The Mysterious Bird Cages Of Chernobyl's Duga RADAR Explained

[@edp2260]

I am a former antenna engineer. This radar you are reviewing is one that we were aware of and were working on countermeasures for it. Your description of how these antennas work is basically correct. Good job!

[@ThaVoodoo1]

Yeah the countermeasures was the meltdown of the power source, Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

[@rogerwilco2]

Indeed

[@RowanHawkins]

​@@johnnywad7728well patent is a united states phenomena other places have similar laws, and other places basically ignore those laws

[@qdaniele97]

​@@ThaVoodoo1 The "power source" kept operating long after the fall of the Soviet Union: Reactor number 1 was permanently shutdown in november 1996 and number 3 in december 2000. Plenty of civilians worked there for the entire time the reactors were operational, they even kept Pripyat's public indoor swimming pool and basketball court open until 1998 for powerplant workers. I'm pretty sure that if the military had really wanted to keep the Duga running it would've done so, with Chernobyl incident being no more than an inconvenience. The truth is Duga was simply starting to become obsolete in the 1980s. And with other, more modern, early-warning systems coming online (such as the US-KS satellites and Daryal radar) it was just no longer needed.

[@robm.4512]

@@RowanHawkinsI can’t let this one go, despite it being a 3 month old post. The first laws with the concept of Patent came in to being through the ancient Greeks, approximately 400BC. More developed, modern even, Patent laws came about during the Renaissance in Italy. The first recorded Patent for an industrial device was filed in Florence in 1421 to an Architect and Engineer Fillipo Brunelleschi, it granted him exclusive rights to manufacture and employ a barge fitted with lifting gear for the transportation of marble. The first British Patent was issued in 1449 to protect a glass making process. If my grasp of history is correct, the United States Of America would not exist to adopt the concept of Patent law for about another 300 years.

[@TheTemporalAnomaly]

Your explanation of how those dipoles work and the reflector array was faultless. Thank you for encouraging people to look closer at what is happening within the wonderful world of radio. It has fascinated me ever since I was a kid with a transistor radio listening to Caroline and Big L when I was supposed to be sleeping! Great channel!

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks so much mate I tried haha

[@garryclelland4481]

@@RingwayManchester Chris is right , your research and persistence and enthusiasm for radio shines out , Great clear concise and logical explanation , well done ,

[@dougtaylor7724]

I remember a ham operator that toured the site making notes and measurements of the antenna and structure. He calculated the frequency, the exposure and other parameters. He discovered they were pretty spot on with all their calculations made many years before extensive knowledge about antennas could be precisely modeled. Really enjoyed the video!

[@LovSven2011]

Name, channel or link to that HAM operator? Maybe an article/posting...

[@dougtaylor7724]

Been trying to remember where it was. I read about 30-40 hours a week and it was a couple of years ago so....

[@83Yankee]

You’ve put out more info on the Duga array than I’ve ever seen anywhere else. For that, as a Cold War nerd, I thank you.

[@WDGFE]

THANK YOU! I’ve found the Duga installation fascinating since I first came across photos of it, and those dipoles particularly so. There used to be a number of explorers who would enter the exclusion zone and share photos of various things, though this seems to have decreased in recent years.

[@nickbenke3306]

I've done the Chernobyl tour twice and visited the Duga on both occasions, you literally stand there with your mouth agape at the sheer size! Hopefully the tours will return one day.

[@dx1450]

I think it'd be fun to hook an HF receiver up to that array and see if you could hear anything on it.

[@rdaw33]

I would be very interested in schematics of the system, the signal source, drivers and power output. The system must have used huge tubes, or many smaller ones. Don't know if this information exists anywhere, but I am sure many people would love to see it. Great video!

[@SmeurkeDeKat]

You've earned my sub! For years I was dying to know how the bird cages worked. I didn't even know it had a seperate transmitter before I found your channel.

[@RingwayManchester]

Thank you so much!

[@elesjuan]

Aye mate, you've found an excellent channel!!

[@pomonabill220]

This is information that I have been wanting to find about these antennas and how they work. Thank You for the detailed breakdown!

[@borisj4054]

Centre fed dipoles arranged in a phased array to tighten the beam. The cage is simply an efficient away of constructing a broad frequency range dipole.

[@merlin5476]

Since the age of around 10 ive always dabbled in electronics & built odd little circuits & a theremin from scratch & have been in electrical installation for the last 34 odd yrs, but radio wave construction and propagation has always been a bizzare alien science to me especially when you get Ariels like the Duga. Also i may add that your videos & presentation is top notch 👍

[@Hiram8866]

This is an excellent video, maybe one of the best you've ever done. It's answered so many questions about DUGA for me.

[@RingwayManchester]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much

[@Powertampa]

Maybe one day we can restore this thing and fire it up once a year to play around with and show what it could do. These things are fascinating and it's sad to see all this technology just go away when it was so impressive for the time and sort of still is.

[@olduhfguy]

I'd like to see a gain (over single dipole) calculation for the array. Sterba Curtain arrays used by the old Voice of America had some pretty impressive gain figures, as did their rhombics which could be co-phased for even more gain.

[@slappomatthew]

agreed.

[@JDWatkins]

I am very happy that you are taking such an interest in these antenna arrays. I for one find it fascinating the level of precision and scale of these. All this while paving the way for today's communications. I for one will never time on this level of detail and passion you have for histicoamral communications. Once again. Thank you, from Canada.

[@MuellerNick]

Thank you! I always wondered about the shape of those bird cages. Also your explanaitions about the neutral point and why those arms don't mess up the whole setup.

[@RingwayManchester]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TechOne7671]

Well done mate, that was the best video and explanation of the duga yet. Fascinating stuff. Cheers

[@willynebula6193]

Although probably impossible to find out, what would have been the result from the array? How was the data used/displayed? Flashing lights on a map, a solo person looking at round screen watching for a blip or simply someone with headphones and a big red button. How much power would it have used? Valve tech or transistors? Seriously i can't get enough. The whole system is awe inspiring and fascinating! Thank you for making these videos mate.

[@Mindsi]

There’s a video of the control room, now wrecked, programming punch cards were seen!

[@ronblack7870]

it used power from the chernobyl power station which is close by. supposedly a lot of power was needed that's why they built it near the power station.

[@dx1450]

@@ronblack7870 Actually, no, this site didn't need a ton of power like the transmitter site (many miles away) did.

[@PascalGienger]

You would not get any big locality data from it. You would see a graph of the received frequencies and you hope to see a dip somewhere (reflected frequency from the missile et.al.). OTH radars are far from being accurate and the s/n ratio is always rather bad. Many airplanes departing from North American Airports also resulted in a dip on that display when they reached a certain height. The Concorde was known for it.

[@PascalGienger]

@@ronblack7870 This side did not use much energy as it was the RECEIVING antenna array. You would amplify those tiny signals and display them on frequency graphs. The SENDER / transmitter was the one consuming vast amounts of energy.

[@womblenz8698]

Thanks for yor explanations and effort. Next step would be a video on how the balanced lines from each array were threaded through the structure; and then how the switching was achieved to scan the array! Keep up the good work.

[@RingwayManchester]

Great suggestion! Thanks! I don’t think that info exists publicly :(

[@CATech1138]

answered every question i had about that array in less than 7 minutes.....thats as amazing as the array itself

[@RingwayManchester]

You’re too kind!

[@danielscotcher]

Another information filled video, amazing design on such a large scale

[@RingwayManchester]

Glad you liked it!

[@RingwayManchester]

And thanks so much!!

[@jakedillingham]

interesting point that you made about the supporting structures entering the dipole at the lowest impedance point - so, so much to learn! Thank you for your videos.

[@SuperAgentman007]

That particular Basket you show on your First part of the video happened to be installed in February 7 1981

[@johncamp2567]

BRILLIANT!! For those of us who have wanted more knowledge on the technical working of the Duga Array, you provided it most nicely!! I now understand this creature so much better!! THANK YOU!! 👍

[@RingwayManchester]

Glad it was helpful!

[@azlanjumat2745]

I watched your KZbin the minute after you uploaded it. Quiet interesting to study the strange dipole antenna arrays.

[@hav0k337]

Thank you very much for this video! As a HAM, I was wondering about this antenna structure for quite a while. It seemed obvious this is some sort of a phase array, but the shape of the individual elements is unique. 73!

[@akdenyer]

Thankyou Lewis, that is exactly what I thought. The ratio between the wire diameter or element over length changes the bandwidth.

[@crabby7668]

Very interesting. Fascinating to find out all this information about the source of those woodpecker noises that I used to hear on the radio all those years ago.

[@pasjeihobby]

Man, this is amazing. I can't describe how interesting your content is. It just feels like forbidden knowledge or something 😉 All those stories, all the reaserch you put in. Holy crap. Thank you.

[@RingwayManchester]

Happy to hear that!

[@MI7DJT]

Lewis: "I'm not an expert" --- Us: Yeah, right!! All joking aside Lewis, another great informative video! Love these!!

[@sharkey086]

Thanks for covering this antenna again. I wondered about the unique design for a long time. Very well done!

[@alanb76]

As a long time Amateur Radio operator, we had to put up with major interference from these systems, in some cases building time based noise blankers to notch out the predictably repetitive pulses. They used whatever frequency they wanted to without regard for international use of the frequencies or interference to others. Interesting to see details of the source of all that. Cage dipoles are occasionally used in Amateur Radio, but not on such a grand scale. :)

[@RingwayManchester]

Was The Russian Woodpecker Signal Used For Mind Control? kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3m1dnmsl6upsKc

[@RingwayManchester]

Check this vid alan

[@daveg8htfadlibaudio250]

Hi Lewis, we could do with some pictures of the transmitters if any are out there just to see the topology used and the shear size of them. See you soon Dave.

[@RingwayManchester]

Hey Dave there’s no know pics to exist mate

[@daveg8htfadlibaudio250]

@@RingwayManchester Never mind, are you about tomorrow if so I will give you a call. Cheers Dave.

[@RingwayManchester]

I’m away weekend mate

[@daveg8htfadlibaudio250]

@@RingwayManchester Ok I will catch up with you next week. Dave

[@RingwayManchester]

Ok mate

[@SocialistDistancing]

Well that actually answered most of the questions that I had about that array. Thank you.

[@rjy8960]

Lewis, I'd go so far as to say that this is one of your finest yet. Fascinating! I've been wanting to understand the engineering behind these arrays for years. Thanks!

[@therealstubot]

This thing looks like a giant work of art. Elements placed in proportion and spacing yet still looks intriguing. Massive towers with tiny wires everywhere. It sounds like many technical hurdles were overcome in it's design. I don't know if it achieved its mission, but for a radio geek, its gorgeous.

[@DelticEngine]

It would be interesting to determine the formulae for determining these antennas and arrays. It would then be possible to experiment with variants of these antennas for other frequencies more commonly used.

[@rEdf196]

Back in the day I imagined the woodpecker transmitting array looking a lot like a big scaled up SW version of early smaller VHF derived billboard/drive-in screen shaped antenna dipole radar systems used by Briton during World War 2. I was very surprised when I finally saw the Woodpecker site for the first time (via the net) 12 years ago that it did indeed, look very much like I imagined it did. The birdcage dipole clusters were quite impressive. I bet you could connect a 100 watt Shortwave Ham transceiver or pirate transmitter to a isolated single pair of dipole birdcages on the tower and get amazing performance. Standalone VHF repeaters could also, or have been placed high on the towers as well, But likely, not now !. due to the war.

[@cancel1913]

Excellent video and thank you for fulfilling my questions and curiosity about the Duga. I'm very glad i have subscribed indeed.

[@JamesHalfHorse]

Would love to find someone who has made detailed measurements and/or scans of all of it so we could try to duplicate some of it and play with it. After watching some of these videos I have gone down the rabbit hole of caged dipoles for ham bands.

[@Peter_S_]

Brilliant! This is the episode I would have requested were I to ask. Thank you, Lewis!

[@RingwayManchester]

Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you!

[@Peter_S_]

@@RingwayManchester Absolutely. It was excellent and it covered the technical elements I had hoped for. Addressing the impedance of the mounting entry is the level of detail which makes this channel shine.

[@Bluelagoonstudios]

I must say, for that time, these antennae were very well-designed and engineered, the Duga array was one of the things that intrigued me very much. And what about the size of the thing? It's huge.

[@ludo9234]

Always impressed with you're well researched videos.

[@allancopland1768]

4:40 and half a wavelength. Duga was a broadband HF RADAR It operated over a wide HF range of frequencies. Still interesting.

[@kjamison5951]

Thank you for such an informative video. I studied Electronics & Communications Engineering at uni and transmission principles played a large part.

[@aalhard]

Old Ham here Very nicely done. Greatly enjoyed your coverage

[@RingwayManchester]

Thank you kindly

[@shawnmiller4781]

Man. Can you imagine how heavy those cages got in freezing rain? Lots of surface area for ice to stick

[@DSPrints_]

Your a legend for explaining these! Not even watched the video yet. Just glad you made a video on it!

[@RingwayManchester]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@DSPrints_]

@@RingwayManchester I did! 💯

[@g0fvt]

Another fascinating video, the scale of these structures is just amazing. As for the tubular supports the geometry of them looks like they worked on a quarter wave stub principle. It is fascinating to see what an infinite budget can do for a radio system!

[@blpblp-tj7ux]

thank you, this answers some of my questions about that design.

[@paulkurilecz4209]

Thank you very much for an excellent explanation. I have always wondered about the design of this antenna system.

[@Silverhornet81]

Glad I found this channel. Always has interesting content.

[@RingwayManchester]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@zerobow9413]

Nice one, would be interesting to find the main feed point and test it out with a HF rig :-)

[@ceriannalflorencina8297]

Thanks

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks so so much!

[@glennwillems9924]

You are absolutely correct. The physically large (electrically fat) elements make the elements behave more as a resonant circuit over a large frequency range compared to a simple wire.

[@ericdellenback6047]

When i visited the duga array in 2017, i remember just how big they are, and the 2 antennas themselves are stupidly high 😂 Sadly i wasn't allowed to bring one home.. would have looked cool to have the bigger antenna in my backyard 🤔

[@1garryrippon]

JUST STUMBLED ON YOUR CHANNEL,AND I LOVE IT 😎

[@John_Smith__]

Another great video with a simple explanation. I follow your series of video they are all great!

[@RingwayManchester]

Glad you like them!

[@WilsonOlivierGazer]

obviously im not into the radio field and thank you for this video, it definitely answered my questions alot.

[@MrToonfish]

The story behind the caged dipoles lying on the ground at the base of the smaller antenna array is that they try to dismantle the DUGA-1 OTH radar some years ago. Workers were using oxygen cutting torches (oxy-cutting ?) / blowtorches. They started to cut some of the dipoles and as the antenna itself IS still contaminated with Cesium-137 and Plutonium-239 under layers of paint, once the workers started to cut the dipoles they immediately took an important amount of radiation, the dose rate had increased by an important amount. They worked like this for a few days then they decided to stop the process. There was also an idea to put down the DUGA radar on the ground using dynamite as we use to dismantle buildings, the problem, again was the contamination captured on the sand in front of the radar itself AND as the radar is heavy as hell, if the structure goes down in one piece by using dynamite, the risk of a "mini" earthquake around was real, and just 10 kms away stands the ChNPP with the Novarka new safe confinement... Too much risk for this king of demolition, so, as it is complicated to dismantle the receive antennas, the DUGA-1 array is still there for us to appreciate but... for how many years to come ? That's the question.

[@jw200]

This thing wont fall anytime soon.

[@Priyodarsono]

Is it possible the duga radar antenna can transmit & receive for ham radio use??

[@ernestsmith3581]

Figuring out the phasing of the feed lines would be a challenge, but, yes, quite a contest station; using only one tenth the array!

[@CB-RADIO-UK]

Its bigger than i thought it would be. Interesting video lewis.

[@RingwayManchester]

Emailed you mate

[@timmotel5804]

12/31/2023: Thank You. Finally, technical explanation of this radar antenna. It truly is fantastic what they designed and built. I wonder, how good it really was for the intended purpose? Thank You also for your other posts. Best Regards & Happy New Year.

[@whodatdere1]

I would have loved to been around when this was being built... It would have been amazing to see the array be erected and all the earth work and technology installed in the main building.

[@greenpedal370]

It was a pain in the butt while it was operational.

[@madmax2069]

Would have been awesome to watch it being built, and once it was built and operational you would want to watch it being destroyed.

[@lbochtler]

Duga should be a world heratige site and working museum radar. I also think it should be repaired and maintained so it my be enjoyed for many years to come

[@John-wd5cb]

Americans would not agree with you😅

[@philsharp758]

If nothing else, you have to admire the designers and construction engineers for building this. Failure to deliver was not tolerated in the USSR. And even success could not save you from a purge, especially in Stalins time.

[@rwfisheriv]

Thanks! I was wondering about the birdcage on the roof of the nearby Fix 24 site!!!

[@reizendecamera]

Thanks for explaning this DUGA radar.

[@ledorf]

Calling them birdcages is kinda funny since its they are more like the size of a car.

[@bodstrup]

What is the distance between thecdipoles and the reflector ? 1/2 or 1 wavelength ? Should the reflected signal being in phase with the direct ? - or the could null each other ? 1/4 won’t do ?

[@ismiregalichkochdasjetztso3232]

Heh. I was commenting on this topic just a few days ago on one of your videos. And here's the video, with much more detail than I was aware of.

[@RingwayManchester]

Thanks for the idea!

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

The smaller antenna is used for, "Off Axis Verification", just like Radio Telescopes. A good example is in Carl Sagan's movie Contact. Jodie Foster's character calls for an Off-Axis Verification. Nice treatment Lewis. I think off this antenna as man vs nature. I've heard stories about how the leaves on the ground move against the wind, or change direction, when the antenna is energized.

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

As a ham radio operator, I always think about what performance I would have using 100 watts of transmit power into such an antenna array! I am hoping to construct a discone HF antenna for my everyday use soon!

[@williamstaylor5449]

If you are near the Titan Missile Museum, you can use the 80 foot discone antenna for free.

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

@@williamstaylor5449 Too far away, but it is what I hope to have soon!

[@RacerXGTO]

Has anyone put together a computer graphic showing signal animation, the challenges of controlling the signals, the math of feeding such a large antenna and why the birdcage antenna are infused with radioactive materials? (Cesium-137 / Plutonium-239)

[@fotografm]

Excellent analysis. You mention a spacing of half a wavelength but how can this be defined when it is a wideband antenna receiving a range of wavelengths ?

[@ianliston-smith7921]

Yes. Spot on again Lewis. You've certainly done your research.

[@lezlienewlands1337]

Frankly I find all this radio stuff fascinating. It makes me appreciate the engineering that goes into the wireless world around us.

[@43PR50]

well done! thank you for your information and video!

[@RingwayManchester]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jonthebru]

A couple of local hams are building cage antennas. Though theirs won't be quite this large, the benefit is having a wideband antenna. Personally I see too many parts and places it could go wrong.

[@ricknoah9184]

I bet that big puppy pulls in a huge amount of "outer space" interference. The filtration must be pretty good. In other words-- it's probably a pretty good radio telescope... just on sensitivity alone.

[@boilerroombob]

Great vid and info Lewis..wouldnlove to have visited one day to see it

[@Phone_Geek]

It was 4 yrs ago to the day when we visited Pripyat, chernobyl and duga, with great drone coverage. I doubt anyone will be able to for a long time unfortunately.

[@mrlilmatt123]

Can never get enough of the Duga system videos! Is there *ANY* picture of the transmitter out there? It's the one thing I'm dying to see...

[@RingwayManchester]

I’ve never found one :(

[@mrlilmatt123]

@@RingwayManchester Ahhh hoping one day, one will surface from some Russian military archive.. may be wishful thinking! Do we know the type of transmitter it was so I can find a similar version or was it all custom like the receiver?

[@wanderingancientpaths9037]

I visited the DUGA area it was a fascinating place and experience. I hope to return at some point.

[@johnpekkala6941]

I thought the signal was fed through those large pipes working like a waveguide but they are just supports for the cage u say and those wires connected directly to the cages are where the power goes in. I see. Interesting to get a detailed explanation how this thing actually works.

[@onesandzeros]

Thanks Lewis, interesting as always!

[@RingwayManchester]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@sonycans]

Radio seems to be a dying technology, usually for "the older" people. It is great to see this art form having some revival. Keep it up.

[@dave161141]

@@TMS5100 Most of them are digital and not so easy to start with for beginners. It's not that old "turn on the radio and talk with others".

[@dx1450]

Actually, the younger generations are so reliant upon radio technology and don't even realize it. Their smart phones and wifi all use radio signals.

[@empe811]

​@dx1450 Yes, indeed. They're reliant, although they don't care how it works and why. It's like a water in toilet for them..

[@RCAvhstape]

This is quality stuff here, good work.

[@RingwayManchester]

Much appreciated!

[@johnnywad7728]

What popped into my head as I'm listening,is a Discone antenna. Which lead me to Wikipedia and the Biconical antenna. Which as you pointed out is a dipole antenna,good for broadband application. Wiki says the characteristic impedance is a function or cone angle only...and not the frequency,at the feed point.( Which I'm going to read into further)

[@Milcom34]

Thanks RM. Another Very Interesting Video on Another Interesting Subject. Take Care and Keep up the Awesome Videos on Radio Communication*****

[@nillchen]

nice video! I don't understand though why the large pipes hold the cages at intermediate impedance points. The smallest impedance for a half-wave dipole would be at the apexes. Am I missing something?

[@TymexComputing]

Wow i was asking that myself, the microwave antennas can be complicated but these?

[@kj4ilk]

so question: if one wanted to tune such antenna and try and talk on it like any regular antenna how would it work and could you make contacts on it?

[@robertmeyer4744]

wow that was great. It does make sense to me. being the rader would sweep across many bands the 2 arrays would probably be day and night SW bands. this would make a great SW listening antenna if you were to clip the output to a radio, 73's

[@gdj6298]

BOOM!..........'.yeah, I think it overloaded the front end a bit.'......

[@eknaap8800]

As an 'antenna buff', I can follow the explanantion. It's quite good, actually.

[@paulstubbs7678]

About my thoughts when seeing earlier video's of it, the only thing I didn't see earlier was the reflector screen. Wow imagine the wind loading if it was a solid sheet! I wonder if the smaller array was an earlier trial that wasn't giving them the results they wanted, so they upscaled it.

[@neilfoster814]

What many people don't realise is that this particular antenna array is a receive only antenna. the huge size is due to the weak return signals coming back from the troposphere. The transmitter station was about 60Km to the northeast of Chernobyl close to the Belorussian border. There is virtually nothing left of that site apart from a few concrete antenna bases and an abandoned building. The output power was about 10 Megawatts. This receiver was sited close to the nuclear plant because of the electrical power consumption it required. It ceased to be used in 1986 when Chernobyl exploded. I recall hearing the "Taptaptaptap" sound back in the 1970's

[@MrToonfish]

The receiver part of the DUGA-1 OTH radar at Chernobyl military village #2 require almost 1/10th of the total electric power produced by one of the RBMK reactor at ChnPP located 10km away from the DUGA site. 1/10th of the power for an RBMK of this type means : 100MW, which is an unbelievably important amount of energy.

[@MrToonfish]

I remember when I was just under those huge cage dipoles, lift my eyes to the top of the radar... I immediately think that it was the most impressive thing (and antenna) I ever saw in my entire life of engineer and amateur radio operator. I decided to write a complete technical bulletin on the DUGA-1 OTH radar, unfortunately for most of you guys, I wrote this in french with another extra class licensed hamradio operator. If any interest I can put the link in a comment and you should use Google translation. I have a bunch of pictures also on my pro Flickr pages, I spend almost an entire day visiting the DUGA facilities. Cheers, Eric de ON6CV.

[@patrickscheickl3883]

The thing I always wonder about is: When it was active, could you walk on it or would that have been dangerous?

[@joeblow8593]

Thanks for another great video

[@SpinStar1956]

Putting the supports at the low-impedance point, is real genius!