ka2ugq@ky2d-2.UUCP (Tom) (12/04/85)
(Seen on AI2Q Packet Radio BBS in Freeport, LI) There seems to be a new version of the Russian woodpecker operating on 20 meters! It is believed to be a new type of Russian over-the-horizon radar and unlike earlier versions, seems to stay pretty much on 14 MHz. The pulse-like noise is taking up approximately 30 kHz of spectrum. There are 62 pulses per second and it sounds like a motor boat or a buzz saw. It is a different type of sound entirely from the "woodpecker" which is more like tapping. The FCC has obtained some very good bearings on it and the fix seems to be at 35 degrees 26 minutes north, and 27 degrees 2 minutes east. This places it within a 1200-mile radius of Odessa, USSR, near the Black Sea. The FCC case number of this is 85-WA295 and the Commission's Treaty Division is in the process of lodging a complaint. -Tom Brown KA2UGQ
john@anasazi.UUCP (John Moore) (12/06/85)
In article <72@ky2d-2.UUCP> ka2ugq@ky2d-2.UUCP (Tom) writes: >(Seen on AI2Q Packet Radio BBS in Freeport, LI) > >There seems to be a new version of the Russian woodpecker operating on >20 meters! It is believed to be a new type of Russian over-the-horizon >radar and unlike earlier versions, seems to stay pretty much on 14 MHz. >The pulse-like noise is taking up approximately 30 kHz of spectrum. >There are 62 pulses per second and it sounds like a motor boat or a buzz >saw. It is a different type of sound entirely from the "woodpecker" >which is more like tapping. So that's what that was! I heard it 10/28/85 at 1450-1501 UTC. It was 20 over 9 in Phoenix, AZ, and covered the frequencies 14320-14344. The edges of the signal were extremely sharp, going from S9+20 to nothing an about 3 Khz. Other stations in the net in Detroit and San Diego heard it at the same strength. Bearing for all was NE. At the time I thought it was a military jammer, because it was clearly designed to occupy a chunk of bandwidth, and because the ERP required to cause S9+20 signals over 24 Khz over all of the US is enormous. -- John Moore (NJ7E/XE1HDO) {decvax|ihnp4|hao}!noao!terak!anasazi!john {hao!noao|decvax|ihnp4|seismo}!terak!anasazi!john terak!anasazi!john@SEISMO.CSS.GOV (602) 952-8205 (day or evening) 5302 E. Lafayette Blvd, Phoenix, Az, 85018 (home address)