The Russian Woodpecker returns?

[C Mercadal]

Hi folks,

Yesterday, 2 March 2022, around 22:30 GMT, I was listening to some
chatter on 5640 kHz USB, by way of the WebSDR server at the University
of Twente.

The conversation there was, mostly, in Russian, which I don't
understand, but I could understand the international language of
trolls coming on the frequency and heckling those who were already
occupying it.

But then, the strangest thing happened: The frequency was peppered
with clicking noises. Though I wasn't old enough when I took up
shortwave listening to have ever heard it myself directly, I had
definitely heard of the Russian Woodpecker.

Has anyone else run across this? I wish I had been recording it
to share the audio. The waterfall showed a pretty wide spread
pattern of what looked like very shallow stairsteps patterns of
transmission across it, and (audibly) it sounded like recordings I
looked up later of the Woodpecker.

I would have just put it down to trolls laying over audio of something
like the Russian Woodpecker, but it definitely didn't look like
typical voice transmission behavior on the waterfall.

Is it even feasible that it could be the same Russian Woodpecker
of yore? From what I've read, the Russian Woodpecker was decommissioned
in the late-1980s, and was thought to have originated near Chernobyl
in the Ukraine. What are the odds that a 30 year old system could
just be powered back up and operational, or that they would even do
so?

If the Lincolnshire Poacher comes back next, I think my jaw will drop.

[Brian Gregory]

Post by C Mercadal
Is it even feasible that it could be the same Russian Woodpecker
of yore?

How wide was it on the waterfall?

[C Mercadal]

Post by Brian Gregory

Post by C Mercadal
Is it even feasible that it could be the same Russian Woodpecker
of yore?

How wide was it on the waterfall?

I was zoomed in pretty close so I'm not sure this is terribly
helpful.

Looking at the scale again today, I think I could see from about
5610-5670 kHz.

The interference was laid across it from about 5650, just above the
frequency I was listening to, down to the bottom of the waterfall.
So I'm not 100% sure of the bottom boundary.

[Marco Moock]

Post by C Mercadal
Is it even feasible that it could be the same Russian Woodpecker
of yore? From what I've read, the Russian Woodpecker was
decommissioned in the late-1980s, and was thought to have originated
near Chernobyl in the Ukraine. What are the odds that a 30 year old
system could just be powered back up and operational, or that they
would even do so?

I don't think that they made that facility usable.
I saw some pictures of the antenna where some parts of the cage antenna
were on the ground. I also don't know what happened to the transmitter
itself, but I think in 35 years in the nature it must be damaged.

[Guglielmo Marconi]

Post by C Mercadal
Hi folks,
Yesterday, 2 March 2022, around 22:30 GMT, I was listening to some
chatter on 5640 kHz USB, by way of the WebSDR server at the University
of Twente.
The conversation there was, mostly, in Russian, which I don't
understand, but I could understand the international language of
trolls coming on the frequency and heckling those who were already
occupying it.
But then, the strangest thing happened: The frequency was peppered
with clicking noises. Though I wasn't old enough when I took up
shortwave listening to have ever heard it myself directly, I had
definitely heard of the Russian Woodpecker.
Has anyone else run across this?

No, never.

Could you still hear it after you pulled your head out of your ass?

G. Marconi