RUSSIAN RADAR AKA WOODY WOODPECKER - HF/SHORTWAVE/HAM RADIO INTERFERENCE

Russian radar - Over the horizon radar (ABM-2 or 'DUGA-3' OTHR). This massive antenna array once was known to cause interference on HF / shortwave frequencies. AKA Woody Woodpecker. This site is located near Chernobyl.

[@redf1966]

In the early 80s I used to hear the woodpecker real loud on my FM radio and telephone and my guitar amp too. It was annoying and creepy.

[@P9E8wcbpN6Q]

Not true. DUGA-3 only operated on HF.

[@trombonista92]

***** hf can easily bleed in to any other receiving equipment, if its powerful enough it will be received not only by the antenna but also by the internal wiring of a radio, or amplifier, passed the tuning mechanisms. also some times resounding frequencies.

[@P9E8wcbpN6Q]

trombonista92 the person posting this comment lives in the US, DUGA-3 was operated in russia. the strongest I could hear any russian radar (29B6) on my pretty decent-sized antenna was S3. now imagine that on a small FM radio antenna. so pls lrn ur facts bfore u comment, sir aircraft engineer (S3 is not strong enough to bleed into any frequency at all)

[@trombonista92]

I am an aircraft structural MAINTENANCE engineer ( a lot shittier then a real engineer) I did not check where he lived, he could well be near it for what I knew. ps. what I do know about radio s is from being a ham not my aviation career

[@DeepGreenForest]

It's feasible that if his radio has a 10 MHz IF a strong 10 MHz woodpecker signal might impress itself on his radio and be heard.

[@sugminbajstolle]

Yes, it was so strong that many radios on the frequency x 2 was hearing it. A real beast.

[@primalslack]

Whoa - a big old two-dimensional RF phased array that does beamforming. It can electronically steer peaks and nulls in azimuth and elevation. The periodic spatial sweeping would sound like a woodpecker knocking at a single receiver. It can easily be made jam-resistant.. I worked on stuff like this decades ago.

[@2A1C1downURnext]

What frequency did it operate on? It wasn't just an over the horizon radar, was it.....?

[@TDC_Dragon]

I would hear this many nights pulling shit in my radio teletype rig in West Germany during the final years of the Cold War.

[@kornami8678]

I used to hear it a lot back in the late 70s, but it would only last maybe 10 seconds before it went to a different frequency. It was a frequency hopping system that looked for the highest usable frequency.

[@jurajokasa834]

Yeah still not communications radar ...it was OTH radar that sent pings throuh waves and it could deflect off of the missioes if there were any coming and notifiy of their presence in the air ....Duga could reach into Britain for scanning

[@Qrpblog]

It is one of the 3 russian over-the-horizon radar sations built during the cold war, the antennas are wideband HF Nadenenko dipoles. Even though the purpose of OTH radars has been replaced by more efficient and reliable AWACS-type systems, some countries are bringing them up online again, they can be recieved frequently in the HAM radio bands.

[@jve07]

Known sound from years behind. Thanks for upload.

[@rEdf196]

As a teenager in the 80s I used to listen to the woodpecker. It was so creepy. Occasionally I would pick it up over the telephone and FM radio via cable It was known to cause worldwide interference all over the radio spectrum. In late March of 2011 I heard some very powerful signals similar to the woodpecker see "Weird Tapping and Humming Noises" video.also " Weird Bomber Noises these could be some kind of new over the horizon radar system possibly.

[@Bkeytx]

Back in the 70's and 80 listening to shortwave radio, I always wondered about this Radar system, now finally have a photo of where it was coming from, used to follow it up and down the band, back when I was a novice radio operator, and when 40meters was still CW, this nasty noise would come in wipe out everything.

[@RGC198]

Interesting reception. I have also heard this on the low VHF band between 30 and 40 MHz.

[@rEdf196]

In the 70s my grade 6 school teacher said this signal was used to transmit electric power over the air others say it was to control our minds. that noise was very anoying and creepy at the same time. It was so amazing to see the source of this signal decades after its decomission and abandonement it looked pretty much like I imagined it would with its giant billboard antennat array.

[@xyzzz7201]

noise was very annyoing XDDDDDDD

[@Qrpblog]

This one is near Chernobyl and was taken offline after the nuclear accident. Another one is near Kiev and was taken offline after the end of the cold war, and the third is in Siberia and is still active today. They also have a surface-wave OTH radar near Vladivostok. I have a detailed post on my blog about OTH radars, just look for "YO9IRF OTH radar" or something similar.

[@MrTarakan]

The Chernobyl one was taken offline three years after the accident

[@BruceBoppoTiemann]

@taxi911 It was a radar, so it was looking for echos from bombers, ICBMs, or other such things. The clicks were to get a good range estimate (how far away the target was) and there were a whole bunch of them so there was a lot of data to process to make the resulting estimates very accurate. Most radars use microwave frequencies, but those can't see "over the horizon" (thousands of miles away) because the microwaves just go into space. But shortwave frequencies bounce back to the ground.

[@cx6av]

Padeci bastantes interferencias como radioaficionado en esos años, por suerte habian equipos con buenos filtros diseñados para eliminar o atenuar la interferencia del "pajaro carpintero ruso", ya sabiamos en aquellas epocas que era un radar sovietico, saludos desde Uruguay, Victor, cx6av

[@05017351]

It is still classified as a military installation and is patrolled by soldiers day and night. There are also "theories" that the emitter tower has been re-activated and is being operated from a below ground base.

[@kornami8678]

I went into my boat anchor shortwave radio and connected the detected output to a BNC connector I installed on the back, which I then connected to my oscilloscope, so I could see the pulse. Nice square pulse. I don't remember what the pulse width or pulse repetition frequency was though.

[@mikegoldberg5046]

It was a pulse OTH radar system. The US ran a chirp version which was less prone to interference. It was a test bed run by SRI International

[@Jim5150jvc]

The Soviets chose to place the Woodpecker online on the day of the US's bicentennial-July 4, 1976.

[@1stEcho]

Actually there was another "Russian Woodpecker" located near Komsomolsk in eastern Russia. Other countries had their own over-the-horizon radars as well, such as a nearby mothballed US Air Force 2,622 acre facility. Unfortunately the Woodpecker caused me to lose many nice DX contacts and QSOs. Oh yeah, those were the days. de N6GC

[@msf60khz]

It used to tune around all the time, and I remember that I remember that stations would gang up on it and chase it away to anotheer freq!

[@kornami8678]

It was a frequency hopping system looking for the highest usable frequency. I remember it only lasting about 10 second on any frequency before it changed to another.

[@Tarten46]

It is possible. The Russians were supposedly ahead of the western learning curve in this field and may still be. In this case its better to appreciate the fact that the technology is out there,being pursued by many nations, how old the tech is, and how many years since science can advance such tech. The cause of the power plant melt down becomes speculative.

[@jawz117]

ARRGGHH!!!! That tapping sound is pecking my brain!!!!

[@richarde735]

the FREE TV guy is now advertising this antenna!

[@sharepix]

Эта конструкция - приемник. Передатчик, насколько я помню, совсем небольшой и находится в нескольких километрах.

[@sugminbajstolle]

This was the receiving part of the system, the transmitter was situated 60 kilometers away.

[@LiberalTears]

Yeah, the front of the map actually has the original 1970 'Pripyat' entrance sign.

[@BruceBoppoTiemann]

@taxi911 This was an over-the-horizon radar antenna, broadcasting clicks on shortwave frequencies that bounced off the ionosphere and then off (presumably) our airplanes or ICBMs, and back to the array, which had a whole bunch of antennas and therefore good directionality, in the same way that a big telescope can see more clearly at distance than can small telescopes. Those cage-like things were the dipole elements comprising the antenna. Sounded like a woodpecker on shortwave radio.

[@h34rtk0rps]

ADLER: Where is Perseus? BELL: Duga.. the radar array near Duga

[@London2272]

Compared to power line network adapters / homeplugs / BT Vision adapters, the woodpecker interference was pretty tolerable. Power line networking is far more destructive to short wave radio users than the Russian radar ever was.

[@kornami8678]

The frequency was usually bouncing around from 10 to 25 MHz or so.

[@Ronbo710]

Reember it well. Had an old Radioshack SW radio and this was so weird ;).

[@Stoozor]

THIS IS WEIRD O_O I'm listening to it with headphones and I feel it in my throat!

[@HKgunner]

@TheNatestate It's the array that is broadcasting that sound.

[@TooMuchSascha]

Lemme add onto its case by letting you know that it's actuallly within a reasonably proximity of the Chernobyl NPP's affected area. The more you know :P

[@lotus20856]

everybody gangsta till the woodpecker starts pecking

[@MrHarveyluke]

This used to play havoc on the HF bands to us radio amateurs trying to work other countries! KM4JA

[@Sevenvad]

The flamenco must play on the background

[@marklynch3149]

It used to cause havoc on the CB radio here in England... It was a pain in the arse 🙄

[@kriscucumber]

thats the kind of antenna i need for my cb

[@mandrake127]

During my years at sea as a radio officer I often got bloody annoyed with this thing as it would swamp many parts of the HF spectrum.

[@eyegrinder94]

How far did these things actually broadcast?

[@atoka2206]

Well The Duga had the area of the USA covered from Chernobyl, so you can imagine It could reach even further (cause the signal bounces back from the ionosphere and it can bounce off the earth's surface even after rebounce)

[@richarde735]

this was all over the amateur bands 35 plus years ago

[@muddrudder2656]

It's going to break our hearts when they tear these down :(

[@SkyNines]

It probably won't be anytime soon. The whole area is contaminated (or I think it's just outside the exclusion zone) and it's not hurting anything.

[@GeorgiBancov]

There is such video! I can't remember the exact title but look for it in KZbin. :)

[@BruceBoppoTiemann]

@taxi911 Yes, exactly. More accurately, and working over a much greater range. SONAR and RADAR are both acronyms, with somewhat similar meanings.

[@timprime4]

this sound is making me uncontrollably blink

[@electron2601]

oh my goodness did this frequency put masses in a sort of hypnosis?

[@Fixxxer1999]

Makes a good beat

[@Sperruzza90]

I think,I have found your page and I have red what you have suggested me. But,about this woodpecker...do you think,has it something to do with the accident at the power plant of Chernobyl?could it be,maybe,the radio waves ?

[@soileddungarees]

Apparently it's back now

[@somenoobz]

when i was listening to my radio i still found an interference somewhat similar to this. i wonder what else can cause it

[@Tarten46]

It took a reactor to power the thing. just like haarp in alaska is powered by all the natural gas off the alaska oil wells

[@wastaggio]

why haven't I found yet any video with crazy russian people climbing, walking and doing acrobatics on this thing?

[@GeorgiBancov]

There are just shortwave broadcasts being heavily interfered by the "Woodpecker".

[@user-wf8go6mr5w]

Signal for artillery

[@wastaggio]

So it would be even crazier to go there - more in the "crazy russian" style.

[@midori0umi]

@1stEcho "Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic" is only one of fifteen soviet respublics, and union was called USSR, not RSFSR

[@nestromo83]

Wasn't particularly a concern at the time of construction... surrounded by woods and about ten miles from Chornobyl Power Plant... closest population center was Pripyat. It was a top-secret military installation after all, they're not going to build it right on top of somebody's house! XD

[@ItzSlamDuncan]

Oh. So that's what those things are in Grid...

[@1stEcho]

@makupoiss Both the Ukraine and Eastern Russian radar sites were part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic when they were in use. Ukraine did not adopt it's Declaration of State Sovereignty until afterwards, hence the obvious reason why "Russian Woodpecker" was used rather than "Ukranian Woodpecker".

[@Sperruzza90]

@OnnomonnomonnO yeah,moreover it's on Chernobyl zone 2,near to the nuclear plant.

[@Noki_Kelevra]

Especially because it is located in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

[@UR3QMQ1]

It is radar station "Дуга-2" which should trace start of rockets with nuclear warheads from territory USA. The site of station - Ukraine, near to Pripyat (Chernobyl), is radioactive now is infected and does not work.

[@tacticalbondsh]

That's not an annoying sound at all.

[@kriscucumber]

sounds like a really slow fart

[@TooMuchSascha]

actually the signal can broadcast worldwide

[@py2low2]

I REMEMBER IT

[@lumensanatio]

En que Frecuencia de HF?????

[@thejay8963]

I hear some voices in the background. The Woodpecker is causing interference, I presume.

[@cowbatboots282]

Supposedly it's no longer operational.

[@halorunescape]

This beats any horror sounds to scare the shit out of people that don't know

[@TheNatestate]

what is that huge thing that looks like a vertical power substation

[@dtiydr]

That thing is fucking huge!

[@PewPewPlasmagun]

thats the sound I sleep to.

[@ohmmeters]

Because it is situated in the no-go zone?

[@brickstar56]

is there a ten hour loop of this somewhere

[@duxberry1958]

+brickstar56 lol

[@DarioMazzeo83]

This wasn't a closed zone before Chernobyl disaster the experiment started before the disaster.

[@bortevekk]

No one lives there. It's located within the Chernobyl exclution zone. And the array is inactive.

[@icefuel117]

Is this what the map "grid" from black ops is based on?

[@Wa3ypx]

UK 0 AM is on 75 with it using a Harvey Wells band master on 75 A.M.

[@TheRoook]

wait...this radio tower is still in tacked? workeing?

[@kingbushwickthe33rd]

If it was Woody Woodpecker,it'd be yelling"AaahHaaah!!AaahhHaahh!!".

[@Biffbradford]

The video should have shown an S-meter rockin' at 40 db over S9 !

[@Sperruzza90]

oh dear, write this : "Russian Woodpecker" , Duga 3,Chernobyl 2 . Sergey Ivanchuk can give you a lot of info about... ;)

[@mike65535]

Never heard it called a Woody Woodpecker. Just a "woodpecker".

[@Thedutchjelle]

Because it lies within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This object was contaminated badly. Aside from that, the Ukrainian Military patrols the region.

[@Vratza666]

the brainscorcher

[@Sperruzza90]

one of the 3 ? do you know,where are the other 2?

[@SWLDXBulgaria]

It is going to be demolished? Where did you read this, it sounds interesting...

[@G0IMB]

Wonder if some lucky so and so uses the array for HF contesting: Hi:-)))))))

[@midori0umi]

This is not "russian", but "soviet" gizmo, because created in cooperation with ukrainian (and other soviet) scientists and engineers. And it placed in Ukraine borders.

[@MyBraid]

Нихрена сибе!

[@darrellbeard2799]

You got that right. So glad it's gone. N4ZDX

[@EduardRitok]

it must be really healthy to live in front of that thing

Check out a video called B.A.S.E jumping from DUGA

[@scat1200d]

@prostoy312 таки это имитация передачи!

[@taxi911]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is this? Or, what was this? And what did it do?

[@hibahprice6887]

I think you already know

[@taxi911]

@BruceBoppoTiemann Ahhhhh, so the clicks were kind of like a land version of a Sonar, yes? Except, more accurately.

[@sugminbajstolle]

It's dead since +20 years back :)

[@Xunstar]

@nexgenhippy detecting balistic missiles on horizont until sattelites took this job.

[@nexgenhippy]

so what was it's purpose?

[@vqey2]

so that was what the so in so looked like ......

[@taxi911]

@BruceBoppoTiemann What was the purpose of it? Why'd it make clicks? Did it make some sort of interference for foreign crafts (enemies)? Don't tell me it just clicked woody just for the hell of it.