Wideband FM 50.100MHz... any ideas what?

[VK2GOM]

This evening I was hearing a lot of bad QRM over the beacon frequencies on my HF/6m rig.

Thinking it was perhaps something local, I got my VX-6R handheld going for a quick RF 'sniff' around.

Switching to WFM (Wide FM) there is some sort of broadcast station centred on or around 50.100MHz; sounds like news. Lots of news from Tasmania, and then a weather report for Australia. It's very scratchy though - hardly breaking through the noise, so difficult to make out.

Any ideas as to what it is I'm receiving?

This is in the Sydney W suburbs, incidentally, indoors with a haandheld.

73 - Rob VK2GOM / G0MOH

[VK2GOM]

They just came up out of the noise... Radio Australia.

73 - Rob VK2GOM / G0MOH

[VK3OP]

Hi Rob,

Are you able to use another receiver tho find the fundemental TX that is causing this. It sounds as though you have some sort of weak image or product.
We have some interference here on a 70cm repeater, using my R7000 I was able to find the broadcaster that corresponded to the signal opening the repeater,
which is one of the ethnic special broadcasters on high band VHF. Perhaps the TX site is close to you ? The other possiblity is a retransmission, possibly a pair
of wireless headphones or the like, that is illegally on 50mhz. Good luck with it, I have a similar wide FM signal that comes up occasionally on 50.180 which I suspect
is some sort of AV sender or wireless headphones. The program material on it when it is strong enough to copy sounds like movie soundtrack, atmos, dialogue, etc.
I guess in your case though it could be some one retransmitting the output of a radio receiver to a set of headphones etc.

Regards

Frank VK3OP

[VK2GOM]

Frank,

Thanks for your reply. I think you may have hit the nail on the head, with the wireless headphones suggestion. The QRM hasn't always been there; first time I'd ever heard it was last night. I just checked now (10:18am local) and it's completely gone.

If it re-appears, I will take a wander around the local houses with my handheld and try and track it down.

Out of interest, back in the UK, a lot of stuff operated in the '49 MHz' license free band - walkie talkies, video senders, remote controls etc. I'm not sure how far from 49MHz this stuff strayed, but it's not impossible that non-approved stuff is finding it's way to these shores. I got rid of my license-free 49MHz radios before we moved out here.

73 - Rob VK2GOM / G0MOH

[VK3OP]

Hi Rob,

Unfortunately some of the non approved stuff does get in. There was a case recently in Melbourne of a cordless telephone
using frequencies in the 2 metre band, needless to say, it got out very well but was tracked down very quickly.

Let me know how you go finding your 6mx source, and likewise if I find the one I have intermittently here on 50.180 I'll
give you the details.

Cheers

Frank VK3OP

[VK4KX]

If you do a search of "Ebay" you will see these products advertised coming from Hong Kong & China many of them are not approved for Australia due to the frequency they operate on, take for instance the cordless phone problems of a year or 2 ago. I read in AR about these phones that QRM'ed on amateur frequencies, unfortunately we have to be the sherrif for our selves and hunt these things down as noone else really cares.
Good luck I'm sure you will have fun finding the source and gain some satisfaction in getting it off the air!!!