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Abandoned Duga-3 ‘Woodpecker’ Radio Antenna Looks Menacing

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12:30PM May 18, 2009 | Nick Broughall

Back in the 70s, amateur radio enthusiasts around the world began hearing a sharp, repetitive tapping noise at the 10Hz frequency, which disrupted communications and could occasionally be heard over telephone circuits. It was dubbed the “woodpecker” signal, and this was the cause of it: a Russian over-the-horizon anti-ballistic missile system called Duga-3, which could give early warning of missile launches. More »