1800 UTC Fishery Fax Confirmed JFX

Every day at 1800 UTC, a fax is sent over the Japanese Fishery frequency of 8658.0 kHz.

Others have been able to identify this transmission as JFX, Kagoshima Prefectural Fishery Radio, in the southern part of Japan. For the first time ever, the morning of February 10 (local time, 2/11 in Japan) had good enough conditions for readable text here.

Luckily, that day's fax was self-identified with the heading JFX-NOAA. NOAA is the US National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, umbrella agency for the National Weather Service and several oceanic prediction centers.

Indeed, the content seemed to be columns of figures showing forecast weather conditions for three days. Well, we know that JFW, Fukushima, sends NOAA weather. Obviously Kagoshima does too.

We now have a pretty good handle on the Japanese fishery faxes. What was once known in utility books as "Chuo Gyogyo" (Central Fishery) turns out to be at least three stations at the prefectural level. These are JFC (Misaki), JFW, and JFX. All of these use common fishery frequencies of 6414.5, 8658.0, 16907.5, and 22559.0 kHz.

In addition JSC, also at Kagoshima, still blisters the US West Coast on 16971.0 kHz with a very strong relay of the Kyodo News oceanic edition. This is at 2300 UTC daily. Other transmissions occur throughout the day.

Fax is tuned 1.9 kHz below these assigned frequencies.

JFX Kagoshima QSL'd in SoCal

Martin Foltz has received an e-QSL from JFX, Kagashima Fishing Radio Station, for a fax fishery chart received at 1500 UTC. This transmission has also been received here, though usually too weak to make much out.

This brings the number of confirmed Japanese fishery radio fax stations received on the US Pacific Coast to four:

JFC Misaki, Kanagawa Prefecture
JFW Fukushima Prefecture
JFX Kagoshima Prefecture
JSC Kagoshima Prefecture (Kyodo News).

JSC uses the old JJC Kyodo frequency of 16971 kHz USB. The others use the common Japanese Fishery Radio frequencies of 6414.5, 8658.0, 16907.5, and 22559.6 kHz USB. As always, FAX dial frequencies are around 1.9 kHz lower than these assigned channel centers.

"JFC-FAX" Copied in California

This grungy picture faded up and down at just the right time. It doesn't look like much, but it's enough to identify yet another Japanese fishery station transmitting radio faxes on HF. This was on 16907.5 kHz USB at 0030 UTC on December 9:



Thankfully, fax is a "fuzzy" mode, and people can make decisions computers can't. I knew all but the first two letters of the station callsign. Now I know them too.

JFC is a radio station at the Kanagawa Prefectural Fisheries Technology Center, Misaki, Japan. It has been reported before on Japanese fishery frequencies. Back when there were such things as sunspots, the "JFC-FAX" transmission was seen in Australia on 22559.0 kHz, alternating with other prefectural fisheries.

This brings the number of prefectural fishery fax stations identified in the US up to three. The others are JSC, Kagoshima, and JFW, Fukushima. Primary frequencies for all the fishery fax transmissions are 6414.5, 8658.0, 16907.5, 22559.6 kHz USB. Normal dial offset for fax is around 1.9 kHz lower.

The fishery radio has many other frequencies and modes, often encrypted. What's for sure is that whoever is using some of this stuff does not want the public knowing it.

JMH Wave Chart Received 1 December 09

This chart was received from JMH, Tokyo Meteo (via Kagoshima) on December 1:



As many may know, JMH ("Tokyo Meteo") and the Tokyo VOLMET both changed their transmitter locations on March 4, 2009. They moved from the old Nazaki transmitting site (36.10N by 139.51E) to Kagoshima Fishery Radio (31.19N 130.31E). Kagoshima Prefecture is in the extreme south of Japan, well situated to cover the Pacific Ocean.

Alaskan DXer Attu Bosch has made an interesting point on the SWL Nomad blog, that the "fishery radio" might not always be what it seems.

Here's what I know, and it's not much:

These stations receive funding from various government and private sources;

They broadcast a vast amount of sometimes rather secretive information all over HF in all modes, not just radiofax;

Their coverage is much larger than the area of primary interest to the Japanese fishery (though this might just be the nature of HF propagation, or be designed to include fleets working closer to the US west coast);

And some of it is scrambled, or encrypted.

What I don't know is whether this less public content is commercial data meant only for subscribers, communication by and for specific companies or fleets, or something else. As always in utility, the people who know aren't telling.

8658.0 Japanese Fishery FAX

Someone is sending FAX fishery information from Japan out to fleets operating in the East Pacific. The frequencies are the ones listed in old utility guides as "Chuo Fishery" or "Chuo Gyogyo" (same thing, different languages). This was 8658.0. A parallel exists on 16907.5. It hasn't been audible in California, but it has been confirmed by Eddy Waters in Australia.

Here's one I snagged at 0650 UTC last night:



The information has to do with fish market prices in Japan. Martin Foltz, another DXer in SoCal, ran one of his intercepts past a Japanese speaker. It was identified as a mackerel market table sent by the "Fukushima Business Radio Station" from the Fukushima Prefecture Fishery on the island of Honshu. Efforts continue to track down this transmitter out of the 900 or so fishery radio stations in Japan.