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Old August 24th 04, 01:25 PM
Walter Maxwell
 
Posts: n/a
Default Beverage Antenna Used in WW2 (0/1)


Hi All,

I have some info on a Beverage antenna that I believe you'll find interesting.

During 1942-43 I was with the Radio Intelligence Division of the FCC in Hawaii,
monitoring enemy transmissions. One assignment by the State Department was to
determine whether the Japanese in Japan were getting the same information from
their local broadcasts as the propaganda broadcast on HF, or different
information concerning the progress of the War.

On searching the AM broadcast band for Japanese stations we found JOAK, Tokyo,
on 650 kHz, with an exceptionally strong nighttime signal. However, KNX, Los
Angeles, also on 650, was equally strong, making copy of JOAK impossible.
Consequently, two of my colleagues, Prose Walker, W4BW, and Edwin Rudisuhle,
K6SAC, installed a Beverage antenna on the northern shore of Oahu to reduce the
interference from KNX. The Beverage was more than one-half mile long at a height
of 10 feet, aimed directly at Tokyo, and terminated with a variable resistor.
The signal from KNX was totally nulled out with the adjustment of the
terminating resistor.

The State Department was pleased with the results, because we were then able to
record the JOAK broadcasts daily, with the records sent to Washington daily by
US Army planes from Hickam Field, Honolulu.

Walt, W2DU


I have some info on a Beverage antenna that I believe you'll find interesting.

During 1942-43 I was with the Radio Intelligence Division of the FCC in Hawaii, monitoring enemy transmissions. One assignment by the State Department was to determine whether the Japanese in Japan were getting the same information from their local broadcasts as the propaganda broadcast on HF, or different information concerning the progress of the War.

On searching the AM broadcast band for Japanese stations we found JOAK, Tokyo, on 650 kHz, with an exceptionally strong nighttime signal. However, KNX, Los Angeles, also on 650, was equally strong, making copy of JOAK impossible. Consequently, two of my colleagues, Prose Walker, W4BW, and Edwin Rudisuhle, K6SAC, installed a Beverage antenna on the northern shore of Oahu to reduce the interference from KNX. The Beverage was more than one-half mile long at a height of 10 feet, aimed directly at Tokyo, and terminated with a variable resistor. The signal from KNX was totally nulled out with the adjustment of the terminating resistor.

The State Department was pleased with the results, because we were then able to record the JOAK broadcasts daily, with the records sent to Washington daily by US Army planes from Hickam Field, Honolulu.