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Voice Of America, 26 MHz point-to-point transmitter (early 1970's)

P

pqgeorge

During my early days of DX'ing in 1970, I recall picking up (on my Archer Space Patrol, Walkie Talkie Base Station... remember THEM?) a certain signal that "just didn't sound right". I didn't know, at the time, that what I was hearing was a "suppressed carrier AM" feed transmitter coming from Europe from the VOA. It was showing up on 27.025 (Channel 6) on the receiver (more than likely an image of another frequency). The signal was very powerful!

This walkie-talkie base station, capable of about 250 milliwatts (it was rated for 100 mw.) on Channel 14/27.125 MHz, had a tunable receiver covering all 23 channels (and then some!). It had a rather recent front end on both 11 meters and the AM Broadcast band as well.

Now back to the VOA point-to-point. This station was a curious fellow. It only operated Monday-Friday, 6:45 AM - 1:00 PM (Eastern) from October-April. 15 minutes before programming were to begin, it would broadcast a loop saying "This is a Voice Of America transmitter operating "point-to-point" in the.............". Just before 7:00 AM a pre-recorded announcement would be heard.... "This is The Voice Of America in Europe, broadcasting on the shortwave frequencies of The Voice Of America in Washington". Does anyone recall this certain station? What was VOA doing with this point-to-point transmitter and where was it? Any information would be helpful. Oh, BTW: While this station operated, there was always a audible "whine" with two tones fighting it out at various intervals of pitch. I wish I recorded it back then.

Any thoughts?


Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts
 
If you could understand the transmission without a BFO, it was probably a reduced (but not totally suppresed) carrier signal. Those were fairly common before satellites. AT&T had several in the shortwave bands until maybe the early '80s. From what I remember, they were licensed as "Fixed Service" stations and were used for linking to SWBC relay stations & international telephone services.

AFRTS had one on about 7.5 MHz that used independent sidebands (one program on LSB, another on USB) as late as 2000, which was the last time I heard it. I don't think it's on the air anymore.

But my guess as to the VOA transmitter you heard is that it was on 26.115 or 27.935 MHz, depending on which side of the 455 kHz IF the LO was operating.
 
The station I work for had a 26 mHz RPU link that they use for studio to remote cue. It was nothing to get 2 or 3 reception reports on that each year. It was F3 modulation, about 100 watts at 120 feet on the station's tower.
 
Like the previous poster, I had a very broad pair of walkie-talkies (no base station, they were private-labeled Western Auto units "The Man from Western S.P.Y.") that covered the entire 11 meter band all at once. I believe, based on that that VOA also had full AM transmisions in that band, as I used to be able to get them on my walkies, along with the 25 mHz WWV (which they no longer transmit on), and of course, all 23 CB channels. Not sure which site I was hearing, Bethany likely would have skipped right over me, I'll guess Greenville.
 
gr8oldies said:
Like the previous poster, I had a very broad pair of walkie-talkies (no base station, they were private-labeled Western Auto units "The Man from Western S.P.Y.") that covered the entire 11 meter band all at once. I believe, based on that that VOA also had full AM transmisions in that band, as I used to be able to get them on my walkies, along with the 25 mHz WWV (which they no longer transmit on), and of course, all 23 CB channels. Not sure which site I was hearing, Bethany likely would have skipped right over me, I'll guess Greenville.
Click to expand...

Oh, yes. I recall the signal from Greenville, North Carolina quite well back in the late 60's and early 70's. If I recall, it was always broadcast with "Special English", a very basic form of the language for people who were new to everyday English. The signal was probably beamed towards Europe and South America. The 26 MHz AM broadcast of VOA always coincided with local daytime operation (sunrise to sunset, Eastern time). This was a very strong signal here on the east coast during that time of strong solar activity. By 1972, the 11 meter signals were gone. I don't recall 11 meters ever being used for broadcast during the following solar cycle, at least not to the extent they did between 1968 and 1971.

Oh, by the way. The point-to-point VOA signal I had mentioned earlier (after reading KeithE4's reply, thanks Keith....) I finally pieced the words of "loop" that preceded the feed (by memory) that went somewhat like this......

"This is a Voice Of America transmitter, operating point-to-point in the international fixed service"

The last words of the interval signal of the feed were hard to distinguish due to the lack of a BFO on the receiver I used and the sideband characteristics of the signal. It sounded almost like AM, but not quite so. Looks like I need to analyze some old data.
 
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