HARP

[W9ZSL]

I just read a post that the US is shutting down HARP.  I also read some posts equating that with ELF so I started thinking about propagation vs. density vs. the government.  We know HARP had/has a massive antenna farm in Alaska which has been injecting a few megawatts toward the ionosphere.  Why?

At the other end of the frequency spectrum ELF has been injecting megawatts of RF into the earth to communicate with submarines.  We finally know what ELF is all about and that is communication.

Some wags are so uninformed that they tie the two together and their ignorance doesn't even include the basic laws of resonance.  ELF works because that system makes use of injecting those waves directly into the Earth.  What about HARP?

I read about all the conspiracy theories and how HARP is a weapon.  It was designed to change the weather.  It has any number of nefarious aims none of which have ever been explained by the government.  No doubt the conspirators are having a field day.

One statement I read stated that HARP actually was generating ELF waves in the ionosphere which we know is preposterous.  As for changing the weather, the question is how?  

As ham radio ops we already know how unstable the ionosphere is when left alone.  The Sun has it's own agenda and there isn't a damn thing we can do to change that...not even HARP.  Or not.  Let's get real.  The HARP project was located in Alaska near the true magnetic north pole.  Those megawatts were projected, they say straight up.  What was the purpose?  That antenna array allowed those megawatts to be focused.  Give us a break.

Is it possible that the HARP experiment was aimed at trying to determine if it was feasible to polarize or otherwise modify the ionosphere to permit long-distance skip of surface communication?  Of course, the sun has to be considered and given the multiple lobed antenna array in Alaska, it seems to me that like a directional antenna array used in broadcasting, HARP attempted to beam their experiment in order to modify skip patterns to improve surface HF communications.

Of course, this is just a guess, but I'm willing to bet that the HARP experiments proved that control of the ionosphere is impossible so they opted out.  Just saying.

[Steve - K4HX]

Mind control.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

According to reports, it was shut down in May 2013: http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=34512.0


ELF Waves:




ELF Mind Control:

[KB2WIG]

Mind control.

"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is."  - D. Quayle



klc

[KA0HCP]

Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, who has written over 100 articles for QST hangs out on QRZed. He is an engineer who worked on HAARP and it's predecessor.   He has written often about the projects, the equipment and helped hams understand how to interpret the ionospheric soundings.

There are several other countries who have similar research projects.  HAARP was unclassified, the soundings were posted daily, and they even had an annual public open house with full access to the facility.

No need for conspiracy theories to spice up our lives.  There is still much that is not known about the ionosphere and radio propagation.

bill

[K1JJ]

My opinion: To blow that much money on a project and then shut it down reeks of military spending. It was probably a quest to determine if a military advantage could be had by focusing energy into the ionosphere. Who knows what they were trying to determine. Evidently they found what they wanted to know and then pulled the plug.

It's like the atomic bomb research of the Manhattan project. If the US didn't do it, then someone else would and gain a great advantage.  Spreading money around in research is way of life for the mil guys.

If we hesitate, the advantage can change quickly.   The USA was once riding in Sherman tanks getting beat up by Panzers - and  flying prop airplanes with ME-262 jets rocketing by.  

T

[W3RSW]

P 51's weren't quite crop dusters.  British  first and US were designing turbofan jets but  production lines were already rolling out hundreds of 51s for every German rocket plane, etc.

Same with Shermans, hundreds for every tiger.  The Russian t34 was a better match and you see how that turned out.

Germany was reduced to rubble by B 24s, and 17s by day and Lancasters by night guarded by 51's that were so bored near wars end that they left the formations and shot up ground targets in a free for all.

Had the war lasted longer with Germany a better match, you'd've seen plenty of allied jets.

The US alone fielded over 200,000 aircraft in WW II.
Simply didn't need jets yet.

Now ask about British Radar and Sonar.

[W1RKW]

It's about spending money or acquiring money to spend much like any other government program.  I'm convinced that secrets that are let out by "accident" by the US are done purposely to further research into other research programs. The loss of technology in enemy territories especially in times that seem questionable, for example the stealth drone supposedly shot down by Iran, giving away such technology furthers the argument that we need to improve our technology so off we go with the military wonks and politicians pushing the argument for more money and research.  Whether that's good or bad, I don't know but seems suspect and convenient at times.

[W3RSW]

Oh yeah, HARP.
I and several others answered their request for signal reports. I sent qs1r screen shots showing essential information. Amazing how this board of all places queues up to Sagan's " Demon Haunted World"  . We even had an intelligent thread going about it.

Everybody knows (tm, Geico) that being close to the magnetic pole allowed a reverse photon event, just as our current solar maximum got into full swing, to slip down the HARP altered centrix and zap the transmitters big time.

Well.
Focus works both ways.  

[John K5PRO]

First off, its HAARP, not HARP.
It was shut down already, but there is hope to keep it alive:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/14/papadopoulos-bulldozers-at-the-gate/

W4YHD was the chief transmitter engineer:
http://www.ece.vt.edu/news/ar12/haarp.php
Steve is the trustee for the Fairfax, VA, 224.1 Mhz repeater.

HAARP was able to affect the ionospheric charge, with nearly 1 MW ERP pointing skyward. It has been known and published that the northern lights could be modulated, as expected. I remember when a student who worked here did a stint there, and was able to key the big rig(s) and make them flash.

CQ CQ CQ de .....

There was work to modify the communications capability of the ionosphere. This has always been a quest but not the only focus (no pun intended) of HAARP.

Continental Electronics built 96 HF transmitters, all beautifully constructed, 10 kW each. They used a pair of 4CX10,000D in the output.
I saw the last batch in final test at the factory in 2007.

I remember hearing the rig around 5 - 6 MHz one night. Its shameful that our gov't is so shortsighted as to stop such a science project with so much invested. Politics stinks.

[Opcom]

I read somewhere they will be scrapped. I sincerely hope not. I hope some American(s) person(s) or company(s) get the equipment.

[Tom WA3KLR]

Maybe Art Bell can buy it, HI.

[W3RSW]

K5pro and gang,
Thanks for the informative synopsis of HAARP.
I think the guys were just funnin'.

Well, some of them.

Occasionally a caller will ask George on Coast to Coast for Art.
George always answers,
"He's not around much anymore."
-cryptically perfect, huh?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

They could have a huge yard sale. Lots of aluminum stuff there to build tons of antennas. Who needs modulating Northern Lights anyway  I can modulate a fluorescent light bulb with less then 100 watts and nobody cares. Well, maybe my father did many years ago when he was shaving and the bathroom fluorescent light fixtures started flickering while I was rapping on the radio.

[W9ZSL]

I never bought in to conspiracy theories and have learned bits and pieces about the project over the years so responses here have filled in some gaps.  But you have to wonder if they discovered something that is stashed away in some "Top Secret" file.

[KA0HCP]

I read somewhere they will be scrapped. I sincerely hope not. I hope some American(s) person(s) or company(s) get the equipment.

This could be the opportunity of a life time to sell the 'Next Big Thing" after 43' monopoles! 

[flintstone mop]

The construction of the transmitter site was serious stuff.
They could sell the transmitters at a reduced price.
There was never any interference to the Ham bands that I know of.
Fred

[W9ZSL]

I read the articles.  Fascinating!  Is there a site that describes what practical data was gathered? 

[John K5PRO]

The unclassified results would be found in scholarly publications, on ionospheric research. Would have to do a search for the right terms on google scholar.

[ka4koe]

The ME262 may have come out earlier if Hitler had not tagged the plane as his new "blitz bomber". Touched the ME109 and ME262 at the Smithsonian....in one of life's special moments. My Dad saw a ME262 outrun a P51 in Europe that tried to jump him. Pop said the German pilot just "poured the coals" to it and that was all she wrote.

[KB2WIG]

Its interesting to speculate the what ifs.

If the Germans were able to slow the Allies down, the war would have probably lasted much longer.

The bomb was ready for delivery by August '45. It might have been dropped on Germany. This might have moved the Japanese nuclear program into high gear....

klc

[John K5PRO]

More on HAARP today:

http://www.adn.com/2014/06/03/3500302/scientists-make-last-ditch-effort.html

[W3RSW]

I hope it can be put to other experimental use and funded, even partially, allowing the saving of the bulk of the antennae and transmitters.

Hey, we ought to protect our own. Everybody chip in, cancel a plush conference or two per agency in your workplace and send that money to the USAF.

Russia didn't even have the money and /or inclination to demolish the woodpecker antenna array and look what a cool monument it's become...  Probably the most looked up Google Earth site in Russia right up there with that light house in Maine that's constantly ballyhooed as the most photographed in America.

So we put HAARP antenna field on the Nat. Historic registry and come up with some more experiments other than the originally intended "preparation of high altitude atmospheric molecular components, whole, partially or completely ionized for the transmittal of laser pulses without defocusing effects at range."

The initial problem has been solved by leader laser pulses for the trailing much larger ( and differing frequency) main pulse.

[W2VW]

Mind control.

Tell it to the judge.

[W9ZSL]

Mind control? Yeah right.  Next thing you know working 3885 will rot your brain. Oh wait!  How many Ops on 75 don't even resemble what Ham Radio should be?