After some Googling and educated guessing, I have determined (and
received confirmation of) the following:
- It is a high-frequency surface-wave radar (HFSWR) system, developed
by Raytheon Canada for the Canadian military. It seems to be a new
version of the SWR503 MK2 HFSWR system. It is intended to detect ships
up to 200 miles from a country's coast (EEZ) to protect against
terrorists, smugglers, and unauthorized fishing vessels as well as
locate vessels in distress. The present system has been detected at
1915, 3250, 4400, and 5300 kHz.
- It is located at Hartlen Point, NS, near Halifax
(point Google Earth to 44 35 29.47 N 63 26 49.68 W )
and if you zoom in you can see the 500M long cleared area for the
towers and the guy anchors.
- W1FV was pretty close with his estimate of a heading of 75 degrees
(it is actually 67 degrees from John's QTH).
- ARRL, RAC, and Industry Canada (Canada's FCC) have been made aware
of the interference that this signal is causing to amateurs.
- The frequency band 1850-2000 is a shared allocation in Canada, among
amateur, radionavigation, and radiolocation services.
- A previous version of this system was installed in several other regions.
1915 kHz is not the primary operating frequency for the system. The
higher frequencies generally work better for the intended purpose.
So the mystery is solved...at least as far as the source is concerned.
73,
Doug K1DG
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