{"id":48954,"date":"2021-05-18T09:35:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T13:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=48954"},"modified":"2021-05-18T09:35:15","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T13:35:15","slug":"radio-waves-the-woodpecker-gutter-antenna-air-travel-with-radios-and-a-spy-in-every-embassy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/radio-waves-the-woodpecker-gutter-antenna-air-travel-with-radios-and-a-spy-in-every-embassy\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio Waves: The Woodpecker, Gutter Antenna, Air Travel With Radios, and “A Spy in Every Embassy”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio<\/h2>\n

Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post<\/em>\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s<\/em> Radio Waves<\/em>, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0<\/strong>Enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post<\/em> contributors Dennis Dura and Dan Robinson for the following tips:<\/p>\n

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The Russian Woodpecker: Official Bird Of The Cold War Nests In Giant Antenna (Hackaday)<\/a><\/h2>\n

On July 4th, 1976, as Americans celebrated the country\u2019s bicentennial with beer and bottle rockets, a strong signal began disrupting shortwave, maritime, aeronautical, and telecommunications signals all over the world. The signal was a rapid 10 Hz tapping that sounded like a woodpecker or a helicopter thup-thupping on the roof. It had a wide bandwidth of 40 kHz and sometimes exceeded 10 MW.<\/p>\n

This was during the Cold War, and plenty of people rushed to the conclusion that it was some sort of Soviet mind control scheme or weather control experiment. But amateur radio operators traced the mysterious signal to an over-the-horizon radar antenna near Chernobyl, Ukraine (then part of the USSR) and they named it the Russian Woodpecker. Here\u2019s a clip of the sound.<\/p>\n

The frequency-hopping Woodpecker signal was so strong that it made communication impossible on certain channels and could even be heard across telephone lines when conditions were right. Several countries filed official complaints with the USSR through the UN, but there was no stopping the Russian Woodpecker. Russia wouldn\u2019t even own up to the signal\u2019s existence, which has since been traced to an immense antenna structure that is nearly half a mile long and at 490 feet, stands slightly taller than the Great Pyramid at Giza.[…<\/a>]<\/p>\n