(meteorobs) Alternate forward scan meteor frequencies

[drobnock]

Alternate forward scan meteor frequencies

Whilst flipping through an issue of Popular Mechanics (May 1959) page
265 I found a site describing an early military satellite detection
(early Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) ).

Those interested in forward scam radio and not aware of this station may
be interested in the system. It consist of three units a transmitter and
two receivers operating at 216.** mhz. The intent was to detect "spy"
satellites operation over United States air space. A similar system was
described in the group earlier operating in Western Europe.

Those frustrated by crowded FM/VHF frequencies may want to experiment
with this system for forward scan radio meteor work.

>From current website
""The U.S. Navy Spasur (Space Surveillance) System (*, **) is a CW fence
radar consisting of a chain of stations located on an east-west
great-circle path across the southern United States. Three transmitter
stations (one high-powered in the center of the chain and two
low-powered on the ends for gap filling) and six receiving stations are
used in the network. The system originally operated at 108 MHz [the
Minitrack frequency] but was converted to 216 MHz in 1965, along with
upgrading and expansion of the original experimental network.

The high-power transmitter consists of two 500-kW transmitters operating
in parallel and feeding a north-south linear array 10,560 feet long.

The receiving stations are equipped with a number of linear antenna
arrays for phase sensing and alerting. The north-south length of the
phase-sensing antennas at two of the sites is 2,400 ft, and the
east-west baseline (which sets the angular-accuracy limit) is 1,200ft or
approximately 260 wavelengths. Angular measurements from the various
receiving sites are transmitted to a central computer facility located
at Dahlgren, Va. """


http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/track/spasur_at.htm
www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/labsats/EA467-NAVSPASURa.doc

George John Drobnock