[MilCom] MIL: 11175.0 USB - BEST MAN; HIPBONE; WORKOUT; FALL BACK; and LAME DUCK

[Jeff Haverlah]

0258z  02 Apr 26

UTC 01 Apr 26

0227z: BEST MAN (weak on SDR) called ? (did not understand the callword).
Suspected AF4009 who had just reappeared over the California coast enroute
to TRAVIS.

Quiet.

========
1405z: BEST MAN (NCS); MTKRVI; P1.
MTKRVIYPMHWUC4NK2RNVIGQXWRY2U4

1430z: BEST MAN; MTKRVI; h+00/h+30 NCS/ABNCP/Gulf restoral rebroadcast
window.

1433z: BEST MAN; FOR SOPHISTICATE; LEIWF2; apparent technical issues (goes
quiet during the broadcast); I say it again; LEIWF2GKCstop; quiet.

1437z: BEST MAN; FOR SOPHISTICATE; LEIWF2; P2.
LEIWF2DGKCIAJFVMAKLV5EJGPYWSCN

[First known logging of a 70-character string in this preamble series since
its appearance on 02 Oct 24. No immediately obvious repetitive patterns
within the body of the strings except for possibly some subtle repetitive
positional placements.]
1502z: BEST MAN; 6FIGRQ; 70 characters; P4
6FIGRQVNO7TO3YUJDC223UUK3EQWSEVR64QXHKPGBUUYYASGW4HUV5JQU3UZZBRI4ENARL

Reformatted arbitrarily for potential placement pattern:

𝟼𝙵𝙸𝙶𝚁𝚀
𝚅𝙽𝙾𝟽𝚃𝙾𝟹𝚈𝚄𝙹𝙳𝙲𝟸𝟸𝟹𝚄𝚄𝙺
𝟹𝙴𝚀𝚆𝚂𝙴𝚅𝚁𝟼𝟺𝚀𝚇𝙷𝙺𝙿𝙶𝙱𝚄𝚄
𝚈𝚈𝙰𝚂𝙶𝚆𝟺𝙷𝚄𝚅𝟻𝙹𝚀𝚄𝟹𝚄𝚉𝚉𝙱𝚁𝙸𝟺𝙴𝙽𝙰𝚁𝙻

1507z: BEST MAN; MTKRVI; NCS restoral.

1530z: Nothing heard.

1539z: WORKOUT (presumed E6B; not seen on ADSB mapping sites; good levels
on California SDRs;  suspected possible TACAMO PAC) called and raised BEST
MAN to enter the net.
1541z: WORKOUT entered the net.

1545z: BEST MAN; 6FCPDU; 70 characters; P4.
6FCPDUL6ZR7P575XH2TRU62K35IHK5SX6WXNSVYPGXQ55RYJQUFMWGSKHHC3ULRPSOCHUT

Reformatted arbitrarily for potential placement pattern per the 1502z
string:

𝟼𝙵𝙲𝙿𝙳𝚄𝙻
𝟼𝚉𝚁𝟽𝙿𝟻𝟽𝟻𝚇𝙷𝟸𝚃𝚁𝚄𝟼𝟸𝙺
𝟹𝟻𝙸𝙷𝙺𝟻𝚂𝚇𝟼𝚆𝚇𝙽𝚂𝚅𝚈𝙿𝙶𝚇𝚀
𝟻𝟻𝚁𝚈𝙹𝚀𝚄𝙵𝙼𝚆𝙶𝚂𝙺𝙷𝙷𝙲𝟹𝚄𝙻𝚁𝙿𝚂𝙾𝙲𝙷𝚄𝚃
========

========
1722z: BEST MAN; MT5EBD; P1.
MT5EBDK2FZWU5LX67L2LC2EDTV2J7R
[Possibly fed to TACAMO PAC.]

1750z: Nothing heard.
1820z: Nothing heard.

1836z: 11175.0 LSB indication of a call 3 times. If not WORKOUT, who?

1851z: 11175.0 LSB waterfall indication of possible h+20/h+50 TACAMO PAC
restoral rebroadcast.
1920z: 11175.0 LSB waterfall indication of possible TACAMO PAC restoral.
1950z: Nothing heard (as per expectation based on assumptions above.]

[There was no indication of a 22.7 VLF FSK MSK broadcast during the
1722z-1920z window.]
========

[2139z+/-: AFB243 E6B launched from PAX RIVER and flew to the
NORFOLK/VIRGINIA BEACH entry point to the ATLANTI; TACAMO LANT.]

========
2151z: BEST MAN; MTLBND; P1.
MTLBNDKS2YTOCIEMZS6GIUUNFN3W4J
[Fed to TACAMO LANT.]

2154z: MAINSAIL with test count.

2210z: FALLBACK (presumed AFB243); MTLBND; h+10/h+40 TACAML LANT restoral
rebroadcast window.

[2230z+/-: 17.8 KHz (LANT) VLF FSK MSK broadcast indicated on the W1VD VLF
Grabber website. The signal is relatively weak at the CONNETICUT VLF
receiving site which might indicate TACAMO LANT is closer to NORTH CAROLINA
than off the NEW JERSEY/NEW YORK coasts.]

********
2245z: BEST MAN; MT7UNT; P1.
MT7UNTPS6WXPGSVUMEHGGDKY37F5AE
********

2240z: FALLBACK; MTLBND; LANT restoral.
[Nothing heard at 2310z or 2340z; short restoral session.]

2245z: LAME DUCK (presumed E6B; nothing seen on ADSB mapping sites.) called
and raised MAINSAIL to enter the net.
2247z: LAME DUCK entered the net.

2254z: SKULL 33 called MUDBUG.

2329z: HIPBONE (presumed E6B; not visible on ADSB mapping sites; suspected
TACAMO PAC/KILOGRAM in the UTC new day) called MAINSAIL.
2330z: HIPBONE called MAINSAIL called MAINSAIL.
2331z: HIPBONE called BEST MAN.

2331z: SKULL 33 called and raised MAINSAIL for a radio check.

2333z: HIPBONE called MAINSAIL with no known response.  He probably wanted
to enter the net.

Jeff
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Haverlah               Coastal Texas
     Airspy HF+ Discovery   W6LVP loop  Various web SDRs
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