According to media accounts, more long-range, new over-the-horizon (OTH) radars that can identify aerial and sea targets hundreds of miles away are scheduled to begin operation next year in the Russian Arctic. It’s doubtful, however, that the news heralds the return of interference on the level of that generated by the so-called “Russian Woodpecker” OTH radar, which plagued Amateur Radio HF bands in the 1970s and 1980s.
Over the past couple of years, OTH radars, sans woodpecker, have become increasingly commonplace intruders on Amateur Radio bands, according to the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 (IARU R1) Monitoring System (IARUMS), which has noted OTH radars in Russia, China, Cyprus, Iran, and Turkey. The frequency-hopping nature of the technology accounts for the annoying interference that covers wide swaths of spectrum. The Russian systems-intelligence “Konteyner RLS” OTH radar, transmitting from in the Nizhny Novgorod region, is frequently spotted on 20 meters. While no woodpecker, it transmits a broad, frequency-modulated CW signal at 50 sweeps per second with a bandwidth of 80 kHz or greater, accompanied by signal splatter, IARUMS Coordinator Wolfgang Hadel, DK2OM, reported recently.
Sputnik, a Russian government-controlled radio service, cited a Rossiiskaya Gazetanewspaper report that six OTH radar installations will operate in the region. Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Buklgakov, who visited the construction site, said a runway capable of handling all types of combat aircraft was simultaneously being reconstructed nearby, the report continued. Other reports have indicated that similar systems will be deployed in the Far East in 2018. Russia has sold its OTH radar technology to China.
OTH radars employ widely separated transmitting and receiving site and can “see” beyond the horizon, the typical limit for ordinary radar. The systems employ antenna arrays of up to 5 kilometers long and 5 meters tall. — Thanks for news tip to Frank Smith, WS1MH
The Konteyner receiving site southeast of Moscow.
Source:ARRL
VHF
BaoFeng Tech BF-F8HP
BF-F8HP: “BaoFeng’s Only TRI-POWER (1, 4, 8 Watt)” ExClusive Features that separate it from the UV-5R Series: It has 3 Power Levels... Read more
Retevis RT95 Budget Dual Band Mobile Transceiver
Specifications GENERAL Frequency Range VHF:144-148MHz UHF: 430~440MHz Number of Channels 200 channels Channel Spacing 25K (Wide Band) 20K(Middle Band)... Read more
Kenwood TM-V71A Full Dual Bander 144/430MHz
The Kenwood TM-V71A is a true dual-band operation radio so VHF+VHF/VHF+UHF/UHF+UHF operation is possible. The detachable control head is easily connec... Read more
TYT Quad Band Transceiver 10M/6M/2M/70cm VHF/UHF TH-9800
The TYT TH-9800 QuadBand Transmit, Twin Receive, Dual Display FM Radio Transceiver for the 10 Meter, 6 Meter, VHF 2 meter & UHF 70cm Bands! * Load... Read more
Antenna
Chameleon Portable HF Antenna Deployment Configurations
There is no shortage of ways to deploy a Chameleon Hybrid-mini/micro antenna! In this video, I will show you some of the most common ways to deploy a... Read more
Antennas Vs Trees
Jeff, KD8KPT, asks about the logistics of putting antennas up in his trees. Read more
Improving Suburban HF Vertical Antennas
HF verticals are very popular for the smaller suburban gardens. How do they perform and are there any improvements you should consider? Read more
Force 12 FPA-20-OCF Vertical running through 8 to 6 meters
Does your neighborhood forbid antennas but allow flagpoles? Is tearing up your lawn to lay 64 radials not an option? Or maybe you just want a high-per... Read more
Digital Modes
Ham College 16 – Part one of our look at the Digital Modes.
Part one of our look at the Digital Modes. Read more
New Ham Shack Part 4, Audio Mixer Installation by K7AGE
In this video I show you how I setup an audio mixer for my ham radio station. I am using this mixer to monitor the audio outputs from my Elecraft K3,... Read more
Goodbye FT8, Hello Olivia, The Magic HF Digital Mode
“So many people have started using FT-8 on HF, but they leave all the other modes to die off, like Olivia. Olivia isn’t new, but it offers... Read more
App - Mobile
Real-time Radio Spectrum Map Database Demo [ Android App ]
In view of the escalating demand for higher mobile data (from IoT, industry 4.0 applications), there is a growing world-wide interest to improve the r... Read more
iWSPR TX – WSPR for iOS version 3.1
iWSPR WSPR implements a protocol designed for probing potential propagation paths with low-power transmissions. Normal transmissions carry a sta... Read more
Morse code Ringtone Generator by M1RGZ
“This page converts text into a morse code ringtone playable on most mobile phones. If your phone can play ‘polyphonic’ or ‘po... Read more
N1KDO’s LoTW Look – Android
This application allows Amateur Radio Operators to browse and search their Logbook of the World (LOTW) QSL confirmations on their handheld de... Read more