[Milsurplus] Alexanderson alternator on Xmas eve

[C. Whitaker]

de WB2CPN
In USAF at Andrews AFB we began the project to copy
Marion MA on 25.8, sending 60 WPM teletype, in order
to experiment with receivers along the northern edge of
Alaska and Canada.  First we used an RBA we got from
the Navy, and a very long antenna which went into the next
county.  Then the RCAF gave us a "Hinge Pulse Detector"
which worked much better.  It was a 1 meter square shielded
loop with built-in tuneable RF Amps followed by a up
converter that give an output of around 250 KHz.   This was
fed  to a modified BC-779 in the main operating area,
and then to a teletype demodulator that went to the printer.
Sometime after this I was transfered to Elmendorf AFB
in Alaska, and naturaly got back on the project.  The
engineers did extensive signal measurements 24/7.  This
was during the building of the Dew Line, and for all I know
the equipment could all be in some surplus shop to this day.
TRIVIA    What I'm hinting at: you can do it without a large
outside antenna if you can make a good tuned loop with
built-in amplifiers.  (Max signal is in the plane of the loop.)
73  Clete