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VLF Presentation

This document discusses the design of the US Navy's very low frequency (VLF) antenna system located at Cutler, Maine. It describes the technical requirements for the antenna, historical VLF systems, key engineers involved in the design, and details of the antenna configuration including the towers, toploading system, tuning network, and grounding.

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83 views

VLF Presentation

This document discusses the design of the US Navy's very low frequency (VLF) antenna system located at Cutler, Maine. It describes the technical requirements for the antenna, historical VLF systems, key engineers involved in the design, and details of the antenna configuration including the towers, toploading system, tuning network, and grounding.

Uploaded by

cx7rl
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE BIGGEST LITTLE ANTENNA

IN THE WORLD

Ed Kardjala

The Navy’s VLF Antenna at Cutler Maine

Edward M. Newman W2EMN April 2020


A small SMALL ANTENNA

Electrically and Physically Small


CUTLER VLF (3-30 KHz) ANTENNA
• Why A VLF Antenna?
• Types Of Antennas
• The Designers
• Trideco Design At Cutler, Me.
• Towers and Top Load
• Tuning Network
• Deicing
• Ground System
• Modulation and Reception
• Long Island VLF Stations and New LF Ham Bands
HISTORICAL VLF ANTENNAS

• Marconi transmitter • Telefunken Transmitter


at Poldhu, UK at Sayville • German WW II VLF
• Height: 200 ft. • Height: 477 ft. Antenna (Goliath)
• Built 1900 • Built 1912 • Height: 673 ft.
• Destroyed by Storm • 200 KW • Removed by Soviets
1901 • 32 KHz After the War
• 24 KW • 1800 KW
• 80 KHz • 16 KHz
WHY A VLF SYSTEM?
• With the creation of ballistic missile submarines it
became essential to maintain communications
• To avoid detection, nuclear submarines must remain
submerged
• VLF provided penetration of seawater 30 to 100 feet
because of the very long wavelength
• Very low loss propagation (2 dB/1000 Km)
BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINES

• USS NAUTILUS • USS GEORGE WASHINGTON


• FIRST NUCLEAR-POWERED SUB • FIRST BALLISTIC MISSILE SUB
• COMMISSIONED 1954 • 16 POLARIS MISSILES
• OPERATE SUBMERGED FOR MONTHS • COMMISSIONED DEC 1959
SKIN DEPTH
US NAVY VLF COMMUNICATION
SYSTEM (1990s)
NAVY VLF ANTENNA SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS (1959)

• Tunable 14.3-30 KHz


• Radiated power: 1 MW
• Max voltage: 200KV; Max E-field: 0.65 KV/mm
• Efficiency: >50% ($500K penalty)
• Bandwidth: at least 30 Hz
• Operational conditions include 1 1/2-inch ice and 175-
MPH winds
• Redundant for reliability and maintenance- two antennas
KEY ENGINEERS
• Wheeler (3QK) was the recognized expert in
designing electrically small antennas
– Developed simple formulas to predict
performance
• Developmental Engineering Corp was system
designer and general contractor
– Navy contractor for specialized transmitters
– Boynton Hagaman AA4QY antenna designer
• Jim Weldon Continental Electronics- transmitter
• Willard Heidig W2KM
HAROLD WHEELER (1903-1996)
HAROLD WHEELER

First employee of Hazeltine


BOYNTON HAGAMAN (1917-2006)
• DECO’s principal engineer during antenna
design
• Ham license at age 13 (AA4QY later)
• Self-taught engineer-college dropout
• Pilot’s license in high school
• Accomplished musician
• Consultant on other VLF antenna designs
DESIGN ISSUE :ELECTRICALLY SMALL
ANTENNA
• An antenna smaller than 0.1 wavelength
– Cutler is approx. 300m/20,000m = .015
• Antenna bandwidth is limited
• Radiation resistance is very small and in series
with ground loss and tuning network loss
• Increasing height and adding capacitive top
load increases radiation resistance
• Extensive ground system reduces losses
TYPICAL 160 M ANTENNA
ANTENNA CONFIGURATIONS

TRIATIC TOP LOAD UMBRELLA TOP LOAD TRIDECO TOP LOAD


EXAMPLE OF TRIATIC

RCA’s Radio Central at Rocky Point Used A Set Of Triatic Antennas


TRIDECO ANTENNA

-Six panels
-13 towers
-Approx. 1000 Acres
-Minimizes Corona
TWO ANTENNAS OCCUPY 2000 ACRES ON
A PENNINSULA

• Dual transmitter feeds helix


house through 100 ohm coax

• Helix house contains tuner

• Trideco top load uses 6 panels


for each monopole

Ref 6
OVERVIEW OF ANTENNA CONFIGURATION

Ref 7
Location, location
Google Maps
26 TOWERS- 850 to 1000 FT HIGH

Ref 8
SATELLITE IMAGES

Main Tower And Helix House


Google Maps
SATELLITE IMAGES

Power Plant 18 MW

Google Maps
SATELLITE IMAGES

Transmitter Building

Bing Maps
EACH ANTENNA CONSISTS OF 13 TOWERS

Exciting Engineering Work

Ref 8
TOPLOAD FEED SYSTEM

Ref 7
PHOTO OF FEED LINES

Heidig
ANTENNA PERFORMANCE (24 KHz)

Ref 7
DESIGN ISSUES
• Corona/Lightning
• Mechanical Design
• Ice Load
• Antenna Impedance and Efficiency
• Ground system
• Transmitter
DESIGN ISSUE: CORONA

• Actual Antenna Voltages


200 KV Plus Lightning
• Electrical Breakdown of
the Air
• Depends on Field
Strength, Geometry and
Air Pressure
• Designed in 1959 for
Cutler Antenna using
model and 50 KV
• Special hollow 1.5in cable
used in critical areas
TOPLOAD PANEL CONSTRUCTION

Ref 6

• 24,000 feet of cable – 120,000 pounds


• Wire spacing optimized for equal charge
• Wire diameter selected to meet specified electric field (0.65-0.8
KV/mm)
FEED LINES AND INSULATORS
HAM ANTENNA INSULATORS
INSULATOR

Heidig
EACH INSULATOR IS 57 FT LONG TO
WITHSTAND 250 KV

13,000 lbs.
Ref 4
HAM ANTENNA COUNTERWEIGHT
TOPLOAD COUNTERWEIGHT SYSTEM
TOPLOAD COUNTERWEIGHT SYSTEM

• Counterweights weight
220 Tons

• Panels can move with


wind and ice load

• Panels can be lowered


for maintenance

• Pulley system reduces


weight movement

Ref 5
COUNTERWEIGHT SYSTEM

Heidig
TOPLOAD COUNTERWEIGHT SYSTEM

Concrete filled
wheel

Ref R. Mohn
TOPLOAD DEICING

DEICING POWER
• Deice one antenna at a time

• Topload designed to be lossy at 60 Hz

• 1.6 W/Sq. In =7.5 Megawatts to Deice

• Diesel generators provide 18 Mw


Ref 7
TUNING NETWORK-HELIX HOUSE
TUNING NETWORK
• Handle 100 KV And 2000
Amps

• Very Low Loss <<0.1 Ohm

• Tune Antenna Over 14-28


KHz

• Tune Antenna with


Modulation

• Antenna Impedance is
Capacitive Ref 7
FEEDTHROUGH BUSHING
TUNING NETWORK- HELIX

Ref 8
TUNING NETWORK- HELIX
TUNING NETWORK-VARIOMETER

Heidig NAA Wires are 4 inches diameter NSS JP Hawkins


TUNING HELIX -LITZ WIRE

JP Hawkins
TUNING HELIX- LITZ WIRE
• Critical to reducing loss in
high power tuning
inductors
• Skin effect forces most AC
current to the surface of a
solid conductor, increasing
resistance
• Thousands of small wires
are insulated, braided and
packed in large conductor
• This equalizes current
throughout a large
conductor
• Cutler design is a Litz
conductor 4 inches in
diameter, with 3 parallel
conductors Ref 9
TUNING INDUCTORS IN HELIX HOUSE

Heidig
TUNING INDUCTOR IN HELIX HOUSE

Heidig
TUNING NETWORK- TRANSFORMER

Ref 5 JP Hawkins

NAA NSS
COAXIAL FEED LINE-
TRANSMITTER TO HELIX HOUSE

• 100 Ohm Feed Line From


Transmitter To Helix
House- big enough to
stand in

• 1MW Power Capacity

• 100 KV

• 2000 Amps

Heidig
DESIGN ISSUE: GROUND SYSTEM LOSS

2000 Miles of #6 Copper Wire


Cover the Peninsula and Run
Into the Sea
Ref 5
DUAL TRANSMITTERS: 1MW EACH
TRANSMITTER CONSOLE
DATA/MODULATION

FREQ SHIFT KEYING MINIMUM SHIFT KEYING


MODULATION
• Narrowband MSK (50-200 bps)

• Continuous Modulation

• Encrypted

• Antenna reactor tunes with


modulation
SUBMARINE RADIO RECEIVERS

USS Robert E Lee 1966 USS Nautilus 1970s


MODERN VLF RECEIVER
• UP TO FOUR 50 BPS
CHANNELS

• MULTIPLEXED,
ENCRYPT AND
ENCODE

• MSK MODULATION
LONG ISLAND VLF STATIONS

- RCA RADIO CENTRAL in ROCKY POINT

-TELEFUNKEN in SAYVILLE
RADIO CENTRAL ANTENNA PLAN
RADIO CENTRAL ANTENNA
HISTORICAL NOTES: RADIO CENTRAL
TUNING NETWORK
HISTORICAL NOTES: RADIO CENTRAL
TRANSMITTER
SAYVILLE TRANSMITTING SITE (1918)
SAYVILLE ANTENNA CONFIGURATION
SAYVILLE DESIGN INFORMATION- 1918
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thanks to Al Lopez, Peder Hansen, Nick England and Harold


Wheeler for their invaluable contributions.
REFERENCES
1. H.A. Wheeler, “Fundamental Relations in the Design of a VLF Transmitting Antenna” IRE Trans. AP, vol AP-6,
January 1958, pp 120-122

2. Watt, A. D., “VLF Radio Engineering”, Elmsford, N.Y., Pergamon Press, 1967

3. Peder Hansen, Doeg Rodriguez, “High Power VLF/LF Transmitting Antennas- Wheeler’s Circuit Approximations
Applied to Power Limitations, IEEE AP-S Symposium, 2012

4. Jim Holmes, “New Insulators Keep Antenna System Up & Running, SPAWAR Bulletin

5. M. Mann, “Navy Builds Worlds Most Powerful transmitter”, Popular Science, pp 60-63, Sept. 1960

6. P. Hansen, R. Olsen “VLF Cutler Hollow core cable Repair Replacement” Technical Report 1681, Sept. 1994

7. P. Hansen, J. Chavez, VLF Cutler: Four-Panel tests; RADHAZARD Field Strength Measurement, Tech Report 1761,
Jan 1998

8. P. Hansen, “US Navy FVLF/LF Transmitters- Large electrically Small Antennas”, SS-PAC San Diego SDSU Feb. 2010

9. Jasik& Johnson, “Antenna Engineering Handbook, 2nd edition” McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1961
Chapter 6 H. A. Wheeler; Chapter 24 B. G. Hagaman
10. NAVELEX MANUAL 0101,113 “VLF Communication Equipment”
11. navy-radio.com and Willard Heidig

12. H. A. Wheeler Design Notes ARLAssociates.com


NEW AMATEUR LF BANDS
(FCC REQUIREMENTS)
2200 meters 630 meters
• Max EIRP 1 watt • Max EIRP 5 watts
• Max transmitter power 500 • Max transmitter power
watts PEP 1500 watts PEP
• Max antenna height 60 • Max antenna height 60
meters meters
• Height in wavelengths .027 • Height in wavelengths .095
• (VLF Cutler height .015)
LF ANTENNA CONCLUSIONS
• Use capacitive top hat (panel) to improve
bandwidth and efficiency
• Use extensive ground system to improve
efficiency
• Use large inductors to reduce tuning loss
• Be careful of high voltages on antenna and
tuning components
• Modeling can be used to evaluate designs

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