of the DUGA installation in Belarus and Komsomolsk Amur locations
note:RUSSIA {USSR radio history}.
The Russian woodpecker that the whole world heard: how a Soviet antenna as
tall as a 50-story building frightened the West and disappeared after
Chernobyl.
Table of Contents:
- An idea twenty years ahead of its time.
- When construction costs more than a nuclear power plant.
- How the Americans "crippled their pants."
- What the woodpecker saw.
The woodpecker's legacy.
On July 4, 1976, a sonic anomaly engulfed the planet. Radio amateurs from
London to Tokyo simultaneously heard a strange rhythmic tapping sound on
the airwaves. Tap-tap-tap. Ten times a second. Monotonous. Relentless. As
if a giant woodpecker were pecking its beak across the entire shortwave
range.
The signal was so powerful that it penetrated even ordinary radios, jamm-
ing telephone conversations and making aviation communications impossible.
Western countries sounded the alarm.
Thousands of complaints poured in to the governments of the United States,
Great Britain, and Canada. Radio amateurs around the world tried to trian-
gulate the source. Some suggested a secret weather-control weapon. Others
spoke of psychotronic influence on the population.
The USSR remained silent. In response to all diplomatic inquiries, Soviet
representatives shrugged their shoulders:
"We know nothing, it wasn't us." General Staff maps of the forests between
Pripyat and Chernigov bore the usual label: "pioneer camp." No military
installations. Nothing suspicious.
And behind this silence lurked one of the most ambitious and insane pro-
jects of the Cold War.
Details in Russian: <https:dzen.ru/a/aXn9eGiZZjCgGVTo>
<https:dzen.ru/pochinka_blog>
(via Anatoly Klepov-RUS, RUSdx #1379 via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Febr 1)
{RUSSIA/UKRAINE/Former USSR} History. Remember "Soviet Woodpecker".
Hallo! Sehr sehens- und lesenswerte Dokumentation ueber einen frueheren
sowjetischen Jammer in der Ukraine:
<http:www.artificialowl.net/2008/12/abandoned-giant-duga-3-system-
antenna.html>
(Thorsten Hein-D, A-DX July 27, 2009 year)
Bewusster Jammer = nein. Woodpecker = ja, genannt DUGA.
Woodpecker war ein Ueberhorizont Radar, dass natuerlich auch Broadcasts
stoerte, aber das war kein Jammer, sondern nur eine heftige Begleiter-
scheinung.
Es gab zwei Anlagen, in der Ukraine Richtung Nordamerika (USA) und in
Fernost am Amur Richtung Alaska, Canada und Westamerika (USA). Dabei
immer die eigentliche Sendestation und - 100 km abgesetzt - eine oder
mehrere Echo-Empfangsanlagen.
<http:wikimapia.org/455/Chernobyl-2-Russian-Woodpecker-OTH-Radar-of-
type-DUGA-3>
<https:de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodpecker_(Kurzwellensignal)>
broken URL now, possible access via different archive ?
<http:deputydog.wordpress.com/2007/08/27/the-duga-3-radar/>
<http:forum.skyscraperpage.com/archive/index.php/t-136889.html>
<http:wikimapia.org/5030245/DUGA-2-OTH-radar-Komsomolsk-na-Amure-
Woodpecker-Transmitter>
<https:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duga_radar>
<https:www.flickr.com/photos/martintrolle/7460071090/in/album-
72157631318943158/>
<https:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duga_radar#/media/File:Woodpecker_
array.jpg>
<https:nexttechworld.com/special-radio/duga-3-russian-woodpecker-
oth-radar-history/>
<https:de.rbth.com/geschichte/84789-duga-gigantische-radaranlage-
im-sperrgebiet>
<https:wp-cdn.wvara.org/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2020/11/23202736/Woodpecker_WVARA_1.pdf>
<https:die-verlassenen-orte.de/tschernobyl-prypjat-duga-radar-18/>
<http:englishrussia.com/index.php/2008/04/28/duga-the-steel-giant-
near-chernobyl/>
<https:pripyat.de/chernobyl2.htm>
<https:lplaces.com/de/reportagen/28-zona>
<https:www.lplaces.com/de/reportagen/11-sa2>
<https:www.hidden-places.de/index.php?threads/tschernobyl-
Ueberhorizontradar-duga-3.8857/>
<https:www.hidden-places.de/index.php?threads/tschernobyl-
Ueberhorizontradar-duga-3.8857/page-2>
<https:www.hidden-places.de/index.php?threads/tschernobyl-
Ueberhorizontradar-duga-3.8857/page-3>
<https:lplaces.com/de/reportagen/28-zona>
<https:www.flickr.com/photos/186405888@N05/49403937138/in/dateposted-
public/>
<https:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnestr_radar>
<https:www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOMVdOc9UbE>
<https:www.flickr.com/photos/tags/woodpecker> enjoy.
Re: OTHR - "Spechtgeraeusche" auf Radio DARC,
darauf freue ich mich schon :-)
Es gibt einen sehr interessanten und verrueckten Film zum Thema (ich
wuerde mal sagen, es ist eine Doku mit kuenstlerischen Elementen):
"The Russian Woodpecker" von Chad Gracia. Er wurde erstmals 2015 auf
dem Sundance Film Festival gezeigt, siehe:
<https:www.kino-zeit.de/film-kritiken-trailer-streaming/the-russian-
woodpecker>
Es gibt Interviews mit vielen Beteiligten und abseits der etwas ver-
rueckten Theorien des Hauptdarstellers tolle Aufnahmen und Details.
Soweit ich weiss gibt es den Film leider nur in Englisch (Tonspur meist
in Ukrainisch mit englischen Untertiteln). Gekauft hab ich ihn mir auf
Vimeo (einfach nach "Russian Woodpecker" suchen), aber andere Anbieter
haben ihn sicher auch im Angebot.
(Karin Langhammer-D, A-DX groups.io July 7, 2021 year)
see OTHR 'Duga' item under SOWJETUNION / USSR / UKRAINE.
<https:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duga_radar>
kyrillic part broken:
<https:ru-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/
wiki/????_(????????????????_???????)?_
x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=de&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=sc>
Fuer USSR Jammer gibt es andere kompetentere Webseiten, so von Rimantas
Pleikys in Litauen.
<http:www.radiojamming.info/> maybe URL cut by Russians, see instead
<http:radiojamming.puslapiai.lt/>
<http:www.radiojamming.puslapiai.lt/doc_ru.htm>
<http:www.zilionis.com/jamming/index.php?e> maybe URL broken now, see
<https:www.part15.org/community/temp/radio-jamming/>
<https:anzee.livejournal.com/65530.html?rfrom=msaid>
<https:www.voacap.com/2023/documents/woody_woodpecker_story_pt3_VKL.pdf>
The DUGA transmitter was one of the world's largest and most powerful
broadcasting facilities. The signal power was estimated at 10 MW EIRP
(10,000,000 watts equivalent isotropic radiated power). It broadcast on
varying frequencies in the shortwave band between 7 and 19 MHz, the same
frequency range previously used by worldwide stations on shortwave bcast
and beyond.
The facility interfered with (or at least affected) radio reception
worldwide.
(see also via Anatoly Klepov-RUS, RUSdx #1379 / wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Feb 1)
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
From: Anatoly Klepov
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2026
Subject: [HCDX] "RUS-DX" # 1380
"RUS-DX" # 1380
Sunday / 8 February 2026
---------
Russia -
broadcasting, radio communications, television, internet, high tech.
QSL world. World DX news.
https://rusdx.narod.ru/bulletin/1380.txt
Anatoly,
73!
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