{"id":64588,"date":"2025-11-13T08:26:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T12:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=64588"},"modified":"2025-11-13T08:26:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T12:26:55","slug":"hackaday-the-cold-war-era-survivable-low-frequency-communication-system-slfcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/hackaday-the-cold-war-era-survivable-low-frequency-communication-system-slfcs\/","title":{"rendered":"Hackaday: The Cold War-Era Survivable Low-Frequency Communication System (SLFCS)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_64589\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Oscar-Zero_Missile_Alert_Facility_Minuteman_ICBM_Launch_Control_20100410.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-64589\" class=\"size-full wp-image-64589\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Oscar-Zero_Missile_Alert_Facility_Minuteman_ICBM_Launch_Control_20100410.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Oscar-Zero_Missile_Alert_Facility_Minuteman_ICBM_Launch_Control_20100410.jpg 640w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Oscar-Zero_Missile_Alert_Facility_Minuteman_ICBM_Launch_Control_20100410-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Oscar-Zero_Missile_Alert_Facility_Minuteman_ICBM_Launch_Control_20100410-624x468.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-64589\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oscar-Zero Missile Alert Facility Minuteman ICBM Launch Control (Wikimedia Commons)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Many thanks to <em>SWLing Post<\/em> contributor Dennis Dura, who shares the following article about Cold War\u2013era low-frequency communications, from Hackaday:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">During the Cold War, the U.S. developed the Survivable Low-Frequency Communication System (SLFCS) \u2014 a radio network designed to function even after a nuclear attack. Using long-wavelength LF and VLF signals that can travel vast distances through ground and ionospheric waveguides, SLFCS provided a way to deliver emergency launch orders when all else failed. The system\u2019s immense towers and buried loop antennas reflect an era when reliability was paramount \u2014 even under atomic conditions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hackaday.com\/2025\/11\/12\/radio-apocalypse-survivable-low-frequency-communication-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the full article on Hackaday by clicking here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares the following article about Cold War\u2013era low-frequency communications, from Hackaday: During the Cold War, the U.S. developed the Survivable Low-Frequency Communication System (SLFCS) \u2014 a radio network designed to function even after a nuclear attack. Using long-wavelength LF and VLF signals that can travel vast [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,288],"tags":[3067,5875,3354,10963],"class_list":["post-64588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-radio-history","tag-cold-war-radio","tag-dennis-dura","tag-hackaday","tag-survivable-low-frequency-communication-system-slfcs"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-gNK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62933,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/meteor-burst-communications\/","url_meta":{"origin":64588,"position":0},"title":"Meteor Burst Communications","author":"Thomas","date":"May 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, for sharing the following article from Hackaday: Radio Apocalypse: Meteor Burst Communications This piece explores Meteor Burst Communications (MBC)\u2014a method of bouncing radio signals off ionized meteor trails to enable long-distance communication without relying on satellites or infrastructure. Used historically in military\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ham Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Perseids meteor shower Photo: NASA","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/perseids_meteor_shower.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":63912,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/09\/noise-reduction-ideas-via-hackaday-electronics-unmessed\/","url_meta":{"origin":64588,"position":1},"title":"Noise-Reduction Ideas via Hackaday &#038; Electronics Unmessed","author":"Thomas","date":"September 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura for sharing this excellent Hackaday feature: Quieting That Radio. If you\u2019ve ever struggled to hear weak signals through modern RFI, this piece, featuring content from Electronics Unmessed, is well worth checking out. It explores the hidden interference SDR setups often face and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Digital-Modes-e1482065447566.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Digital-Modes-e1482065447566.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Digital-Modes-e1482065447566.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Spectrum-Digital-Modes-e1482065447566.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33189,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/thai-cave-rescue-employed-ham-designed-87-khz-transceiver\/","url_meta":{"origin":64588,"position":2},"title":"Thai cave rescue employed ham-designed 87 kHz transceiver","author":"Thomas","date":"July 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Hackaday via bernieS) Unless you live in a cave, you\u2019ve probably heard a little about the thirteen people \u2014 mostly children \u2014 trapped in the\u00a0Tham Luang Nang Non\u00a0cave in Thailand. What you may have missed, though, is the hacker\/ham radio connection. The British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) was asked\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ham Radio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HeyPhone.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HeyPhone.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HeyPhone.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57865,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/10\/radio-waves-the-discovery-dish-pre-launch-china-radio-international-hackaday-prize-and-baseball-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":64588,"position":3},"title":"Radio Waves: The Discovery Dish Pre-Launch, China Radio International, Hackaday Prize, and Baseball Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"October 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura and Ulis (K3LU) for the following tips: Discovery Dish Pre-launch: A Lightweight\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/discovery-dish-front_jpg_md-xl.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56460,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/04\/radio-waves-gen-tojos-teeth-city-radio-review-wearable-cw-trainer-sister-boniface-and-we-are-broadcasters-oppose-tax\/","url_meta":{"origin":64588,"position":4},"title":"Radio Waves: Gen Tojo\u2019s Teeth, City Radio Review, Wearable CW Trainer, Sister Boniface, and &#8220;We Are Broadcasters&#8221; Oppose Tax","author":"Thomas","date":"April 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura and Harry Dence for the following tips: Gen Tojo\u2019s Teeth: Morse Code\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/CCrane-CCRadio3-AM-dial-Backlit.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/CCrane-CCRadio3-AM-dial-Backlit.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/CCrane-CCRadio3-AM-dial-Backlit.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/CCrane-CCRadio3-AM-dial-Backlit.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48954,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/radio-waves-the-woodpecker-gutter-antenna-air-travel-with-radios-and-a-spy-in-every-embassy\/","url_meta":{"origin":64588,"position":5},"title":"Radio Waves: The Woodpecker, Gutter Antenna, Air Travel With Radios, and &#8220;A Spy in Every Embassy&#8221;","author":"Thomas","date":"May 18, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio 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\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Soviet-Radio-Dial-e1539517556232.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Soviet-Radio-Dial-e1539517556232.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Soviet-Radio-Dial-e1539517556232.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Soviet-Radio-Dial-e1539517556232.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64588"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64590,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64588\/revisions\/64590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}