1140er off frequency on , or someone jumped from 1130 or 1150 (1150 more likely). This is NOT the Cuban WQBA jammer!"
Kevin Redding in Mesa, AZ, felt that it wasn’t KSFN-Las Vegas or KCMJ-Palm Springs because the fade times were different at his location and the interference was audible before either of those stations.
Glenn Hauser’s DX Listening Digest 1-021 (Feb. 16) included the following from Michael Watson (KC6YUW): "Glenn; Thank you for the inquiry you made on my behalf, regarding the 1140 kHz interference. I inquired of the FCC, and just heard back from their Tom Hora. He’s received a report from the people at KHTK, in Sacramento, including a recording of the signal. He says the sound is characteristic of an idling RTTY transmitter, presumably malfunctioning. He’s notified the enforcement office in this area about finding the transmitter and seeing the problem corrected. That must be a whale of a malfunction, that could make a RTTY transmitter send on 1140 kHz, AND drift in its pulse-rate from about 50 beats per minute to over 250, AND do so in such a way that it would not become obvious to an operator or engineer for well over three weeks, and so have been corrected! I really must confess entertaining some serious doubts. As the signal continues to be heard in the day-time, I doubt it is outside the country. If you run across any reports similar to mine, where foreign jamming does not appear the likely explanation, I'd appreciate learning of them."
Additional reports indicated that the same sound was being heard on 820. Various individual direction finding (DF) attempts were inconclusive. Patrick Griffith in Colorado DF’ed the 820 signal around 1500 EST as opposite his previous 1140 DF (which was 25/205). Kevin Redding in AZ also had the 1140 signal at 25/205. However, DF from the east coast seemed to be north/south.
On February 18, Glenn Hauser forwarded some additional information: "FYI, a couple items from Michael Watson about the 1140 noise: Glenn; thanks for the reports. KHTK is off the air this morning [Feb 18]. I got repeated fixes on the pulsing signal. I put it at 105/285 degrees, true.
Previously, Feb 17: Glenn; I am located in Boyes Hot Springs, Sonoma County, CA. About 40 air miles N. of San Francisco and 60 mi. W. of Sacramento. Have been trying to get RDF fixes for some time. In all cases the null shows the same bearing as KHTK. I tried to extend my baseline about 20 miles out, but on that day the signal was too weak. I doubt the source of the interference is actually on a line with Sacramento, suspect that signal is beating with KHTK carrier, so is most audible when KHTK is, too. If I find KHTK off the air at some time, will try again to get a fix on interference."
Patrick Griffith replied: "That is the same thing I noticed with KSOO. It appeared to be coming from the same direction as KSOO which is the dominant station on 1140 here at night. I suspect it is somehow riding the signal from KSOO to me and I may not be getting an accurate bearing."
Harry Helms then posted the following report: "Alerted by previous messages on this list about the 1140 mystery, I tried for it last night and it was at a very strong level around 10:00 p.m. PST. It sounded like the streaming file at www.sharkk.com/1140. Even with the R8/Quantum Loop combo, it gave KHTK fits with the loop north and was obliterating everything else on the channel when the loop was in a broad E/W direction. I checked again this morning at 7:00 am PST and the signal was still in there, which surprised me as I was assuming it was Cuban. Even wilder, it was still there at a good level at a 10:00 am PST recheck, giving KQAB in Lake Isabella (about 60 miles from here) fits! I started trying to more precisely DF the signal and noted a het on the low side of the frequency, much like a TP or TA trying to break through. I did a little more tuning and diddling, and discovered a station with the "Cruising Oldies" format on 1136! I've been listening to this station for over two hours and assume it is (per the new NRC log) KSFN in North Las Vegas, as the bearings are correct. I have heard no legal ID in over two hours, only canned "Cruising Oldies 1140" and absolutely no ads except for a couple of network ads. I'm hearing this on the R8, the Sangean CCR radio, and even my beloved ancient Drake SW4A, so this signal isn't a receiver spur or image. In fact, I'm hearing it at a good level on the CCR as I write this. Seems like we have a "runaway" unattended operation on our hands! Per the NRC log, KSFN is 10000/2500 U2. I'll check later tonight to see if they actually cut power or go directional at night. I'm willing to bet they'll stay 10 kW and nondirectional, and I'll also bet that transmitter must be putting out all sorts of garbage. I don't know if this is the total solution to the 1140 mystery, but it must be what many of us in the west are hearing. Meanwhile, here's your chance to log Nevada on a split frequency!"
Paul Smith reported "I heard the suspect signal last night. The null was roughly 140/320 degrees. From my QTH in West Fla. This could be Cuba, but I don't think so, as I'm only a few hundred miles from Cuba, and the signal was not that strong."
Fred Vobbe forwarded the following to the NRC e-mail reflector: "Eric, Just now (11PM) (Feb 16 – ed) had the chance to follow up on the interference you are hearing on 1140 kHz. Your idea that it might be coming from Las Vegas interested me. During the day at work in South West Las Vegas, I did not hear the problem. Tonight, at home on the East side of Las Vegas (near Sam's Town) I can hear it fairly loud. It is clearly heard over the local 1140 kHz signal. It's not detectable on either channel on either side of the 1140 signal on the digital portable radio I am using at the moment. An old analog Car radio mounted next to my chair in the living room, that I use as my comparison radio is about the same. 1140 in Las Vegas is KSFN "Cruisin" oldies owned by Infinity. I'll try to get in touch with their Chief E, Tracy Teagarden, in the Morning. It sure sounds like the problem may be in their actual signal. Bill Croghan, Chief Engineer, KOMP/KXPT/KENO/KBAD, Lotus Broadcasting, Las Vegas, NV."
And shortly thereafter two additional messages, the first again from Mr. Croghan: "Bob, Got called out on a tower light problem tonight, and as I drove across Las Vegas from East central to North central, the strength between the 1140 local and the interfering signals varied independently. From what I heard, I feel confident that the station is not transmitting the interference, but rather it is coming in from elsewhere. Due to the strength of the local, I am unable to DF the interference." And then from Tony Abbott: "I am receiving your mystery signal 35 miles East of LA at 2319 hours using a Sony 2010 with built in loop antenna. Signal strength appears to peak at 280 degrees. The signal appears to be independent of two quite weak bc stations. Reception of signal can be enhanced by switching to LSB mode, with the radio tuned exactly to 1140 kHz. I am unable to copy on USB. The sound is somewhat reminiscent of those associated with two phase locked signals beating together."
Harry Helms reported, on the evening of the 18th, "I'm currently (9:57 p.m. PST) hearing KSFN there with their Cruising Oldies format, clearly separable from KHTK. Nice ugly het against 1140 with the "blipping" mystery sound as the sigs beat together." Patrick Griffith replied "I tried 1136 several times last night (Feb 18 – ed) - early, mid, and late evening. I never heard a peep. At just over 600 miles from Vegas I expected to hear something using the Drake R-8 and the Kiwa loop. The noise on 1140 seems to be on frequency or pretty close to it to me. I hear it from about 1138 to 1141 under KSOO at night. Also I just tried during the day again. At 1330 EST nothing on 1136, the noise on 1140 is very weak looping NE/SW as usual, the noise on 820 is very strong looping NW/SE as usual. It's got me stumped!!!" And the next afternoon Harry Helms reported "I'm listening to KSFN right now on 1136+ clearly distinct from 1140; it seems as if the mystery signal is in between KSFN and 1140! I've made a recording of this, including tuning between 1135 to 1145, that I will convert to Windows Media and make available to anyone interested by e-mail. In the meantime, anyone who would like to hear this "live" via telephone can send me their number by e-mail. Something DAMN STRANGE is going on with KSFN!" And later the same day, again from Harry Helms, "There is no way the 1136 signal is a spur; it's far too strong. Most, if not all, of KSFN's transmitter energy is going out on 1136. There is no trace of KSFN above 1140. In case anyone's interested, I made a tape today at noon PST where I tuned from 1140 to 1130. You get to hear the ID for KQAB, then a het and "pulsing," KSFN on 1136, and then an ID for KRDU on 1130. KSFN is the loudest signal of the three. I'd be pleased to dupe a copy of the tape for anyone who'd like to listen. Given how broad the selectivity is one most consumer radios, I'm not surprised no one's noticed in Las Vegas. And, if the total absence of local spots on KSFN is an indicator, I'd be surprised if anyone in Vegas actually listens to them on **any** frequency!"
By the evening of the 19th, several additional reports were made of the interference, including Paul Swearingen (Topeka, KS), Bob Carter (NC), Bruce Winkelman (Tulsa, OK), and Randy Stewart (Springfield, MO). Walt Breville reported "I have been noting that noise on or near 1140 for a week, as well as the similar noise on 820, here in the middle of Florida. Twisting my Grundig 700 portable outside away from the neighbors TV, the null comes at a bearing of about 345-350/165-170. Paul over in the Tampa Bay area reported a null bearing of 320/140, while Ron up in Jacksonville reported a straight north-south nulling. These all intersect about the Miami area. Could it be that Miami's WQBA is the source of the 1140 noise here in the East as an independent coincidence to Las Vegas or Sacramento, or from Cuba due south of Miami ? Also I noted the 1140 racket starting near my local sunset (6:22 p.m.), a good two hours before Las Vegas NV sunset, 3 hours before Sacramento if that's the Western source. The noise is not there in the daytime, either on 820 or 1140. Also the 820 nulls just a bit (maybe 10 degrees) west of north at night." Patrick Griffith reported "Different conditions tonight on 1140. On an east/west heading I'm hearing KSFN Las Vegas still sounding like they are off frequency with oldies and "Cruisin" ID. They seem to be best on 1138. I don't hear them at all on 1136. And on the north/south heading is the Canadian in Alberta with a big signal and C&W music. No sign of KSOO at all. Last night I had KSOO and no sign of the Canadian or KSFN." Bruce Winkelman reported that he was able to zero-beat the pulsing signal on 1137.65 around 7:05pm Central time.
On February 20, Harry Helms sent in this report: "I just got off the phone with Tracy Teagarden, CE for all the Infinity stations in Las Vegas. Besides KSFN-1140, those include KLUC, KMXB, KMZQ, KXNT, and KXTE. He says the signal on 1136-37 kHz isn't them but a pirate or other unauthorized relay of their signal! He says he is able to hear it in the nulls of their nighttime directional array and that it appears to be somewhere west-southwest of the Las Vegas metro area. While he was on the phone, I let him listen to the signal live via my R8/Quantum Loop combo and also played the tape I made yesterday. We agreed that this isn't your run-of-the-mill pirate; the signal is just too strong. We must be talking kilowatts here and a good ground system to propagate such a strong groundwave signal across the dry, rocky desert between me and Las Vegas. Now this is where it gets a little weird. I asked Tracy if---based on the strength of this signal and the fact this pirate didn't appear too worried about attracting attention---this "pirate" might actually be some sort of military test or experiment from the facilities scattered throughout the Mojave. He replied that "sometimes in the past they've relayed some local stations over at S4." ("S4" is the top-secret Papoose Lake facility located to the south of the famous Area 51.) However, Tracy said that when they've complained about prior relays to the FCC, they've been told "not to worry about it" if the relay was part of a government project or experiment. He said the FCC didn't say that this time and is treating this as a civilian "pirating" case. Tracy further said the signal left the air around midnight PST last night and also transmits FSK signals and triangle waves! To me, those latter two items seem to indicate this must be some sort of government test instead of a pirate----maybe the FCC hasn't been alerted by The Secret Government??? There are all sorts of candidates for the location; between me and Las Vegas are the Nevada Test Site, Fort Irwin, my semi-local China Lake Naval Weapons Center, etc. All would agree with my loop bearings. S4, Area 51, etc., are too far north if my bearings are reliable. A military test would also explain such oddities as Pat Griffith's reception of CHRB on 1141 last night. Tracy really sounded stressed over this. He said he's busy enough with his normal job responsibilities without this headache. We have a strange one here, folks! Damn, I feel like I've been possessed by the spirit of C. M. Stanbury!"
That evening, Michael Shaw in Palm Harbor, FL, also reported hearing the noise on 1136.
On to February 21, and Harry Helms made this report: "The mystery signal, including the off-frequency KSFN-1140 relay, is gone here. I listened to it until a little after 11:30 p.m. last night. It was not there when I checked this morning and hasn't returned throughout the day. All I hear on 1140 now is KQAB with KSFN underneath. I spoke to Tracy Teagarden, CE for KSFN and the rest of the Infinity stations in Las Vegas, a few minutes ago and he was surprised to learn the station had vanished (he says they could only hear it at night in the nulls of their pattern). Tracy sounded relieved to know the relay has stopped! He said there was a loss of power to the Infinity transmitters in Las Vegas shortly after midnight last night for about five seconds before they returned to the air. Did this have anything to do with the disappearance of the mystery signal? Your guess is as good as mine! Tracy gave me a bit of a personal DX test in our call. He switched to night power/pattern while I patched the R8's audio into the phone, and he was impressed to still hear his signal under KQAB because I am in his night null. I told him that kind of reception is par for the course when your receiver is a Drake! Tracy said he has heard nothing from the FCC since they made their complaint about the relay. He remarked that the FCC didn't seem too concerned about the relay. We both agreed this was a good indication that Uncle Sam's boys were behind it. I tried to reached John Winston at the FCC's Enforcement Bureau in Washington and Charles Craig, head of the Bureau's western office in Pleasanton, CA, today by phone to ask about the signal but neither have returned my calls. For some reason, I don't expect they ever will. BTW, that wasn't me on Art Bell last night talking about the HAARP signal. I've discovered that trying to get through to Art on the phone is like trying to get through to the Pope on the phone! Fred, I'll dupe my tape and sent it to you for DXAS. It looks like our big mystery has bit the dust, at least in the west. Anybody still hearing something in the east?"
Walt Breville was still hearing "that funny motorboating noise" on 1140 and 820, and suspected more strongly that it was coming from either WQBA or Cuba. There were no further reports on the noise from the western part of the country.
Jay White, Director of Engineering for Morris Communications Corporation (owner of KNWQ-Palm Springs on 1140), sent the following message: "Harry, Lee Freshwater has forwarded your e-mails with regard to the in interfering signal on 1140khz in the southern California area. I had contacted Lee after I found him on the internet and took a shot that he may know about the signal. I am Director of Engineering for Morris Communication Corporation, who owns 7 stations in Palm Springs, including KNWQ on 1140khz. We have been troubled by this renegade signal for about a month now. Interestingly, this signal is RIGHT on top of us during the times it is on the air. We have had numerous complaints from listeners who cannot receive us through the interference.
"I have tried to track the signal during the day, but it seems to not be on the air during the daylight hours, and I attempted to track it on Monday night, but the Las Vegas transmission was mixed in with it so I could not get a clean direction. I am curious to know about your location and the bearing you measured for the signal.
"Incidentally, all the 1140's in the area, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and Lake Isabella have been affected by the signal. We tried to orchestrate some downtime on Tuesday night after midnight, but the signal was gone, where I had heard it cleanly not 30 minutes before! This transmitter historically has been turned on about 4:30pm, but we have been unable to determine when it is turned off. I am curious to know what it is. I find it interesting that both times the FCC has been notified, the signal disappears.
"I would appreciate any further information you are able to provide."
Several reports were made in the next few days of what is most likely the Cuban jammer in the vicinity of 1142, all of them from the east coast, but still nothing further from the west coast.
On March 2, Harry Helms posted the following summary of his activities throughout this period.
"Alerted by messages on the National Radio Club DX Alert mail sever (am@nrcdxas.org), I first tried on February 17 to hear the mystery signal on 1140 kHz that was being reported in the western U.S. I found it around 10:00 p.m. Pacific time that evening. It sounded very much like the recording of the signal found at www.shark.com/1140. It was very strong at my location about 90 miles NE of Los Angeles, obliterating everything but KHTK, Sacramento. The signal was a high-pitched tone with "pulses" that seemed to be at a rate of 90 per second.
"The next morning, February 18, I listened again at 7:00 am PST and the signal was still being heard loudly. This surprised me, as speculation was that this was a high-powered Cuban jammer of sort. I checked again at 10:00 am PST, and heard it just as well as I did the previous evening! It was equal in level to KQAB in Lake Isabella, CA, about 60 miles due west of my location.
"Using my Drake R8 and Quantum Loop, I attempted to get a bearing on the signal. As I tuned, I noted a loud het on the low side of the frequency, much like a TA or TP signal trying to break through. After a little more diddling and tuning, I was able to isolate a signal on 1136, louder than the signal of KQAB on 1140 or of KRDU, Dinuba, CA, on 1130. I was able to identify the 1136 signal as KSFN, Las Vegas, which normally transmits on 1140 kHz! Bearing was to the SE of here, which would agree with a Las Vegas location.
"On February 19, I made a recording of the "KSFN" signal sandwiched between KQAB and KRDU; a copy of this recording has been sent to Fred Vobbe for the NRC's DX Audio Service. I also posted a message about my receptions to am@nrcdxas.org in which I stated that KSFN was off-frequency.
Someone forwarded my message to KSFN, because I received an e-mail from Tracy Teagarden, the CE for KSFN and other Infinity stations in Las Vegas (including KLUC, KMXB, KMZQ, KXNT, and KXTE). He emphatically denied KSFN was off-frequency and said their signal was being relayed without their permission by a "pirate." After receiving Tracy's e-mail, I phoned him and we discussed the situation. I patched my R8's audio into the phone and let Tracy listen to the signal live. I was openly skeptical that it could be a pirate, because the signal was just too strong; I let him see how much louder the 1136 signal was than either station on 1130 and 1140. Tracy and I agreed this "pirate" had to be running a few kilowatts into a very good antenna/ground system!
"Tracy said the signal was audible in the Las Vegas metro area only when KSFN went to night power and pattern (KSFN is 10000/2500 U2) and then just in the nulls of their pattern. Tracy said that he wasn't aware that KSFN was being relayed, but he had heard FSK and triangular audio waves on the signal. Most evenings the signal left the air at midnight PST, but sometimes it stayed on all night.
At this point, I took a flyer and asked Tracy if----based on the strength of this signal and the fact this station didn't appear worried about attracting attention to itself---this "pirate" might actually be some sort of military test or experiment from one of the facilities scattered throughout the Mojave Desert. Tracy's reply floored me; he said "sometimes in the past they've relayed some local stations over at S4." ("S4" is the top-secret Papoose Lake facility located between the AEC's Nevada Test Site and the famous Area 51.) Tracy said that when stations have complained about such relays to the FCC, they were told "not to worry about it." But Tracy said the FCC told him they were treating this as a civilian "pirating" case.
"I heard the signal all day on February 20, and listened until around 11:30 p.m. PST that night. I had loaded fresh batteries into my C. Crane CCR receiver, packed my maps and GPS receiver, filled my car's gas tank, and set my alarm to 5:00 am the next morning. I was planning to drive east into the Mojave and spend February 21 trying to track down the source of the signal.
"But when I awoke on February 21, the signal was gone. I called Tracy Teagarden again that morning, and he expressed surprise and considerable relief to learn the signal was gone. He then said that he and other CEs of stations on 1140---including KHTK, KQAB, and KNWQ---had agreed to power down at midnight for a few seconds so accurate DFing of the signal could be made. But when they did so, the signal was gone! Apparently the signal had left the air sometime in the half-hour between my last reception and midnight PST.
"Tracy said the FCC had not contacted him about the "bust" of a pirate or offered any other explanation for the absence of the signal. Intrigued, I phoned John Winston, the media liaison for the FCC's Enforcement Bureau, in Washington. I didn't reach Winston, but I did leave a phone message describing the case and asked whether a pirate had been shut down in Las Vegas.
"Figuring that someone closer to the action might be able to give me a faster answer, on February 22 I called Charles Craig, director of the western division of the FCC's Enforcement Bureau, at his office in Pleasanton, CA. He said he was not aware of the 1136/1140 mystery signal, nor was he aware of any recent bust of a pirate in Nevada or southern California.
"I next called Jim Zolich at the FCC's office in Cerritos, CA. Zolich is the Enforcement Bureau officer in charge for southern California and Nevada. He was simultaneously enlightening and baffling. He was aware of the 1140 signal but had no idea of what it was. He was also aware of the efforts that were made on February 20 by the CEs of the stations suffering QRM to locate the signal, but said the FCC had made no special efforts to locate it. And he said there had been no bust of a pirate station on the mystery signal's frequency in southern California or Nevada.
"I was more than a little nonplused after my conversation with Zolich. He admitted to being aware of a signal that was being heard throughout the west and which was serious enough to motivate a group of CEs of stations on 1140 to undertake a joint action to locate it. But Zolich seemed almost disinterested by the signal. His reaction was all wrong if the signal was truly some sort of unlicensed "pirate."
"Later on February 22, I received an e-mail from Jay White, CE of KNWQ in Palm Springs, also on 1140. Jay said KNWQ had been suffering interference from the mystery signal for the previous month and had received numerous complaints from listeners unable to hear KNWQ because of it. However, the signal was heard only at night in the Palm Springs area. He said he had tried to track the signal down the previous Monday, but couldn't get a clean bearing because of the KSFN signal that was mixed in. He confirmed the efforts that were to be made by the affected stations to "power down" and attempt to get a bearing. He also made this comment about the signal: "I find it interesting that both times the FCC has been notified, the signal disappears."
"I was away from home all day on February 26 and didn't return until late that evening. When I did, the following message was waiting on my answering machine: "Mr. Helms, this is the Federal Communications Commission in Washington. I am returning your call inquiring about a pirate radio station operation in the Las Vegas area. That station has been shut down. Because our investigation is still continuing, we cannot release any more information about the case. Should you have any further questions, you may contact Mr. John Winston at 202-418-7450." (Winston was the Enforcement Bureau media liaison that I originally called on February 21.)
"So what do I think of that message? I think it's a load of disingenuous crap. Note, for example, the caller didn't leave his name----most unusual for a call from a federal agency, and it sounds like the caller didn't want his name linked to the statement. Moreover, the statement explicitly contradicts the comments made by Jim Zolich. Since Zolich is in charge of Enforcement Bureau operations for Nevada, he would have known when we spoke whether a pirate bust had gone down in Las Vegas the night before. Either the caller who left the message or Zolich lied to me. Judging the truthfulness of someone you've never met on the basis of a phone call is not an exact science, but Zolich struck me as far more credible than my mysterious message-leaver. Zolich wasn't expecting my call; his remarks, while a bit confusing and illogical, were unrehearsed. The message left for me sounded scripted, and the caller didn't leave his name. I believe Zolich was giving me the straighter scoop than my mystery caller.
"Those of us who have dealt with the FCC for a few years know those people will lie when the query involves a "sensitive" topic, such as the locations of various "numbers" stations transmitters. Even after Warrenton, VA, and Homestead Air Force Base, FL, had conclusively been identified as sites for "numbers" transmissions, the FCC continued to deny any knowledge of such stations and their locations.
"Adding everything together, I feel it is most likely that the mystery signal heard in the west around 1140 kHz was the result of some government/military test from a location in Nevada or southern California. The Mojave is home to several enormous facilities where a high-powered transmitter and antenna system could safely be hidden---the AEC's Nevada Test Site. Fort Irwin, and my semi-local China Lake Naval Weapons Station are all bigger than Rhode Island---and much of their area is hidden behind mountains.
"Given the strength and bearings of the signal I heard, I feel a location in the eastern half of the China Lake Naval Weapons Station or Fort Irwin is most likely, with the Goldstone Communications Facility (wedged between China Lake and Fort Irwin) another possibility even though it is less secure.
Why 1140? Since Cuba has been running a jammer on 1140 for decades, any interference could be blamed on Castro. Apparently the FCC let whoever was transmitting the mystery signal know about the plans by the CEs to locate it, since the signal was taken off the air just before it could be located.
Will it return? Only time will tell."
Like many other "radio mysteries", we may never know the full story behind this signal. Some additional reports of the sound are on the NRC’s web page (www.nrcdxas.org/mystery/), as well as Harry’s summary message. Additional ideas, reports, information, etc. is welcome.