[Spooks] M8a

[mslaten]

Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2003 14:44:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Chris Acuff <chrislmp2@yahoo.com>
To: spooks@mailman.qth.net, enigma2000@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Spooks] M8a
Reply-To: spooks@mailman.qth.net

Hi all,

I have noticed that M8a seems as though it bdcasts on
a fixed sked.  Does anybody have a complete sked for
M8a?  Thanks

73,
Chris

--------------------------------------------------------

Hi Chris:
    Here is some additional information on M8a.
    In the past, this network also had a Sunday sked at 1200z on 9330m, but
currently is not broadcasting on Sunday.  This network has the repeat sked
at 1300z.  Here is the current schedule:

DAY            1200Z       1300Z

Sunday        9330        10566    (not used at present)
Monday        9330        10566
Tuesday       10858      12093
Wednesday  9330        10566
Thursday      10858      12093
Friday          9330        10566
Saturday      10858       12093

    At present, 1200z and 1300z M8a skeds appear to be the last of  the
broadcasts that I hear through out the early morning hours, until 2200z and
2300z which is the last sked of the day (UTC).  Between 2200z and 1300z is
when M8a is active.  Most active time in the past has been between
0100z-0500z and 0700z-1300z.  There has been sporadic broadcasts between
1400z and 1800z in past, but is very rare.
    When copying M8a, you only need to know a minimum of the Morse
characters.  The messages and calls are sent as cut numbers.  As follows:

Morse            Letter              Number

_                    T                    0
._                   A                   1
_.                   N                   2
_..                  D                   3
.._                  U                   4
._ _                W                  5
._.                  R                   6
..                    I                    7
_ _.                G                   8
_ _                 M                  9

_..._               BT                MESSAGE SEPARATOR

._._.               AR                END OF SKED


DAY            2200Z       2300Z

Monday        7519        8009
Tuesday       7526        8135
Wednesday  7519        8009
Thursday      8009        8135
Friday          7519        8135

    The above broadcast is only five days a week.
    Do a search on the Spy Numbers database or the CVNI database, and you
will get a good idea of the schedules for all the other M8a's.  Note that
V2a is the same family, and you may hear V2a and M8a on the same freq.  They
do share some of the freqs with each other, but they are not supposed to be
on at the same time.  This is just part of the bloopers that you will hear
on the Cuban networks quite often.  V2a can be heard in AM mode or USB mode.
They both have similar characteristics.  They broadcast a primary sked on
the hour and one hour later they repeat the sked, but usually on another
freq.  They both send three messages of 150 groups of numbers each.  (One
time about 7years ago I actually copied an M8 with a 151 group message.  The
format was changed in 1996 from one addressee (M8) to three addressees
(M8a).  V2a made the same format change at the same time.
    There are also other skeds out there that can be heard in the US.  M10,
M12, M13, M16 plus a few others in the morse families.  (I tend to copy
morse rather than voice, but if I run across a voice target, I will log it.)
    Hope this has been of interest and help to you.  Write me if you have
any other questions.

73
Mark