Anothe mix of music and voice

Last Saturday, 16 August, E25 had a 35-minute long music session (and some brief voice but no real traffic) on 6140 kHz, starting at 0936z.

Here is the entire transmission (a bit cleaned-up using the usual software techniques) recorded in USB mode. An initial carrier offset is apparent in the beginning of the transmission. If you're going to listen the sample with good-quality speakers (good bass response), please keep the volume down (not to scare your siblings!)

Mr. DXer also logged the transmission and identified one more song from Kalthoum, "What can I say about missing you." at ~0954z, and songs of Chris Be Burgh.

E25 rocks on 6140, then on 9450!

E25 on 9450 kHz playing "Don't pay the ferryman"!



And this one shows my scanner (Icom R20) with its stock antenna (ok, ok, I'm cheating... placed near the window for better reception) also tuned to 9450!



A lot of odd things happened today... music started on 6140 at 0918z and ended at 1003z. Then at 1006z a carrier appeared on 9450 kHz and a mix of music and E25 transmissions occurred till 1147z!!!

If you still don't think there's a connection between the music heard on 6140, 9450 and E25, just listen to this! It starts as a normal E25 transmission (well... wrong frequency! 9450 instead of 6140!) but then... Please be patient and listen the whole file. What do you think now? You can verify that it's not something edited, since there's a BC station audible in the background (which should be WYFR Family Radio).

ENJOY!

E25 -1 h shift confirmed

Egypt switched to DST and the expected -1 hour shift of E25 slots happened. The problem is I have a few logs confirming this phenomenon (only 3):

1. 29 April 2008 a message sent to "111" at 0800z instead of 0900z.
2. 30 April 2008 a "control" message sent to "200" (200 9) at 0800z instead of 0900z.
   
3. 04 May 2008 a message sent to "128" and a "control" message sent to "126" (126 6) at 0945z (well 0952z actually but you know E25's punctuality!) instead of 1045z.

It is a quiet period for E25, I hope they are ok and didn't chance anything regarding their frequencies! BTW the mechanical YL still tries her best :-)

New non-oriental song from E25

The new mechanical YL delivered this message today at 0914z and after that, two minutes later, a different kind of music appeared! It started at 0921z and finished at 0928z. Both transmissions (message & song) were in AM mode having an average of S9 with some QSB, esp. during the message (S5-S9). During the song, the signal reached 10 dB over S9.

Attention:

Egypt switches to DST soon! A -1 hour slot shift is expected! Let's see what will happen!

Local time	DST?	UTC offset	Zone
Thursday, April 24 at 11:59:57 PM	No	+2 hours	EET
Thursday, April 24 at 11:59:58 PM	No	+2 hours	EET
Thursday, April 24 at 11:59:59 PM	No	+2 hours	EET
Friday, April 25 at 1:00:00 AM	1 hour	+3 hours	EEST
Friday, April 25 at 1:00:01 AM	1 hour	+3 hours	EEST
Friday, April 25 at 1:00:02 AM	1 hour	+3 hours	EEST

The first steps towards E25 automation are always difficult...

We were glad to hear again a YL behind the microphones of E25, during live transmissions, some time ago. Now the operators seems to start using an automated system for message broadcast, using voice samples from a YL.

Specifically, they recorded the YL saying each number, 0-9, "Rebeat", "EOM EOT" and use some sort of machine to convert text-to-voice samples. It is interesting that they have separate ending numbers, like E10 and some more Enigmas who wants to have a more realistic voice. A nice touch, but the whole project seems to be problematic.

Listen what happened yesterday, Tuesday 11 March on 6140 USB at 1028z. The usual hum, but then, some more noise and a staggering mecha voice with a strange noise after each gap. The transmission ended abruptly at 1033z so they replayed it a few moments later.

The same problems occurred in the next transmission at 1113z, again on 6140 USB, as you can hear here! Again the TX starts with some hum noise, then again YL's voice is broken.

Things were better on 9450, where 2 YL mecha transmissions occurred. Both of them were "control" messages. This one recorded at 1213z, and the next one at 1243z. Note that my tuner was set in USB mode.

Any ideas regarding the failures? What about the noises? I wonder what kind of system they use (mechanical/analog or a PC playing the samples)...

Ahh! I forgot to mention that a typical live transmission happened at 1044z, featuring an OM, sending a message to 128 (initially read as "182" another reversal!) and the "control" message "4" to 126.

Today I managed to forget connecting my antenna to the RX and set my PC record 6 hours of nothing... It is a good precaution to unhook your antenna when a storm is coming but you must remember to hook it back again :-) So I'm waiting your logs for today!

E25 young (automated?) lady

"557 6 557 6..."

This is a "control" message sent by a young lady voice on 9450 AM, today at 1225z. The song "Arouh Le Min" played as an introduction. Excellent signal in my QTH, peaking at S9+30 db. The audio S/(S+N) ratio exceeded 40 db!

The voice has a constant tempo so I suspect it is not a live transmission, but somehow created from pre-recorded voice samples.

Enjoy it here!

One of the longest E25 messages: 36 groups!

Agent 315 got a 36-group message on 9450 kHz today at 1115z, S9+10 signal on the Icom!

Here's the message:
g36
6808 0921 3063 1954 0199 9166 5385 9671 9142 5440
3378 4022 3531 4014 8553 6385 7442 1377 2985 0340
0351 2201 7807 9140 9024 2969 6240 6138 2506 5311
7286 2065 1714 2522 0921 1234

Note that the 3rd group gives the gc and 3 as a serial.

And here's the clip!

At 1222z another strong carrier appeared and at 1230z sent the control message "557 5".

Except from the large message logged today, E25 traffic is lower than usual.

Double transmissions... twice!

At 1000z a message for 570 (a relatively rare call) was sent from two transmitters (?) in AM and USB mode nearly at the same time! Listen what happened, as recorded in USB mode. Three persons were involved! The OM with the deep voice, then the OM in USB and his companion who read the message.

At 1029z the same thing happened for Agent 995. Here's the clip, recorded in AM mode this time.

On both cases the OM with the deeper voice started earlier, in AM mode and with the annoying 1000 Hz "test" tone.

E25 over Polish Radio

E25 appeared over Polish Radio with a massive S9+10 while PR alone was only S5-S7. Here's a clip of the transmission, recorded at 1347z using the Icom using USB mode to avoid QRM. Note the slight echo. The message was:

g14
4121 4041 9811 5592 8876 1949 8148 7233 0693 0321
1043 9173 6024 9811

They QRT at 1354z.

I wonder: Should I QSL Polish Radio asking about the "strange man" disturbing their English Program? Or more precisely their Listener's Letters program? Yes they do have one, every Sunday!

Let's try... videoblogging!

Hello guys,

I know a lot of time passed since my last Numbers-related post, so I have a small surprise for you!

This is my new radio, an Icom IC-R75:


And of course is tuned on my favorite station... And it's morning, and you can see the signal strength meter...

So now you can see E25 hihihi!

E25 YL also on 9450 kHz

At 1245z a carrier appeared on 9450 kHz and at ~1250z the YL delivered the control message "785 12, 788 4, 13". At 1254z a brief pause occurred and as this stereo soundfile proves, E25 operators played back the session for a couple of minutes past 1254z.

The Right channel is the beginning of the transmission at 1250z and the Left channel is the playback at 1254z. There are no obvious timing differences (echoes) so the 1250z and 1254z transmissions are the same.

E25 has a young lady

E25 has a YL operator!

I always was curious if the info in the Enigma Control List regarding E25 and its female counterpart is accurate. Indeed, experienced Enigmans are accurate! I was lucky enough to record her twice yesterday (Thursday 18/10) on 6140 kHz:

At 0855z a blank carrier appeared and at 0859z a YL started calling "200 3"! This ended at ~0902z. Listen!

Her second and most interesting appearance occurred at 0929z. The characteristic noise was heard when the transmitter turned on and after a couple of seconds the YL started calling "323"! Three minutes later she said "Message" trice and she handed the microphone to the well-known OM for the message:

"8001 5311 7129 4736 8505 3482 0671 3495 3546 5311",

then "Rebeat" x 3 as usual, and EOM EOT at ~0935z. Here is the whole session!

Note that the 2nd and last group are the same, and the 1st group gives the group count (10) and 8 as a serial number.

So that's how E25 sounds in my QTH without RAI. And that's how the long-awaited YL sounds!

E25 loud(?) and CLEAR on 6140 kHz

E25 now can be heard without interference from RAI International. The station ceased shortwave transmissions since 30 September 2007. While this is too bad for RAI, an excellent opportunity now opens for everyone who has the curiosity, will and time available to monitor for E25 transmissions on 6140 kHz.

Now I have a good and clean signal nowadays, but not as strong as 9450 kHz. You can check at any quarter of hour from 0800z to 1100z on 6140 kHz, and of course 1200z to 1300z on 9450 kHz. The mode is usually AM or USB in some cases. Happy hunting, and please report your findings here or to the Enigma 2000 group!

Lots of E25 specials

6140 kHz is active but interesting things still happen on 9450 kHz, like this. For less than a minute, a carrier appeared on Sunday 15/07 at 1143z and some background chat was heard. The audio was weak; some DSP processing boost it a little.

Then a transmission followed: 780 788 52 53 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 71 74 then 780 repeated and a 14 group message followed. After the "EOM EOT" another voice said "15 3...", "3...", some bg noises and mouse clicks (?) "...1" and finally they QRT. Here is a sample; be patient to listen till the end of the clip!

Second special: The same day at 1200z again on 9450 kHz calling 275 then "Message" x3 2001 280 x9. An odd message consisting of nine "280". The fact that we can get a correct group count from the first group and 02 as a serial is also interesting. Sample! Note the long gaps.

Third and best special! Two messages for two agents in the same transmission! that happened on 6140 kHz today (Monday 16/07) at 0716z. Enjoy!

E25 on 6140 kHz with more power and new songs

Usually E25 sounds like this here in Crete, in USB mode with RAI interfering. This makes things very hard to me because I always get confused about what the operator says!

Today operators decided to help by increasing their power and playing new music in AM mode. Unfortunately no message followed; the entire session lasted from ~1100z to 1127z. Here is a portion of it. In the beginning only the (strong) carrier is present; in the end you can listen RAI alone. The difference is prominent. I really hope they will keep the new power settings on their transmitter and make my life easier! (And broaden the potential E25 audience!)

This is how E25 sounds on 6140 kHz, with NO RAI present!

Great luck today!

I got E25 on 6140 kHz this morning (0817z) calling "955 21" in USB mode. The frequency was clear from RAI thus giving me a chance for a signal measurement! So E25 was S7 max on 6140.

You can listen the transmission here.

Less than an hour later, at 0901z, E25 sent a message to "570". Signal was in USB, RAI-free but with some QRN. Signal was S5-S7.

Here is the message:

2313 3178 0588 1355 7091 0895 9354 8088 8008 5284
9852 1744 5259

This is the full transmission! I deliberately detune my radio to check if it was an AM transmission or LSB-suppressed. Also you can hear the switchover from the guy calling "570" to the guy sending the message.

And yes, more action followed!

At 0916z a stronger carrier appeared, and it wasn't RAI! Music followed, in AM mode, peaking S9+ but most of the times it fluctuated around S8. So this must be another transmitter on the same frequency!

Music continued and at 0930z an OM started calling "405 425" and then "405" only, under the music! The message was:

8920 8053 9788 0251 0753 8751 1008 0448 4098 8715
5405 7539

Listen what actually happened! Again, an other guy announced the message.

The music session ended at 1021z.

I'm almost sure these was two different transmissions on the same frequency. Today's observations are of great importance, if you also take account the occurrence of another test transmission from at least 0710z (as reported by Mike on E2k Group) until 0816z with a S9+ to S9++ here and S9 at 0710z in UK at 0710z.

I was extremely lucky today; being in my shack to note down signal strengths in a RAI-free frequency :-) instead of the usual record-and-check-later procedure which means no signal strength measurements!

Two simultaneous E25 transmissions on 9450 kHz

E25 is active on 6140 kHz -- messages are sent in almost daily basis, but I have to recover them from unattended recordings with a lot of RAI QRM. Anyway, one exciting thing happened today on 9450 kHz:

At 1144z there was an OM calling "788 63 62 61 59 52 785 50 46 45" in USB mode and in relatively low signal strength, an AM carrier appeared (very strong) and another OM started calling "788 52 59 61 62 63 785 45 46 50 60"!

This is a recording from the weak signal just before the AM carrier appeared (USB mode).

And this is a recording featuring both guys (USB mode, a couple of minutes later).

The always-exciting world of E25 continues to surprise me...

E25 uses Windows

Listen the Windows OS startup sound and some background chat when the E25 transmission on 9450 kHz, AM mode, began at 0957z. Now (1015z) they're still playing "Inte Omri". Recording made in USB mode to avoid splatter from Radio China International on 9440 kHz (my AM filters are not so tight...)

E25: New frequency found!

Yesterday Mr. DXer alerted Enigma2000 for the existence of a second E25 frequency, namely 6140 kHz. A message to 880 sent at ~0700z.

And yes, it's true! E25 appeared at 0700z calling "880", under RAI Radio. They sent the same message as yesterday in English:

4621 4401 2895 8976 9541 1828 2294 2785 0932 4621

A bit different format, this time first and last groups are the same, and I wonder if the group containing the group count and serial is the second one: 4401: 44 → 44 is the serial? 01 → 10 is the group count? For the moment, it seems to be. More messages needed to clarify the situation.

ID 880 is entirely new to me; and in contrast to other 8xx IDs, the message was in English.

Listen to E25 under RAI, message to 880.

The moment I'm writing this, 0801z, E25 calls "200 8" (a control message to Agent 200)! This ID heard only once back in 12/3/2005 at 1250z! Wow! A whole new world under RAI....

Listen to E25 calling "200 8".

E25 live & playback transmission

At 1007z today, carrier and a 1000 Hz tone appeared, and an OM started calling "315", a rather rare ID. Then a 13-group message followed in AM mode:

g13
3284 6390 4131 2962 0255 9232 9142 4133 8427 7405
2188 6390 7695

After the "End of message, end of transmission", the OM started calling again "315" at 1019z! The song "Arouh Le Min" heard at 1026z and then again the OM called "315" and the whole message delivery procedure was repeated. Here is the whole transmission. Signal was lower than usual.

After a little research, I proved that the operators decided to playback the message session. They did it again for Agent 315 in the past. I created a 2-channel audio file, putting in the Left channel the initial message and in the Right channel what I believed to be a playback. If the resulting stereo file sounded without echoes (=timing differences), the second repeat was indeed a playback. Only propagation differences should be present. Here is a short sample of the resulting stereo file. Do you notice any timing differences? I don't.

Second transmission:

E25 appeared again at 1126z, with the song "Arouh Le Min", calling "555" and sending the 13-group message:

g12
9150 9121 3911 4428 3360 2388 1821 8231 9908 8180
7623 3911

(listen!)

A typical message which follows the guidelines of my article in Enigma2000 Newsletter #39. The transmission was in AM mode, with a stronger signal.