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Morse code on 950

J

Jim_Hicks

Guest
Left home rather early this morning so I managed to reach the Ridley Park area in time to hear the night signal of WPEN. Loved the audio, of course.

What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in Morse Code.

Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?
 
> What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
> after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> Morse Code.
>
> Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?
>
From here in Boston, I can't notice it ;>) There is a local 950 here and WPEN's new night pattern sends less signal this way than did the old one, notwithstanding the fourfold power increase. However, could the Morse Code "SR" stand for Sports Radio? Does anyone have a better theory? Listen for the Morse Code after the flip. If it becomes part of the positioners, the code is likely to be a part of the station's identity package.
 
Hmmm. I certainly don't have a better suggestion. The first time I heard it, I was barely in the night pattern and thought it was N R. When I pulled into the Boeing Ridley Park lot the code was slightly stronger and the first letter was clearly 3 dots not dash-dot.


> > What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
>
> > after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> > just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> > Morse Code.
> >
> > Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?
> >
> From here in Boston, I can't notice it ;>) There is a local
> 950 here and WPEN's new night pattern sends less signal this
> way than did the old one, notwithstanding the fourfold power
> increase. However, could the Morse Code "SR" stand for
> Sports Radio? Does anyone have a better theory? Listen for
> the Morse Code after the flip. If it becomes part of the
> positioners, the code is likely to be a part of the
> station's identity package.
>
 
> What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
> after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> Morse Code.
>
> Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?

I was up this morning actually around that time, to aircheck the transitioning of PEN from analog to digital mode on my Yamaha (which, btw the HD section is now toast simply because I relocated it from one end of my room to another..Still some 'kinks' to work out in this young technology)...Didn't hear it as I started to roll tape around that time, 6am ish....The pattern changed at around 6:45 and it was noticed because there was a repetition in the music, and then the HD 'smoothed in' shortly thereafter...But no morse here in Center City bro. Maybe I started to roll tape just after they sent it. French Roast coffee is the first thing that requires my attention in the AM.
 
The way WPEN has been with the infomercials, maybe they are selling the signal space for someone to send morse code messages! Seriously, Sports Radio sounds like a good thought. Or are they bringing in Steve Ross?
 
Radio Reloj

> Left home rather early this morning so I managed to reach
> the Ridley Park area in time to hear the night signal of
> WPEN. Loved the audio, of course.
>
> What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
> after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> Morse Code.
>
> Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?

You most likely heard "Radio Reloj" from Cuba, coming in underneath WPEN's signal. Radio Reloj is an all-news format, in Spanish of course, distinguished by "clock ticks" every second and "R R" in Morse Code beeps at the top of every minute (R R = Radio Reloj, which literally means "Clock Radio"). Even if Reloj's signal is too weak to hear the announcers' voices, you can always hear the "R R" beep every minute because it is easy to identify and cuts through the noise very well.

Here in central NJ where WPEN's signal (daytime or nighttime) isn't that great, I have heard Radio Reloj underneath them on 950 kHz many times at night. I've also heard Radio Reloj on 570 kHz, underneath WMCA. Often, Reloj can even be heard right at the WMCA transmitter site when WMCA is off the air for maintenance.

However, if your knowledge of Morse Code isn't faulty and you really heard "S R" instead of "R R", then it was probably transmitted by WPEN, for some reason unknown to me.

<P ID="signature">______________
noiboc.jpg
</P>
 
> Left home rather early this morning so I managed to reach
> the Ridley Park area in time to hear the night signal of
> WPEN. Loved the audio, of course.
>
> What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
> after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> Morse Code.
>
> Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?
>

Jim...this may be slightly off topic, but is there any kind of unit to decipher morse code on a shortwave reviever?
 
> Left home rather early this morning so I managed to reach
> the Ridley Park area in time to hear the night signal of
> WPEN. Loved the audio, of course.
>
> What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
> after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> Morse Code.
>
> Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?
>

S ports R adio, perhaps???<P ID="signature">______________
I've done it all...HOO HOO...tell 'em, Fred!
FOX News Alert: YOU SUCK!!! Ya like apples?</P>
 
Re: Radio Reloj

Jim_Hicks first said:

> > Left home rather early this morning so I managed to reach
> > the Ridley Park area in time to hear the night signal of
> > WPEN. Loved the audio, of course.
> >
> > What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
>
> > after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> > just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> > Morse Code.
> >
> > Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?

Then westlife suggested:

> You most likely heard "Radio Reloj" from Cuba, coming in
> underneath WPEN's signal. Radio Reloj is an all-news
> format, in Spanish of course, distinguished by "clock ticks"
> every second and "R R" in Morse Code beeps at the top of
> every minute (R R = Radio Reloj, which literally means
> "Clock Radio"). Even if Reloj's signal is too weak to hear
> the announcers' voices, you can always hear the "R R" beep
> every minute because it is easy to identify and cuts through
> the noise very well.
>
> Here in central NJ where WPEN's signal (daytime or
> nighttime) isn't that great, I have heard Radio Reloj
> underneath them on 950 kHz many times at night. I've also
> heard Radio Reloj on 570 kHz, underneath WMCA. Often, Reloj
> can even be heard right at the WMCA transmitter site when
> WMCA is off the air for maintenance.
>
> However, if your knowledge of Morse Code isn't faulty and
> you really heard "S R" instead of "R R", then it was
> probably transmitted by WPEN, for some reason unknown to me.

Which reminded me that Jim_Hicks had also said elsewhere in the thread:

> Hmmm. I certainly don't have a better suggestion. The first time
> I heard it, I was barely in the night pattern and thought it
> was N R. When I pulled into the Boeing Ridley Park lot the code
> was slightly stronger and the first letter was clearly 3 dots
> not dash-dot.

I'm with the Radio Reloj theory. The mix-up is entirely possible, even to the Morse Code-trained ear. The letter R is (.-.) while S is (...) and N is (-.). Jim may have caught the tail end of the first R when he originally thought he heard the letter N, and there may have been static distorting the R when he believed he heard 3 dots.

Count my vote with the "R-R" theory.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
 
> Left home rather early this morning so I managed to reach
> the Ridley Park area in time to hear the night signal of
> WPEN. Loved the audio, of course.
>
> What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
> after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> Morse Code.
>
> Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?
>

It was the Chief Financial Officer who was locked in a closet sending out the Greater Media emergency code: S...R...Send...Revenue...Send...Revenue!
 
Well, you could learn the code like I did to pass the amateur radio exams.

But, yes there is. When my Dad's (WA3DUH)hearing started to go, I got him a device you place in front of the speaker or hook up to the speaker and it spells it out on a LED screen. Kinda like closed captioning on TV. And like the TV version, it had problems. If the code was too fast or too slow it would mess up. But usually it worked nicely and it allowed him to stay on the air another couple of years.

> > Left home rather early this morning so I managed to reach
> > the Ridley Park area in time to hear the night signal of
> > WPEN. Loved the audio, of course.
> >
> > What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
>
> > after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> > just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> > Morse Code.
> >
> > Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?
> >
>
> Jim...this may be slightly off topic, but is there any kind
> of unit to decipher morse code on a shortwave reviever?
>
 
Re: Radio Reloj

When I heard it before I reached Plymouth Meeting, I thought it was N R, which is one "dot" short of R R. This is also the point where the Havana station knocks out WFAN, so you would be on to something. But at Ridley Park, where WPEN's 21kw signal without IBOC is great, I heard the code with a much louder signal (and it aired during a pause by Art Andrews) and it was clearly S R. But I still think you may be closer to the answer.

> > Left home rather early this morning so I managed to reach
> > the Ridley Park area in time to hear the night signal of
> > WPEN. Loved the audio, of course.
> >
> > What sursprised me was something I heard 3 times. Shortly
>
> > after 5:45am, then at 5:58 and again at 6:05 when Art had
> > just finished the news, I heard the letters S R sent in
> > Morse Code.
> >
> > Has anyone else noticed this? Why was it there?
>
> You most likely heard "Radio Reloj" from Cuba, coming in
> underneath WPEN's signal. Radio Reloj is an all-news
> format, in Spanish of course, distinguished by "clock ticks"
> every second and "R R" in Morse Code beeps at the top of
> every minute (R R = Radio Reloj, which literally means
> "Clock Radio"). Even if Reloj's signal is too weak to hear
> the announcers' voices, you can always hear the "R R" beep
> every minute because it is easy to identify and cuts through
> the noise very well.
>
> Here in central NJ where WPEN's signal (daytime or
> nighttime) isn't that great, I have heard Radio Reloj
> underneath them on 950 kHz many times at night. I've also
> heard Radio Reloj on 570 kHz, underneath WMCA. Often, Reloj
> can even be heard right at the WMCA transmitter site when
> WMCA is off the air for maintenance.
>
> However, if your knowledge of Morse Code isn't faulty and
> you really heard "S R" instead of "R R", then it was
> probably transmitted by WPEN, for some reason unknown to me.
>
 
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