Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn

[Jmanis]

Unfortunately, my time is very limited at the moment, so I wish I could put in more effort to formalise my analysis.

I'm going overseas for a month in a week's time, *and* I'm moving house, so timing couldn't be worse.
I'm confident based off the samples/videos provided by others (I don't have one myself) that the chittering is the same when near the same body, and different between bodies.

has it been confirmed that it make certain noises in certain places or is it always making the same noises, i analyzed the waveforms and looked for mathematical patterns, no signs of encryption although i am sceptical,

You can hear the difference yourself in these two videos:
http://www.twitch.tv/ratking15/c/6899591 at 6:10; and
http://www.twitch.tv/ratking15/b/672161703 at 10:06

 

[Dr.Evanzan]

I don't have time at the moment to dig out everything from the various threads but I'm a bit worried QorbeQ's post is conflating two different things.

Is the Morse expert actually interpreting the chittering as morse - which is, I think, what Jmanis has been discussing - or is he just hearing the actual Morse code signal embedded in the noise of the recording?
Because RedWizzard's showing of the UA happened 10km out from Seega Port station in Timocani and it was discussed waaaaaay back in the last thread that you can hear the station broadcasting it's name in Morse code in the recording.

What we really need to look at is the isolated chittering noises which I gather Jmanis is proposing is a morse-like or some form of transformed Morse - but is not actual Morse code.

Edit: So my internet connection was disconnected while typing this and in the meantime I was Ninja'd by the entire forum.

@Jmanis,

When you describe the chittering as morse, do you think it resolves in some way to actual Morse code, or is just a Morse-like language?

 

[Jmanis]

I don't have time at the moment to dig out everything from the various threads but I'm a bit worried QorbeQ's post is conflating two different things.

Is the Morse expert actually interpreting the chittering as morse - which is, I think, what Jmanis has been discussing - or is he just hearing the actual Morse code signal embedded in the noise of the recording?
Because RedWizzard's showing of the UA happened 10km out from Seega Port station in Timocani and it was discussed waaaaaay back in the last thread that you can hear the station broadcasting it's name in Morse code in the recording.

What we really need to look at is the isolated chittering noises which I gather Jmanis is proposing is a morse-like or some form of transformed Morse - but is not actual Morse code.

Edit: So my internet connection was disconnected for a while and in the meantime I was Ninja'd by the entire forum.

Look at the analysis I did of an audio cut recorded outside ASTER.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&page=517&p=2284164&viewfull=1#post2284164

The google drive link in the spoiler tag still works, and is the chittering at half-speed which I used to determine each "symbol".

I think it is still "morse", just heavily stylised to make them sound more like individual symbols.

 

[knowles2]

maybe we should destroy one? or hit him by plasma?

We currently only have 2 available.


I'm not convince the morse code answer is right.

An these things can't be nav beacons, they explode when exposed to space, making them useless as nav beacons.

 

[Han_Zen]

I don't have time at the moment to dig out everything from the various threads but I'm a bit worried QorbeQ's post is conflating two different things.

Is the Morse expert actually interpreting the chittering as morse - which is, I think, what Jmanis has been discussing - or is he just hearing the actual Morse code signal embedded in the noise of the recording?
Because RedWizzard's showing of the UA happened 10km out from Seega Port station in Timocani and it was discussed waaaaaay back in the last thread that you can hear the station broadcasting it's name in Morse code in the recording.

What we really need to look at is the isolated chittering noises which I gather Jmanis is proposing is a morse-like or some form of transformed Morse - but is not actual Morse code.

Edit: So my internet connection was disconnected while typing this and in the meantime I was Ninja'd by the entire forum.

@Jmanis,

When you describe the chittering as morse, do you think it resolves in some way to actual Morse code, or is just a Morse-like language?

Kalana 2 is not a station and does not have a nav. beacon.
If Jmains is correct about that on (I think he is), the theory is solid.

 

[TheDayman]

Just want to say I appreciate the new thread. This is such a fascinating mystery and I really hope someone finds the answer soon!

 

[bitstorm]

I might be missing something but I thought the Morse idea was shelved a while back because if you happen to be near a station you'll hear the name for that station being broadcast in morse as part of your ship audio?

There was a guy early on, on Reddit I think, that also had a skilled Morse listener, who successfully decoded a station name from 1.2 audio, without having been given the context of the audio itself.

(By near, that could mean at least 20k out, too)

Very very happy to be wrong, lads and ladies, as otherwise it's a very promising angle.

Very keen on the hybrid human/alien tech possibility...

Ahhhh so in other words you're saying the morse we're hearing is coming from the player ship rather than the UA.

So I guess this is testable by listening to ship audio only.

It makes sense, why tf would alien technology use morse.

 

[Wishblend]

Testing areas for testing morse code idea.

It looks like we might be onto something.

Tomorrow afternoon, I will do a few test listed below and add them for your working on.

Test area 1

Test 1 A = Get recording next to my current station in system 1 (name to be added).
Test 1 B = Get a recording in deep space with no nearby objects (I will be using the nearby identifier tab in the bottom right hand corner).
Test 1 C = Get a recording next to my current systems star
Test 1 D = Get a recording next to a different planet / moon / station in the same system.

Jump to a different system (Test area 2)

Test Area 2

Test 2 A = Get recording next to one station in system 2 (name to be added).
Test 2 B = Get a recording in deep space with no nearby objects (I will be using the nearby identifier tab in the bottom right hand corner).
Test 2 C = Get a recording next to my current systems star
Test 2 D = Get a recording next to a different planet / moon / station in the same system.

Jump to a different system (Test area 3)

Test Area 3

Test 3 A = Get recording next to one station in system 3 (name to be added).
Test 3 B = Get a recording in deep space with no nearby objects (I will be using the nearby identifier tab in the bottom right hand corner).
Test 3 C = Get a recording next to my current systems star
Test 3 D = Get a recording next to a different planet / moon / station in the same system.

Each test will be marked on the stream.

 

[Dr.Evanzan]

Look at the analysis I did of an audio cut recorded outside ASTER.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&page=517&p=2284164&viewfull=1#post2284164

The google drive link in the spoiler tag still works, and is the chittering at half-speed which I used to determine each "symbol".

I think it is still "morse", just heavily stylised to make them sound more like individual symbols.

Yup, I definitely think you are onto something, just not convinved QorbeQ's post is about the same thing you are talking about.
I'll try to spend some time looking into this tonight with the recordings that we already have.

 

[EAGLE 5]

We currently only have 2 available.


I'm not convince the morse code answer is right.

An these things can't be nav beacons, they explode when exposed to space, making them useless as nav beacons.

That just may be a limitation of the game that makes canisters blow up after they are jettisoned for a determined amount of time.

 

[Han_Zen]

Yup, I definitely think you are onto something, just not convinved QorbeQ's post is about the same thing you are talking about.
I'll try to spend some time looking into this tonight with the recordings that we already have.

There was a weak human voice in the first recording. You aren't thinking about that one?

 

[Dr.Evanzan]

Ahhhh so in other words you're saying the morse we're hearing is coming from the player ship rather than the UA.

To be precise, the 'plain' Morse code that some are hearing is coming from the station, in the same way as the NavBeacons send out audio.
But the chittering from the UA may also be in Morse code, but this is heavily stylised so not so easy to make out.

It looks like we might be onto something.

Tomorrow afternoon, I will do a few test listed below and add them for your working on.

Test area 1

Test 1 A = Get recording next to my current station in system 1 (name to be added).
Test 1 B = Get a recording in deep space with no nearby objects (I will be using the nearby identifier tab in the bottom right hand corner).
Test 1 C = Get a recording next to my current systems star
Test 1 D = Get a recording next to a different planet / moon / station in the same system.

Jump to a different system (Test area 2)

Test Area 2

Test 2 A = Get recording next to one station in system 2 (name to be added).
Test 2 B = Get a recording in deep space with no nearby objects (I will be using the nearby identifier tab in the bottom right hand corner).
Test 2 C = Get a recording next to my current systems star
Test 2 D = Get a recording next to a different planet / moon / station in the same system.

Jump to a different system (Test area 3)

Test Area 3

Test 3 A = Get recording next to one station in system 3 (name to be added).
Test 3 B = Get a recording in deep space with no nearby objects (I will be using the nearby identifier tab in the bottom right hand corner).
Test 3 C = Get a recording next to my current systems star
Test 3 D = Get a recording next to a different planet / moon / station in the same system.

Each test will be marked on the stream.

Would it be possible for the A/D series of tests to not be done in the same instance as the station?
i.e. have the name appearing on your HUD but then dropping out into normal space rather than the actual station instance.
This would help cut out the unwanted background noise from the stations that some of the recordings have.

Otherwise, I think these would be very helpful tests to perform.

 

[Jmanis]

Last post before I go to bed... but I think a recording from "Deep Space" (i.e where no celestial body is considered close" would be really useful.

There was a claim a while back that those produced no chittering. Which would make sense if nothing was nearby.

 

[Dr.Evanzan]

There was a weak human voice in the first recording. You aren't thinking about that one?

No, although it is possibly related (or not, depending on which discussion you are referring to).

Essentially what I am getting at is that a lot of the recordings have been done near entities (i.e. stations) that emit their own background noise.
While I think Jmanis is onto a good line of thought in regards to deciphering the chittering from the UA, the issue is that some of the recordings are polluted with other audio.
At best this audio gets in the way of the chittering, at worst it is interpreted as part of the UA audio (which is what I think QorbeQ's Seega Port translation is).
So what we really need are recordings that are as clean as possible so we can properly hear the chittering.
We do have some of these already (Saman posted some which I gather are the ones that Jmanis has been largely working from).
However, more would be good - so if Wishblend could get some that are clean from background noise that would be very helpful of her.

To be frank, it is already difficult enough to hear the chittering on the UA because of the several layers of UA audio that we can do without anymore background noise.
In this regard, the change in the noise from 1.2 to 1.3, does this make the chittering easier to hear?

 

[QorbeQ]

For the removal of doubt, this is the audio file that I had my colleague listen to.

http://elite.darke.org.uk/chittering_audio.mp3

(EDIT: it may take a little while for the subdomain IP to propogate out - I've only just set it up - patience)

It is not "background audio" from a nearby station, it is produced by the UA itself in every sample we have, at the same synchronised point in the sequence immediately after the HONK and before the PURRS, and is only audible when proximal to the UA the same way the rest of the audio is.

This portion of the audio changes based on where the UA is located. It appears to know where it is in space and is pushing out the identifier, albeit in a stylised manner.

I will throw some other chittering sections at my colleague tomorrow (if he's around) - feel free to link them if there's a specific one you want identifying but bear in mind that it's a tricky job.

I still favour the idea that it's a Thargoid nav beacon and will repeat a previous question - is it technically possible to destroy a normal nav beacon and drop a UA there instead, or are the nav beacons indestructible?

I've been hunting for a UA for myself for weeks with no luck - I've only ever found the Halfnium convoys.

I did notice that the convoys used to be comprised of purely military vessels, whereas now the Hafnium is in a military vessel but the escorts often have civillian-style names rather than "Federation Navy" - deliberate change do we think?

 

[bitstorm]

I've been hunting for a UA for myself for weeks with no luck - I've only ever found the Halfnium convoys.

Ditto, always Halfnium, forever Halfnium. =(

 

[Dr.Evanzan]

It is not "background audio" from a nearby station, it is produced by the UA itself in every sample we have, at the same synchronised point in the sequence immediately after the HONK and before the PURRS, and is only audible when proximal to the UA the same way the rest of the audio is.

If it is definitely the chittering that he was able to decipher then that is great.
Perhaps we can try to get some better isolated audio of the chittering from various locations to pass onto him?

I'd be interested to know if there is anything else in the message beyond the location names - as those don't really help us to know what to do with the UAs.

 

[Arcanonn]

Ditto, always Halfnium, forever Halfnium. =(

Same here, I took a break a couple of days ago but no joy.....will be restarting shortly. Surely they wouldnt take them out?

If you look at them someone has sat and designed that object and its "effect animation"........would be a bit odd to create it only to exist between 1.2 and 1.3?

 

[QorbeQ]

Sorry btw - I can't bring myself to type Hafnium without accidentally adding an L

 

[Nicholas Powell]

I have nothing to add but a niggling suspicion when it comes to the whole "Have you tried listening to it?" line from Michael Brookes...

Has an Unknown Artefact been taken to Voyager?

Having been there myself (as I know many others have) the 'chattering' did not, as I recall, sound all that removed from 'chittering' in its way. However, to those who might think "Well, how is that listening to it?" I mulled over Michael Brookes' line about listening and it occurred to me that listening is a conversational tool - and thanks to the diligent work already done, is it not already known that the UA's chittering changes in response to certain stimuli? Certainly, I wouldn't expect Voyager to magically upgrade into some kind of universal translator crossed with a chatty AI but I did wonder if the UA might respond to what may very well be a 'peer' device. As old as it is, Voyager is about the only such 'peer' I can think of in-game which might come close to a conversational partner. Of sorts.

Yeah, weak logic, I admit... but I was curious and wondered if such an experiment might provoke a change in a UA's transmissions.