Editing Gravsol-42 (section)

== History ==

=== Discovery ===

Gravsol-42 was first reported in '''2016''' by radio enthusiasts monitoring the lower shortwave bands. Early reports placed the station around '''4834 kHz'''.

The location is confirmed to be from Smolensk, Russia. Theres a possible chance that it transmits from the same location as '''FENT''' on 7032 kHz.

The signal initially attracted relatively little attention. Listeners described hearing short transmissions consisting of static, tones, and occasional Russian speech. Some transmissions appeared to be simple signal or communication tests.

As recordings began to circulate among radio-monitoring communities, more listeners started monitoring the frequency.

One of the phrases associated with the station was:

:'''"ПРОВЕРКА ВЫЗОВА"'''

The phrase was sometimes followed by a sequence of numbers from one to ten.

=== 4835 kHz ===

Following its early appearances on 4834 kHz, the station became associated with '''4835 kHz'''.

The frequency became the primary frequency used by listeners when searching for the station. Transmissions were generally heard in '''USB''' mode.

A typical transmission could consist of a short Russian announcement followed by a numerical sequence:

<blockquote>
ПРОВЕРКА ВЫЗОВА.<br />
ОДИН. ДВА. ТРИ. ЧЕТЫРЕ. ПЯТЬ.<br />
ШЕСТЬ. СЕМЬ. ВОСЕМЬ. ДЕВЯТЬ. ДЕСЯТЬ.
</blockquote>

After the message, the transmission would often end abruptly, leaving the frequency silent.

=== Frequency changes ===

During the later period of its operation, Gravsol-42 began appearing on a number of different frequencies.

The station was no longer consistently associated with 4835 kHz, and listeners began reporting transmissions at frequencies in the '''6–7 MHz''' range.

Reported frequencies included frequencies from approximately '''6440 kHz to 7026 kHz'''.

The reason for the frequency changes has never been publicly established. Possible explanations suggested by listeners have included interference avoidance, transmitter testing, or changes to the station's operating schedule.

{| class="wikitable"
! Frequency
! Period
! Notes
|-
| 4834 kHz
| 2016
| One of the earliest reported frequencies
|-
| 4835 kHz
| Early period
| Main frequency associated with the station
|-
| 6440 kHz
| Later period
| Part of the station's later frequency range
|-
| 7026 kHz
| Later period
| One of the highest reported frequencies
|}

Because many reports were made independently by radio enthusiasts, the exact chronology of every frequency change is uncertain.