Topband: Strange CW Coded Messages

[Robin]

I seriously doubt it - check the links - they all seem to be crystal based.  There are 
"smart" beacons that respond only when interrogated by the owning vessel.  Nowhere is 
there any indication that these things have any smarts at all beyond that, and the vast 
majority are set and forget until you come back to collect the net - and their purpose is 
short range - relatively.  The fishing trawler gets within maybe 50 miles and uses 
ordinary DF to find the beacons...  your on freq transmissions are unlikely to bother 
them.  It DOES feel good, tho - once.

Most likely is that they went into sunlight and you were hearing them on greyline...


Robin, WA6CDR



> I thought someone once mentioned on the Topband list that if you call CQ or
> hold a QSO on top of one, they will move frequency, sometimes completely
> outside 160m. If my memory serves me, the frequency can be remotely
> controlled by the fishermen who use them.
>
>