Hidden deep in a serene forest yet taller than the clouds, standing in surreal beauty is an antenna array like none other on earth, having an aperture area greater than 15 U.S. football fields. One of the great wonders of the world – a top secret Soviet radar, so secret that even the name is uncertain, for it had many. It was the Russian Woodpecker. It was the Steel Yard. It was Duga.

The story of this top secret place is one of mystery and intrigue. Now abandoned, a rusting testament to man’s cold war hubris, almost all popular accounts on the web are seriously flawed – victims of deliberate disinformation. Where did it come from? What did it do? Did it transmit? Did it receive? Was it the first of three, or the third of two?

Keith Snyder, KI6BDR, has been busy reverse engineering to uncover truth before time erases history. Keith shows visible engineering clues that reveal the mission and correct the history of the huge “Duga 3” antenna Array. The Duga 3 is located a few kilometers from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site. Although it has fallen into disrepair, it stands today due only to a hasty exit forced by radiation from the
Chernobyl nuclear accident. The nuclear accident ironically protected the array from dismantlement, a reprieve from all but the ravages of time. The antenna array today attracts tourists who visit Chernobyl. It is one of the 8th wonders of the world due to its Titanic size.

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Tim will provide a quick overview of the most common digital modes (D-STAR, DMR and Fusion) as well as some of the less common modes. Tim will explain how you might use them.

Which mode is the best? Tim will look at code-plugs and hotspots and try and demystify some of the jargon for you.

Technology permitting, he’ll try and do a demo with the chance for a little audience participation. Rather than being a heavy session, the emphasis will be on light but informative content.

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BBC journalist and long-time RSGB member Laurie Margolis broke the fact of the invasion of the Falklands through amateur radio. Here’s how…

He will also cover his involvement in the 1970 King Hussein story.

In this 40th anniversary year since the Falklands War, we are delighted to have this presentation from Laurie.

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Whether you’re a seasoned contester or just starting out in this aspect of amateur radio, this is bound to be an interesting presentation.
Mark is the founder of Contest University UK and is the current holder of the all-time England record for the CQWW CW, CQ WPX CW and IOTA contests as well as many more single band records. He is a member of the K3LR Multi-Multi USA and TI7W Costa Rica Teams and also a committee member for CQ World Wide.

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Professor Ian Morison, G0DMU will give a review of the history of Jodrell Bank, one of the world’s premier radio astronomy observatories; from its founding in 1945, the completion of the Mk I (now Lovell) radio telescope in 1957 – still the third largest fully steerable telescope in the world – and the building of the MERLIN array in the 1980s and 90s.

The MERLIN array has the same resolution as the Hubble Space Telescope and many collaborative observations have been made over the past 30 years. Its seven telescopes also link up with others across Europe to provide an instrument whose resolution far exceeds that of optical telescopes.

Some of its most exciting discoveries will be discussed in the context of how radio observations are made – many of which can complement those made by optical telescopes.

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