[BC] WWV La Caliente

[Kevin Tekel]

Cowboy wrote:
> 15 is pretty slow to be anything other than amateur, but what's the
> "usual pitch" ?
>
> For me on the high speed circuits it's around 380 Hz. ( more or less )

It was moderately fast and very steady... maybe closer to 20 WPM, but not
blazingly fast like I've heard on some automated shortwave stations.

The sound was a beep tone at a comfortable pitch for someone decoding by
ear, a bit on the high side; very similar to the automated MCW IDs you
hear on repeaters.  It definitely sounded like an AM-modulated tone rather
than pure CW, as the tone was steady and clear despite the lack of the
carrier of a prominent broadcast station on the frequency to serve as the
BFO.

It was just before sunset time (8:10 PM or so) and I had been listening to
1510 WRNJ at the fringe of their daytime signal when it faded out (in the
same area where it fades out during broad daylight) and I heard the Morse
code on my car radio.  I didn't hear any trace of the usual nighttime
skywave stations on 1510 (WWZN and WLAC), just typical critical-hours
"background rumble".