Maybe Morse on Citizens Band South Africa

[kolbep]

Good Day All.

I Pulled out an old CB Set today. At night I was browsing through the channels (As usual, where I am in the South Coast of South Africa, the Citizens Band is Dead), anyway, on Channel 19 (27.185 AM) I heard some pattern that sounded like morse. Running CW Decoders on my PC were only decoding garbage.

Perhaps some Morse Veteran will be able to tell me if it is valid, or if it is just something else interfering.
A portion of the file is here :
https://sites.google.com/a/fhc.org.za/morse/morse/morse.MP3?attredirects=0&d=1


By the way, I captured the audio using the Zoom H1 about 20cm from the Receiver. If I put it closer, it created too much noise on the radio.

Thanks All

[PA0PBZ]

I have no idea what it is but it is certainly not Morse code.

[poptones]

That sounds reminiscent of the woodpecker.

[PeterG]

It almost sounds like some sort of data packets being sent.
But i am no radio expert.

Regards

[kg4arn]

I agree that it is not Morse.

[madires]

And it's not packet radio or some of those OTH radars. But it sounds like a data transmission. A RC model should have a continuous signal. Maybe a sensor of a home weather station or something similar?

[M0BSW]

No not morse also if data packet is also illegal on CB, unless the was a lift on , and you were picking up amateurs, we are allowed to use 28.000Mhz to 29.5 if my memory serves me , only us Radio amateurs are allowed to use morse or packet data, it could also have been an ilegal radio pirate station, ships can use morse, military also use Data& Morse,but that would be scrambled.
Paul

[G7PSK]

Sounds like cross talk from data transmission of the type used by utilities for control and monitoring of remote equipment. Or burst transmissions by your local spy?

[M0BSW]

Sounds like cross talk from data transmission of the type used by utilities for control and monitoring of remote equipment. Or burst transmissions by your local spy?

Yes it does come to think about it, have heard similar on 2m in the summer from the Gas board we were told.

[madires]

No not morse also if data packet is also illegal on CB, unless the was a lift on

Over here packet radio may be used on specific CB channels (6, 7, 24, 35 and 40 AM or FM / 41, 52, 53, 76 and 77 just FM).

[kolbep]

Ok, Tried again tonight. This time was getting the signal on Channel 20 instead of 19.

I was using a battery backup supply to power the set, and even though the power socket was switched off, the Mains Earth was still coupled through the powersupply to the ground output on the 12v side.

Unplugging the plug from the wall socket caused the signal to disappear. If I held the power plug near another cable that was plugged in, then I get the signal again (with more attenuation).

So it is not coming through the antenna, but through the mains wiring.

The Utility (Eskom) has been changing all the Kwh meters to smart metering in the surrounding area. These meters communicate back to a Concentator at the Eskom Transformer, and they will also be communicating with a consumer display unit that plugs in in the customers house. The Meter is also wired to a relay transmitter, that will be communicating to a relay in the customer's D.B. in order to switch off Pool Pumps, Geysers, etc if the overall demand is too high. All this intercommunication is done through Power Line Communication.
 
I guess I am picking up some signalling from other clients on the same transformer.

Will be fun in the future, if there is no encryption, to decode the communications, and then inject my own signalling on the powerline, and play havoc with the Load Control Relays, and the Consumer display units (which I understand can display text, flashing lights,etc), that could entertain me for hours (and probably land me in a bucket load of trouble)

On a side note, the concentrator communicates back to the utility using a GSM modem.

Peter

[vis1-0n]

It is illegal to listen in to non commercial bands without a license here (SA), someone got arrested and convicted (option of fine/jail time) with an airband radio at the airport. I would need a HAM licence in the very least.

I put my RTLSDR dongle away when I found out.

[kolbep]

I feel sorry for the guy/gal that does the whole licencing thing, just so they can use the CB down here, and then find out it is just a bunch of white noise.

[poptones]

DB is so crowded in the states, and so full of high power units, the FCC has pretty much abandoned the band. Lots of people using VFOs (illegal here on CB) and 200W or more linear amps and even FM. It's kinda like the wild west.

It would suck to live in a country where you can go to jail for listening to the radio. Yeesh.

[M0BSW]

No not morse also if data packet is also illegal on CB, unless the was a lift on

Over here packet radio may be used on specific CB channels (6, 7, 24, 35 and 40 AM or FM / 41, 52, 53, 76 and 77 just FM).

That really does suprise me , I thought Germany was a strict as us in the UK