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Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 09:26:36 -0500 (EST)
From: "Andrew D. Gable"
Just out of curiosity, would this sort of explosive effect be likely to happen if one were exposed to ELF waves?
Blatantly Lifted DG Plotline: The transmitter was, indeed, used in Project SEAFARER. But SEAFARER is not an ELF weapons program, but is the Navy's attempt to open non-magical communications with the Deep Ones. The Deep Ones use naturally-produced ELF waves to communicate, sort of like a whale's song. The waves relayed by the U.S. Navy through the transmitter lodges itself in the hearer's subconscious. Those hearers with latent Deep One genes are drawn wastward, toward the city of L'ha-feneii, off the California coast. People or animals without the latent genes experience the rather nasty 'bomb in the head' effect.
BTW, I looked on an atlas and the Navy base they used is there. Anyone else asking why the hell there's a Naval base in frigging Nevada? Even though it is just a Naval Air Station.
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 11:04:02 -0500
From: "Randall L. Orndorff"
Andrew D. Gable wrote:
BTW, I looked on an atlas and the Navy base they used is there. Anyone
else asking why the hell there's a Naval base in frigging Nevada? Even
though it is just a Naval Air Station.
I know for a fact that inland lakes are where the navy tests its models of prototype subs, cause my dad designed some of the parts for 'em when he was working for BF Goodrich. Nevada, on the other hand, I have no idea about. Perhaps it is just on the way from one coast to the other?
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 08:16:03 -0800
From: Alan L. Krause
I'm guessing that you are referring to NAS Fallon. It is now where Top Gun is located, ever since NAS Miramar became MCAS Miramar. Lots of wide open spacec where ordinance training may be conducted, I'd imagine.
From: "Jimmie Bise, Jr."
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 12:18:11 -0500
I'm guessing that you are referring to NAS Fallon. It is now where Top Gun
is located, ever since NAS Miramar became MCAS Miramar. Lots of wide open
spacec where ordinance training may be conducted, I'd imagine.
There's a lot of difference between a Naval Base and a Naval Air Station. The main difference is that you never need see a boat come into a Naval Air Station. Pretty much, they just fly planes in and out. Some of them are test facilities, training locations, maintenance shops, and things of that nature. My guess is, if NAS Fallon is where Top Gun is now located, it's there because there's a lot of room both to drop big exploding things, and to ditch aircraft when the training goes awry. That, incidentally, is what makes Nevada an ideal place for Nellis AFB also.
On a related note, that room is one of the big reasons the Navy is moving a lot of its aircraft testing project to the Patuxent River NAS in Maryland. That base has the whole Chesapeake Bay to use as a place to ditch aircraft in an emergency (and, believe me, it happens quite often - perhaps a couple times every year…).
From:Michael Layne
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 13:07:17 EST
None. It's quite possible you're being exposed to ELF waves right now, and you aren't exploding… Are you? :)
Still there? Good! :)
ELF waves are Extremely Low Frequency radio waves, with wavelengths that could measure up to a mile or so. Unlike the more familiar types of radio, ELF can penetrate fairly significant depths of water — some of the data I've read suggest that an ELF signal penetrating 600 feet of seawater to reach a submerged submarine is attenuated as much as if it had crossed 20 nm of air. (The USN's submarines can operate routinely down to 1,000 feet or so.)
In fact, this is what the US Navy (and likely a few other Navies) use ELF for, almost exclusively — communicating with submerged subs (especially the "boomers" — the strategic missile submarines (SSBN)).
An ELF transmitter is not a small, portable thing. It requires vast acres of antenna grids, and nontrivial amounts of electric power. The USN's ELF station is set up in the American Midwest, over some bedrock with the proper electrical qualities. (This is why they put it in the middle of the country, instead of near San Diego or Norfolk, for example.)
The submarines do not carry ELF transmitters — only receivers. A transmitter would be too large for even an 18,750 ton Trident SSBN to carry, and the boat's SSTGs (Ship's Service Turbo Generators) could probably not supply it enough power, anyway…
The installation on the SSBN consists of the ELF receiver, and a long antenna which trails behind the boat — similar to a passive towed sonar array. Reeling the antenna in or out takes 30-60 seconds or so.
You don't make voice transmissions, or send long code messages, with ELF — the transmission speed is very slow — only a few characters _per minute_! Normally, the national transmitter will send (over a few minutes) a code group of letters and numbers, which the SSBN crew will receive, authenticate, and look up in their code book. Each code group has its own meaning (e.g.: "Come to periscope depth and stand by for instructions via satellite").
The sub also has a VLF receiver (still no transmitter, but the messages can come in a little faster) for shallower depths (this would be how she receives routine administrative traffic, and the "familygrams" telling the Sailors aboard about developments with the wife and kids back in port), and can come to periscope depth if necessary and extend a communications mast (generally a whip antenna for radio broadcast, although some subs are rumored to carry tight-beam satellite link equipment) which allows two-way traffic if necessary. (Normally, for an SSBN, though, there are no transmissions back to base during patrol, to make her harder for hostile forces to locate)
In fact, submarine Captains tend to be a bit wary of using the communications masts, as these can be spotted by radar (or even visually) at short range. Normal procedure in such cases would be to slow to 10 knots or so (extending the masts at 20+ knots could damage them), extend an ESM (Electronic Surveillance Measures) mast from the sail ("fin" to you Brits) first to check if any radars are in use topside, and only then (if the airwaves are clear) extend the radio mast and the periscope. (The Captain is going to want to take a 360 degree visual sweep, to see if someone's up there the sonar didn't detect, who might visually spot the "feather" kicked up by the masts…)
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 12:12:34 -0600 (CST)
From: Tenebrous Technologies
I know for a fact that inland lakes are where the navy tests its models
I think because of the nature of ELF tech you can build one where ever you have enough room. IIRC, when I was living in Northern Michigan (Da U.P.) they were building an ELF site up there against a great deal of protest.
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 10:33:04 -0800
From:Phil A Posehn
Nice piece on ELF!
I reminded me of a piece I saw on PBS a few months ago…
During the Regan years when exotic weapons systems were getting blank checks Star Wars r&d, someone came up with the idea of putting a LOT of power into an ELF transmitter array in the arctic. The ideas was that they would generate a barrier of highly charged electrons that would disable incoming missiles.
When the company applied for patent protection they were denied.
Nicola Tesla already had one!
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 19:02:08 -0500 (EST)
From: The Man in Black
BTW, I looked on an atlas and the Navy base they used is there. Anyone
else asking why the hell there's a Naval base in frigging Nevada? Even
though it is just a Naval Air Station.
The vast majority of the state of Nevada (with the exception of Las Vegas) is owned by the Federal Government of the USA. The desert provides lots of wide open spaces isolated from the general public - perfect for secret stuff. The Navy also runs Top Gun out in the desert, lots of uninhabited space to fly over at supersonic speeds and use as bombing ranges.