apache-labs.com

I am not sure if this is the correct forum to post this. But, I have been seeing this odd signal usually on 20 meters and occasionally on 40 meters. It looks like a rolling wave. I have not seen it on my Flex 6600M or 5000A. At first I thought it might be associated with my 60 amp power supply. So, I switched over to the Astron 35M that I use with the Flex radios.
Same results, the signal is still showing up. But, it does go away sometimes for hours at a time.
I think it is a Inosonde . But, those show as a spike that moves left to right with a streak in the waterfall moving along with it.
I am posting this question to be sure it's not something in the 8000DLE causing this.
James
WD5GWY
https://youtu.be/sWvfZJAh2J4

Could be an antenna analyser which uses RF perhaps . My Rig expert unit can do the same thing

Tony EI7BMB wrote:Could be an antenna analyser which uses RF perhaps . My Rig expert unit can do the same thing

I thought that at first and compared it to my MFJ 259b that I have had for years. It puts out a single spike and only moves as I sweep the band. And just the spike moves.
This happens quite often. If someone is sweeping with a analyzer, they are doing it quite often!
James
WD5GWY

Hi, they are most likely traces from meteors traveling and hitting the atmosphere.

You can see them very often in the higher bands of 15 and 10m and when you see them, a band opening is comming!

Usually they travel from left to right.

probably these.

https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Ionosonde

Mike

Mike_N1JEZ wrote:probably these.

https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/Ionosonde

Mike

I have compared the signal to several examples posted there and on other websites. Unfortunately, only a few include the spectrum part of the display, just the waterfall image.
Sometimes, the waterfall trace that runs with it is very visible. And other times, not very much. The waterfall trace when visible, is a broken line that appears to start at the bottom of the waterfall and moves up as the frequency changes. Sometimes it catches up with the spectrum trace before it moves off the right side of the display.
James
WD5GWY

Post a video.

w-u-2-o wrote:Post a video.

Thanks for moving the thread Scott. I wasn't sure where to put it.and I wasn't absolutely certain it wasn't a setting somewhere that was causing it.
There is a link in the first post to a short YouTube video showing the signal.
James
WD5GWY

Trucker wrote:

w-u-2-o wrote:Post a video.

There is a link in the first post to a short YouTube video showing the signal.

Oops, missed that link

As others have already written, that's an ionosonde. You are not doing anything wrong and your 8000 is not broken.

w-u-2-o wrote:

Trucker wrote:

w-u-2-o wrote:Post a video.

There is a link in the first post to a short YouTube video showing the signal.

Oops, missed that link

As others have already written, that's an ionosonde. You are not doing anything wrong and your 8000 is not broken.

That's good to know! I must be very close to the transmit site to see it that strongly.
James
WD5GWY

These signals are visible world wide. They are subject to the same propagation effects as any other HF signal.

Here is a probably incomplete and not up to date map of the installations using equipment produced by LDI: https://digisonde.com/. There are certainly others, but the LDI equipment appears to be quite popular. LDI transmitters produce 150W peak RF power.

I have come to the conclusion it is an Ionosonde signal. Last night I was on 40 meters watching the contest with my Flex 5000A. And sure enough , here comes the rolling wave right thru the wall to wall contest signals. It wasn't as pronounced as it appears on my 8000DLE. But, it was obvious it was the same signal.
One of the interesting things about SDR radios, you can see what you never really noticed with a radio that doesn't have a spectrum display.
Thank for indulging me on this question.
James
WD5GWY