What is the Boston Buzzy?

[w1vtp]

Up  here in NE we have an occasional buz, buz, buz, buz     which has been referred to at the Boston Buzzy.  I've heard it and heard it associated the the aforemention name.  Any comments?  Maybe it's a myth?

Al

[KB2WIG]

A,

Its no myth.  I hear the Buz buzz buzz all the time.

Heard it on 20 m too.

klc

[WA1ICN]

The so called "Boston Buzzy" is the digisonder located at MIT Haystack Observatory approximately 40 miles NW of Boston. The digisonder is built and operated by University of Massachusetts-Lowell. The signal is 300 watts and it scans several HFfrequencies to probe the ionosphere. There is a large worldwide network of digisonders.

Details are on the following link:

http://umlcar.uml.edu/digisonde_dps.html

Ionograms used to be available on the www.haystack.edu site but the link no longer works.

The Buzzy got its nickname from Irb W2VJZ(SK) who would hear it on 3885 kHz early in the morning from his QTH in New Jersey. His usual comment would be "there goes the Boston Buzzy, conditions must be good to Boston".

[w1vtp]

Thanks all

[Pete, WA2CWA]

And Boston Buzzy's had great food:
http://dailyfreepress.com/2002/03/13/buzzys-roast-beef/

[steve_qix]

The transmitter at Haystack is in Westford, MA and I can literally see it from my house (albeit, it is around 15 miles away).  When the band is "dead" (from solar events), the so-called "Boston Buzzy" is loud and clear.  Otherwise it's not unusually strong at my QTH on 75 meters.

The sound of the buzzy has changed over the decades, and there used to be two of them (the other, I believe, came from a facility near or at Mitre corp.).  That one was quite strong.