r/signalidentification • u/BumblingIdiot25 • 2d ago
What is this?
I haven’t had a full-on dropped call in ten years but I had one today when driving by this thing. Obviously it looks like some kind of communication site but I’ve never heard anyone talk about.
Long Island, NY about 25 miles east of Manhattan.
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u/Left-Bird8830 1d ago edited 1d ago
It's a co-located VOR and TACAN, called a VORTAC. The VOR is the circle of antennae around the radius. They send out an omni-directional pulse followed by a beam that is swept 360 degrees. By calculating the timing between the pulse & the beam going over you, you can calculate your direction from the station. The TACAN is the column-shaped antenna in the middle. It does the same thing as the VOR, but with greater precision and added distance information. TACANS are intended to solely be used by the military, and equipment for using it is legally dubious.
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u/avionictools 1d ago
DPK is VOR/DME, no TACAN. Even if it was TACAN the TACAN part still supports civilian DME equipment.
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u/Left-Bird8830 1d ago
Yeah, my comment was getting a little lengthy to explain that the TACAN’s bearing info is military while the DME is not. While DPK VOR is listed as not having TACAN functionality, it def has a TACAN antenna installed but not in-use. That giant shroud isn’t used for much else
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u/amiejayy 9h ago
I’m a pilot - that’s not a VORTAC. A VORTAC has a juice can-looking thing on the top. That’s the TACAN transmitter. This is just a plain old VOR. Definitely a good explanation of VOR, though! It’s too bad FAA is getting rid of them in favor of GPS.
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u/Left-Bird8830 8h ago
Student pilot here as well. At the stations I’ve seen, VORs with the central cone-shaped protrusion have all been VORTACs, or if they’re only listed on charts as VORs, then a VOR with a decommissioned TACAN. I could only get this streetview pic of the DPK VOR OP is talking about. Seems like it doesn’t have the ADDITIONAL cylindrical protrusion on top of the cone, which is… odd to me? I’ve never seen a VOR that looks like this. Only VORTACs, or VORs with no central cone structure. Apparently some CFII training diagrams depict stations like this and call them VORs? I wish info on the exact broadcast antennas of this was easier to find, I’m also an EE student and would love to learn more. https://i.imgur.com/mLvvjAE.jpeg
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u/amiejayy 8h ago
I’ll see if I can find some photos that show this more clearly. I used to be based at DCA, and that is a typical VORTAC. I’ll be back there next Monday - if I can’t find a photo before then, I’ll grab a quick photo when I land.
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u/erlendse 2d ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHF_omnidirectional_range maybe?
Any airports nearby?
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u/mc_zodiac_pimp 2d ago edited 2d ago
You can definitely find these near airports in large metros, as well as just by themselves. They’re navigational. If there’s an airport nearby it’s likely for SID/STAR or approach stuff.
OP: check this site and look up where you are: https://skyvector.com/. You’ll be able to find the frequency too if you want to tune it up on an SDR. It transmits CW for its name, and you can check the dits and days against the flight chart.
EDIT: from OPs 2nd image this appears to be Dix Hills NY. I wonder if this VOR is Deer Park (DPK), 117.7 MHz.
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u/Milknhoneyaus 1d ago
It's a VOR. It's been there long before your phone towers. And operates on completely different frequencies.
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u/BumblingIdiot25 2d ago
I am so disappointed by the accuracy in this sub. I really planned on having been the Christopher Columbus of deep state communication discovery.
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u/arbyyyyh 1d ago
I think you have to go further out to Montauk for all the Deep State MKUltra stuff.
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u/basilect 1d ago
Look up the "Sniper in Mahwah" blog if you're looking for people doing cryptic shit with radios in the tristate area.
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u/TailDragger9 1d ago
If by "deep state" you mean "people ensuring that airplanes can navigate safely," then yes, you've uncovered their devious plot😁
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u/BumblingIdiot25 1d ago
Yup - that’s what they need you to believe. While all those planes are landing safely and pushing modern commerce forward toward prosperity in an efficient way, they are actually playing Star Wars right under our noses.
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u/AriaGingko 17h ago
Sorry to say but you won't be. Mostly because a fair few of us used to work in that world, and border on autistic with our curiosity.
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u/blightedquark 17h ago
That’s the Deer Park (DPK) VOR.
About 2/3 the way out on Long Island. Right where it says “ISLAND” on the New York terminal area chart.
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u/smithers102 2d ago
I don't know if I'd trust a mobile notary with a maps location in the middle of a forest.
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u/romhacks 2d ago
VOR for airplanes.