Topband: K1N DQRM Tracking Project

[Mike Waters]

You may have seen an old Wullenweber antenna array at one of those older
FCC sites. IIRC, one is (or was) on the east coast. AFAIK, the Wullenweber
is not used anymore by the FCC and is scheduled to be (or already has been)
replaced with a different --and far less complex-- antenna.

One thing the FCC uses their newest HFDF system for is to pinpoint the
source of some idiots who make a sick hobby out of QRMing, for example,
14.313. There are remote locations all over North America. The FCC claims
--and I believe them-- that they can use that system to quickly triangulate
an HF transmitter's location with a very high degree of accuracy.

>From looking at the PDF I referenced earlier, I'm not certain that all the
remote locations are in operation yet. The last one appears to have a
completion date of sometime later this year.

73, Mike
www.w0btu.com

On Sun, Feb 8, 2015 at 6:27 PM,  wrote:

>  Ah ha!  So the concept is possible.  IIRC, the photo I saw had a
> receiver in a small "globe" that was perched upon a single post that wasn't
> very tall...nothing exotic, but it was "in the clear" apparently surrounded
> by an open field.
>
> Who knows WHAT the government is using the system
> for...heh...heh..hopefully for good. Communications from drug smugglers
> comes to mind.  It would be very helpful if we Hams had access to that
> system (or maybe build one for our use?).
>
> On Sun, 8 Feb 2015 14:11:42 -0600 Mike Waters <mikewate at gmail.com> writes:
>
>   I didn't see the ARRL article, but I have researched this on the Web.
> Type these words into Google:
>
> fcc hf df
>
> The first hit is a map of where they all are. Most are unmanned. They are
> all linked to a single manned command center.
>
> I'm not certain what type of antennas they use. I studied the satellite
> images, but all I could make out were the antenna support structures. It
> looked like V-beams to me, but I'm not sure.
>
> 73, Mike
> www.w0btu.com
>
> On Sun, Feb 8, 2015 at 1:18 PM, <n0tt1 at juno.com> wrote:
>
>> IIRC, quite some years ago, QST had a photo & description of a FCC
>> "signal locator" (for lack of a better description) consisting of several
>> remote receivers that were linked together.
>>
>> Anyway, these could instantly locate the origin of a skywave signal with
>> a resolution of a city block(!!) using a precise timing equipment/technique.
>>
>
>
>
>