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From n3kl.org

NEW! ENIGMA Control List #25 (2011) (.pdf)
HF Radio Fax Examples (Received 2004-2011; new JFC just added)
2010 COTHEN freq use spreadsheet (Excel, as mentioned in columns)
New pchfdl.dat Coming soon - ARINC changed it again!
New pchfdl.txt Ditto
The Secret NRD-545 Audio Filter
Differential GPS Spectrograms
CBC HMCS Chicoutimi Rescue Transcript
Our War Information Policy

 

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What's a Utility?   News   Reference   Fax   Spectra   Links

 

UTILITY NEWS

Utility World on the Internet

(02 Jan 11)

The Utility World Column has a blog, and a web site. This site is updated, probably not often as I would like, but it DOES get updated.

We're keeping up with social media. Our new twitter account is UtilityWorld. "Tweets" also show up in a box alongside the most recent blog post. We also have a new, easier-to-remember e-mail address. It is mtutility world [a circular character used in e-mail addresses] gmail.com.

A couple of years ago, Utility World joined other Monitoring Times features on Blogger by starting its own blog. It is good for quick updates to fast-changing situations that would not be timely in a print edition with a 2 month lead time. It's also good for longer features or things that didn't make it into the column's limited space. The blog has been well received, and it gets a lot of attention.

Users of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) can get instant blog updates with aggregator programs, or even active bookmarks in such browsers as Firefox.

Link to the blog is http://mt-utility.blogspot.com/.

 

 

Special Utility World Reference

 

Answers: Searchable Databases: [NEW] Solar-Terrestrial/Propagation Data: Essential Info:

US Coast Guard:

Other References:

 

 

Radiofax Examples

All radiofaxes are reduced versions of pictures received in Southern California (unless listed otherwise) between 2004 and 2011.

Fishery Faxes:

Kyodo News:

Ice Warnings:

Weather Charts & Images:

Schedules & Curiosities

Kyodo Navigation Warning Nov. 11 09

 

 

Utility Signal Plots & Sounds

These are way cool. They really show what goes on in the different utility modes. Many have links to the brief sound files which made them, so you can listen too.

 

 

Spook Radio - Numbers/Oddities

 

 

Other Utility World Links
Like all hotlists, this one suffers from the entropy that is Internet. It gets checked monthly, but there'll still probably be some no-joy.

 

 

We Are Still At War!

(2001-2011)

This hobby must at all times show which side it is on, or eventually it might become a target of overzealous government people looking for something to stir up for the benefit of their own careers. The pre-9/11 passage of other Federal laws regarding receivers should serve as a good post-9/11 warning, even 10 years later. The original US Communications Act also remains in place, and it basically protects the secrecy of all radio traffic not explicitly intended for the public. Most other countries are stricter than the US. Common sense remains a very useful guide. When in doubt, leave it out.

Keep in mind that short wave radio is an extremely ambiguous medium, which gives few reliable clues as to the exact nature of strange signals. While some of these are undoubtedly just what one suspects they are, there's plenty of room for misunderstanding. Beware of fake communications, exercises, misinterpretation of code words or accents, and hoaxes perpetrated to whip up panic or xenophobia. These have happened before, they are happening right now, and they are sure to happen again. But if a VERY carefully considered and documented analysis tells you that you've run across something real, seriously consider contacting relevant authorities, carefully explaining yourself and what you do, and noting that you have encountered suspicious communication without giving details until they are requested. More than one spy has been shut down this way, even in the era of satellites and Internet.

Far as security holes go, there will never intentionally be one here. Information comes from unclassified sources, even if these become classified at a future time. Furthermore, it is a fundamental policy of Utility World not to report frequencies, call signs, or activities from such sensitive areas as the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. This hobby is plenty of fun without endangering our military.

 

 

What's a Shortwave Utility?

A utility is the jargon for any radio station on the short wave band that is not for the public's entertainment or hobby. All those huge gaps on your shortwave radio, the ones between broadcast and amateur bands, are utility bands allocated by international treaties.

The word "utility" comes more or less from the original Latin for "usefulness." With very few exceptions, these radio communications are most certainly being used as part of some mission or task, known or unknown.

Utilities are harder to hear than broadcasts, but they're way more fun. You'll find all the world's militaries, ships, aircraft, spies, bootleggers, embassies, and anyone else who needs to communicate over the horizon. While satellites are often primary, the recent failure of Galaxy IV shows once again why many people want a shortwave backup. If your radio has a "USB" or "CW" setting, you're ready to give utilities a try.

The Utility World column and its web site are intended as friendly, jargon-free clearinghouses for utility information, so you'll hear more signals and fewer odd noises. In other words, you folks write both of them.

CU on the bands!

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Utility World
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