Remember the woodpecker

[Bill, KD0HG]

That's K1JJs QTH.

[Mike/W8BAC]

Thanks for the Google map link Robert. Since it was said earlier that Chernobyl nuclear generating station was close by, I went looking. I didn't have to go far, only about 3 1/2 miles north (north Western tip of the small lake to the east of the woodpecker). The information page that started this thread didn't say when the woodpecker stopped transmitting. It would be interesting to find out, if it was still in operation during the accident at Chernobyl, how long after the accident did it continue?

[AF9J]

I can tell you from my own personal experience, that yes, it was still running at least into 1987.  As a young General in (and just out of) college, I can remember having some QSOs trashed on 20m by the Woodpecker.  I agree with what Wikipedia says. I never heard it after 1989, and even in 87 & 88, it seemed to be less common, than when I was a Novice hanging out on 40m in the early 80s.  BTW, if anybody else is having problems reading the .ogg Woodpecker soundfile, let me know.  I've converted it over to an MP3 file that most people should be able to listen to.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

So someone enlighten me: what was the 'other' woodpecker with a slightly slower 'rap' rate? One of ours or the Brits perhaps? I clearly remember it sliding down the frequency onto QSOs in progress, and eventually moving away. It would rap along slightly faster than a teletype machine, stop, rap some more, move. Very loud, very pronounced, not as 'run together' as the commie version.

I know we had an OTH/Backscatter system operating out of Bangor and Moscow, Maine around the same time, maybe that was the culprit? Some have the airplane 'Buzz', others have the woodpecker rap. I'm confused. 

[flintstone mop]

I'm getting a major woodie looking at that beautiful aerial. A DX100 would seem like 20KW with that array.
Fred

[Mike/W8BAC]

Ellen,

Please post the MP3. I got frustrated trying to install the plug-in for WMP and gave up. I had plenty of experience listening to the woodpecker first hand but it will be interesting to hear again.

Interesting that the woodpecker continued for another year or so after the accident. The dose rate at the radar site must have been huge. I wonder if the power plant operator was a ham? Ya never know what a ham will do to get rid of interference. 

[AF9J]

OK, I sent in the MP3 file to the e-mail address listed for sending audio files to, in the "AM Audio Vault."  So, it should hopefully be in the vault before too long.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Oh. I don't like WinAmp. It takes over my  media player; I prefer WMP.  Hmmmm....   This will be a quandary.   

Huh? Set you MIME association so that WinAmp only opens Ogg files and WMP does the rest.

[Ed-VA3ES]

Oh?  How do I do that?     

Huh? Set you MIME association so that WinAmp only opens Ogg files and WMP does the rest. [/quote

[AF9J]

OK,

1.  Click on "Options" on the the top of the Winamp player.
2.  Click on "Preferences"
3.  You'll see what looks like a directory tree on the left side.  Click on "File Types" in this tree.
4.  A list of file types will present near the center of the Winamp window.
5.  Click on OGG (and any other file types you want Winamp to play) to highlight it.
6.  Click on the "Audio Only" box alongside the list.
7.  Click on the "Close" box on the lower right hand corner of the Winamp box.
8.  Done - it should only play those file types you want it to play.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[AB3L]

Thanks for the Google map link Robert. Since it was said earlier that Chernobyl nuclear generating station was close by, I went looking. I didn't have to go far, only about 3 1/2 miles north (north Western tip of the small lake to the east of the woodpecker).

While you are out on the map for a trip, jump on to one of the major roads and go for a "ride" thru the countryside. There aren't any other cars on the road for a massive stretch. Spoookie. I found a rail yard where it looks like a whole train was dumped in a siding. Everything out there is getting a bit rusty.
I'm trying to remember where I saw a webpage a few years back documenting a motorcycle trip into Chernobyl. I think it was a female photojournalist. She had a radiation sensor on her and knew how much time she safely had to snap pictures of the desolation. The people up and left quick like.
Might be interesting to find out how the operators of the Woodpecker are doing today if they were made to stay and keep working for the good of national security.