ANTENTOP- 01- 2006, # 008

Mysterious Cases of Absorption of  Radio - Waves

By: Vladimir Polyakov, RA3AAE, Moscow, Russia

Credit Line: CQ- QRP # 12, 2006

I have read the article “Black Spot in the Air” (Reference 1).  I would like to add to the article my information about others mysterious cases. For one case I was an eye-witness.

In 80-s I worked on faculty of physics of Moscow Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, where I was engaged in scientific job connected to physics of the sea and ocean.  In July, 1983,  I had a scientists trip on a hydrographic vessel which went from Vladivostok to Petropavlovsk. Our major job was near Kuril ridge. There was no interesting in the trip, usual scientists trip, neither storm at the sea nor good weather - more often fog, the vessel slightly swings in drift on the sea, thick sea birds sit on water and wait for the next portion of meals.  The temperature of the sea was + 4 C degrees, air + 6 C, on a wet deck is cold.

Vladimir Polyakov, RA3AAE

I share cabin with a good boy, Victor, he was a hydrograph from Nahodka. Last inmate of the cabin leave an acoustic system in cabin fitted case. I decided to make a simple middle wave receiver inside the acoustic system. So, when the receiver was ready I have installed outdoor (I can correct, “outcabin”) antenna. It was a wire going out cabin window to life-boat and then to a mast.

The receiver worked perfectly. We can hear very loud and clear two Japanese middle- wave stations that were broadcasting in Japanese language.  That was not interesting... Except an early morning. In the morning the stations broadcasted morning gymnastic, in Japanese of course. Certainly we did not understand Japanese, but to listen the broadcasting was so funny that we laugh loudly at least five minutes- it was ours excellent morning gymnastics for all day.

Moscow Institute of Geodesy and Cartography (Picture of 2005 y.)

So in one foggy morning I turn on the receiver and… Nothing to hear. I begin to search for malfunction in the receiver. While a time Victor came back from breakfast and told me that receiver in the cabin - company is broken too, so, it would be better for me to repair that receiver. After that I began to suspect, that both receivers are right, malfunction is in the Air.

In the cabin - company the large tube receiver “Belarus” only hissed a little but it was received absolute nothing. Usually the receiver plays very loud Petropavlovsk not so loud Habarovsk, Vladivostok and Magadan. I took my breakfast very quickly and then went to ship radio operators.

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