bolivia

A follow up to my previous post: Jesuit Missionaries on SATCOM?

Radio communications between Jesuit missionaries still occur on a regular basis on several UHF SATCOM frequencies. Research shows these folks are most likely the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos located in eastern Bolivia. According to Wikipedia, six of these missions have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

So far 3 frequencies have been monitored:

• 263.680 – Channel 1
• 263.580 – Channel 2
• 263.820 – Channel 3

It’s unknown if they are authorized to transmit on the US military satellites or not, but they have been at it for some time. They could possibly be using modified ham radio gear to access the satellites. This is a quite common occurrence in this part of the world, especially in Brazil. The radios used by the missionaries tend to overheat quite a bit too, further confirming this theory.

cjrjr507 on the RadioReference forums also posted about an HF frequency of 8760 kHz being given over the air. This could also be worth monitoring for activity.

To get an idea of the communications we’re hearing, have a listen to the recording below:

Recently a member on RadioReference forums reported hearing clear voice English speakers on one of the UHF SATCOM transponders. Finally! Something other than Brazilian pirates! Upon further listening it was determined these folks may be Jesuit Missionaries working in Bolivia.

Here is recorded audio of their radio traffic monitored on 263.820 MHz.