parnass@ihu1h.UUCP (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) (06/14/85)
x
Bob Horvitz, a shortwave listener 'par excellence', and
chairman of ANARC's Over-the-Horizon Radar Committee,
asked me to post the following information. [I in no
way endorse or warrant any offer contained herein, but
post it for information only. Don't respond to me,
respond to the address in Washington, DC.]
THE WOODPECKER PROJECT
Coordinated by the
Association of North American Radio Clubs'
Over-the-Horizon Radar Committee
1634 - 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
USA
Purpose: To gather current data on the worldwide inter-
ference caused to shortwave broadcasters and their audiences
by the high-power pulse emission sources known colloquially
as the "Woodpeckers". This data will be analyzed and
presented to telecommunications ministries of countries par-
ticipating in the 1987 World Administrative Radio Conference
for High-Frequency Broadcasting, in an effort to convince
them to support a protocol statement condemning this inter-
ference.
Data needed:
1. In order to map the "Woodpeckers'" general band use,
we need large numbers of volunteers to monitor parts
of the spectrum between 5 and 23 MHz for 3-hour
periods during October 1985. If each monitor covers 3
MHz, and at least 3 geographically-separated monitors
are scheduled for each time and band segment, then at
least 144 monitors are needed for 24-hour coverage.
We would like to gather 5 days worth of data. That
requires at least 720 volunteers. Attached to this
sheet is a sign-up form. Please fill it out, indica-
ting what times you can commit to monitoring. Return
it without delay - in any event, before 15 August
1985. We especially need people able to monitor at
unusual times (just before dawn, for example). Our
monitoring report form is a simple graphic system
requiring minimal effort to complete.
2. We also seek reports of specific instances of "Wood-
pecker" interference to stations operating in the
shortwave broadcast bands. Reports should include the
name of the affected station, its frequency, the date
and time, duration and relative strength of the inter-
ference, the type of receiver, and your location.
Mail us your reports before 1 November 1985.
Recognizing "Woodpecker" signals: They're called "Woodpeck-
ers" because that's what they sound like on a shortwave
radio. Technically, the signal is a 3 millisecond square-
wave pulse with a stable pulse rate of 10/second. (Rates of
17 and 7.4/second have also been heard, but rarely.) The
signal is wide band, with most of the energy concentrated in
about 15 kHz, and a weaker "pulse-scape" filling the adja-
cent spectrum. The energy concentrations can be clustered
together to cover 100 kHz or more. The "Woodpeckers" change
frequency abruptly and often. Their "dwell time" varies
from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Money: This project is organized and staffed entirely by
unpaid volunteers. We need your help to pay for printing,
postage, etc. To raise money we are selling T-shirts with
our symbol [a woodpecker in a circle with a red slash over
it - BP], for $10 each postpaid in North America.
Arrangements for foreign distribution are still being
explored. When ordering, please specify size (S/M/L), and
make checks payable to "The Woodpecker Project" in US
currency.
Additional copies of this announcement are available for 1
uncanceled 1st class US postage stamp + a US stamped self
addressed envelope; or 3 IRCs. We also encourage you to
photocopy and distribute these sheets yourself.
X========================CUT HERE============================X
Sign-Up for the Woodpecker Monitoring Team
Name:____________________________ Years of SW listening experience:_____
Address:_________________________ Receiver model:_______________________
_________________________________ Receiver's band coverage:_____________
_________________________________ ______________________________________
In the table that follows, put a "1" in the box that
corresponds to the date/time which is your first choice for
duty, "2" for your second choice, etc.
If you are willing to monitor for more than 3 hours, how
many time periods can you handle?______
We will try to schedule you according to your preferences,
but we can accommodate only 48 monitors per time slot, and
ther factors - like geographical distribution - must be con-
sidered, too. In general, our policy is "first come, first
served", so don't delay! Send this completed form - along
with a self addressed US-stamped envelope, or 3 IRCSs to:
The Woodpecker Project
1634 - 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009 USA
We must hear from you by 15 August 1985. Time and band
assignments will be mailed out 1 September 1985.
Feel free to photocopy and distribute these forms to other
SW listeners.
________________________________________
| Woodpecker Monitoring Team Signup Form|
| October: | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 13 |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
| 0000-0300| | | | | |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
| 0300-0600| | | | | |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
| 0600-0900| | | | | |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
| 0900-1200| | | | | |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
| 1200-1500| | | | | |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
| 1500-1800| | | | | |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
| 1800-2100| | | | | |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
| 2100-2400| | | | | |
|___________|______|_____|______|______|______|
X========================CUT HERE============================X
Monitoring Report - The Woodpecker Project
Instructions: You are to monitor a 3 MHz portion of the
shortwave spectrum for 3 hours (the table below shows only 1
hour for brevity, your chart should be 3 times wider).
Sweep your assigned band however you like, so long as you
TUNE EVERY FREQUENCY AT LEAST ONCE EVERY 10 MINUTES.
Whenever you hear a "Woodpecker", put a small distinct ink-
dot on the grid to mark the frequency and time. If your
monitoring is interrupted, note this by drawing vertical
lines on the grid to show the time missed. Label the area
between the lines "UNMONITORED". (For obvious reasons,
please try to avoid interruptions.) Thanks for contributing
your time and effort to this project. Even if you don't
hear the "Woodpecker" during your sweeps, remember that
that, too, is valuable information. Please return this form
by 1 November 1985 to:
The Woodpecker Project
1634 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009, USA
Sample Monitoring Report
(only 1 hour shown for brevity)
______________________________________________________
| Woodpecker Monitoring Report for 0400 UTC - 0500 UTC|
| MHz | 0400 | 0410 | 0420 | 0430 | 0440 | 0450 |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 11 | | | | | * | * |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.9| | | | ** | * | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.8| | | | ** | * | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.7| | | *** | **** | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.6| | | ** | ** | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.5| | *** | ** | * | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.4| * | ** | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.3| ** | **** | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.2| *** | *** | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10.1| | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 10 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.9 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.8 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.7 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.6 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.5 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.4 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.3 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.2 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9.1 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 9 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.9 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.8 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.7 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.6 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.5 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.4 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.3 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.2 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8.1 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
| 8 | | | | | | |
|______|________|________|________|________|________|________|
Please use the back of this form to record additional obser-
vations and comments.
Date:__________________ Monitor Name:_______________________________
City, Country:________________________________________________________
Receiver:_____________________________________________________________
X========================CUT HERE============================X
Report on "Woodpecker" Interference
in a Shortwave Broadcast Band
Affected station:____________________________ Affected frequency:_____________
Strength of interference (1 = mile, 5 = overwhelming): 1 2 3 4 5
circle one
Date (UTC):_____________________ Time (UTC):____________
Approximate duration of interference:________________________________________
Report's name:_____________________________ Receiver model:__________________
Reporter's location (city, country):_________________________________________
Complete and return by 1 November 1985 to:
The Woodpecker Project
1634 - 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009, USA
--
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Bob Parnass, Bell Telephone Laboratories - ihnp4!ihu1h!parnass - (312)979-5414