Top Band Dragon Fire Signal

[Bob Bruhns]

Back in the 90s, some pulsing signal appeared on
160 meters, and it was very strong in the
northeast USA.  One guy with a good antenna and
access to surplus broadcast gear fired up 10KW on
160 (No, I won't say who, and I'm not even sure
anyway), but even that was clobbered by whatever
it was.  Some complaints were made, and nothing
was acknowledged, but the signal disappeared.

  Bob

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andre Kesteloot"
<andre.kesteloot at verizon.net>
To: "AMRAD Tacos" <tacos at amrad.org>
Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2005 7:29 AM
Subject: Top Band Dragon Fire Signal


> "TOP BAND DRAGON'S FIRE" SIGNAL BLANKETING 160
METERS IN ASIA
>
> The IARU Monitoring System (IARUMS) says radio
amateurs in Japan and
> elsewhere in Asia and Oceania are reporting an
unidentified intruder signal
> on 160 meters. In Japan, the wideband signal,
which IARU Region 2 Monitoring
> System Coordinator Bill Zellers, WA4FKI, has
dubbed "Top Band Dragon's
> Fire," reportedly began transmitting
continuously about October 1,
> blanketing 160 meters and rendering it useless
for Amateur Radio work in
> some places.
>
> "The intruder is detectable from approximately
1700 kHz up to about 1930
> kHz," said one report, likening the sound to "a
diesel motor with a ticking
> sound at a constant rate which is evenly spread
across the band." The signal
> has been heard in the US Northwest at about 1830
kHz on a north-pointing
> Beverage. Reports also have arrived from New
England.
>
> First heard as long ago as December 2004, the
signal turns up at different
> times at different locations, reports indicate.
In some cases, it's only
> during so-called "gray line" propagation, while
others hear the signal 24/7.
> Near Perth, Australia, the intruder was heard
slowly rising out the noise
> floor about a half-hour after sunset, increasing
to around S7 and remaining
> long into the night. Amateurs in Singapore
report that the signal recently
> shifted from wideband noise to a pulsed signal.
>
> Veteran Top Band DXer Tom Rauch, W8JI, in
Georgia says he can "just detect a
> noise floor increase some mornings," but was
unable to identify an actual
> signal.
>
> Forward reports, accompanied by sound recordings
if available, to Chuck
> Skolaut, K0BOG <cskolaut at arrl.org>, at ARRL
Headquarters.
>
>
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