Beacon Type Flashes On August 30, 2004, at 10 PM, commercial pilots report, "Twice in the last month over the Atlantic ocean at Flight Level 360 myself and my First Officer have witnessed a flashing beacon type light at orbital altitudes near the vicinity of the Big Dipper." The object appears to be very fast based on the frequency of the flash and its location. I just want to know if we may have a satellite with some type of spin on it that would cause this sighting. I have not seen this type of flash from the many other satellites , etc., that I have seen over the years. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director Editor's Note: No known satellite has flashing beacons. On occasion shortly after sunset the sun will reflect off the surface. Maine – Metallic Circular Object PISCATAQUIS COUNTY – The witness was watching TV at 6:30 PM, when he looked out his bay window and saw a low flying circular metallic object moving from the middle of the window to the left side on August 28, 2004. This is roughly south to north 50 to 75 feet higher than the treeline. I have heard of other lights and mysterious objects in the sky. It was a very bright, silver metallic color and was flying about 50 mph in a straight path until I lost sight of it. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Rhode Island - Black Triangle Over Chopper WESTERLY – On August 26, 2004, the witness was doing light cleaning when she heard a helicopter passing very low over her house. She looked up at 10:13 PM, to see an Army type chopper flying over and noticed a second object passed above the helicopter. The object was flying east and as it crossed the path of the helicopter it switched direction to north and then was lost behind a group of trees. The object was an unmistakable triangle that was black in color with a flashing light at the point facing the rear. It had other lights along the bottom and sides but they were not as bright. There was no sound apart from the noise of the chopper that I could detect. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Connecticut – Flying Triangle MADISON -- On August 25, 2004, a business consultant with an MBA was renting a beach house on the shore. At 10 PM, my 14-yr-old nephew and my 18 yr-old babysitter were the first to see the UFOs. I arrived home with my 22 yr-old niece at about 10:30 PM, and they were excited, having seen ten sparkling unidentified objects flying in the sky above Long Island Sound. As we spoke, several more appeared in the sky, and by midnight we had counted at least forty. They would fly from the ocean to inland from the southeast towards the northeast. Several flew in triangle patterns and flew close to each other and cross each other's flight paths almost crashing. It looked like they might crash. Two flew very low over our heads and we could see the bottom of one. It looked like a triangle with a light at each point when the objects flew over a low flying helicopter. During this two hour period, there was a very low light large hovering that sparkled red, blue, green and white. At 11:50 PM, it dimmed and flew off. The next night we sat out at 10:15 PM, and saw thirty "sparklers" flying northeast and behaving the same way as had the others. We also sat out last night and saw ten sparkler UFOs." I contacted an Air Force office in New Haven and they said there were no bases in CT, the closest military base at Montauk, NY was closed decades ago), and these objects "were not ours." On the second night, a large bright white object appeared low in the sky over the water, arced directly down towards the water and disappeared. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Washington, DC - Cigar-Shaped Craft The witness was out on the balcony of his sixth floor apartment on August 31, 2004, inside the no-fly zone in Washington, DC on a perfectly clear day when he saw a contrail. His sister joined him on the balcony and he pointed to the contrail. The witness states, "I saw a large metallic object appear out of one cloud and realized that I could not distinguish any features that I would normally recognize in a plane." I immediately said to her "What's that?". Both of us watched it for three to five seconds until it disappeared into another cloud. The diameter of the object was slightly larger than the full moon appears and it was flying in a south-easterly direction and ascending slightly. There was no sound. It was not completely flat; and was a sort of gunmetal color, maybe bordering closer to gold than silver. The object was not shiny and had texture to it. There was no sound and there were no lights. My sister said immediately, "That was the classic cigar shape". She was right. This object was flying well within the no-fly zone and away from the traditional flight paths. On May 21, my sister and I saw balls of light moving furiously in a counter clockwise circle ten feet from our balcony windows. `Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com North Carolina - Lights Over Park RALEIGH – At 9:30 PM, the witnesses were at the park on August 28, 2004, when everyone started pointing at a UFO in the sky way above us. There were three or four dim star-like objects that at first I thought might be a shooting star, but they started moving in multiple directions, rapidly accelerating and changing direction with no discernible purpose. I looked away to watch a band play at the park, and when I looked again, they were gone. The other twenty or so people who looked up and could spot them were amazed. It really freaked a few people out. I had nothing to drink and no other mind-altering substances. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.comFlorida – Egg BOYNTON BEACH -- On August 30, 2004, a big huge bright yellow light was observed at 8:45 PM above the beach. The light faded and three small red lights were seen for a short time. Then no lights at all. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Ohio - Reverse Color Video of Disk Ohio - Fostoria - George Ritter took this video of a disk craft on august 25, 2004. This is a reverse colors image of the video. Sixty miles away a crop circle was formed. See story below. Thanks to George Ritter Ohio – Crop Circle DAYTON DAILY NEWS, James Cummings reports that, "Fall often brings sightings of mysterious crop circles in Ohio, and this season the Miami Valley has one of its own." Major John DiPietro of the Miami Twp. police department spotted the pattern of interlocking circles pressed into the cornfield about two weeks ago. DiPietro was riding in a WHIO television news helicopter scouting sites for DUI checkpoints when he saw the circles and snapped a photograph. The photo appeared on the cover of the Miamisburg-West Carrollton News. The crop circles are in a field owned by the Miamisburg School District. Crop circle investigator Jeffrey Wilson called the design "the most impressive corn crop formation I've ever seen. "It's impressive not just because of its size, but because of the exactness of the geometry," Wilson said. "The corn stalks were laid flat, but not broken and there was some interweaving." Photos by Jeffery Wilson Link to article with two photos: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0910cropcircles.html Kentucky – Flying Triangle CORINTH – On August 29, 2004, two college students were traveling back to the university on I-75 about 3 miles from Corinth when they saw an object with lights on each tip that was switching patterns. The witness states, "At 10:35 PM, my girlfriend and I looked up in the sky and noticed that straight ahead at about ten miles there was a bright light in the sky that was flying west across the horizon." The object flew across the horizon in about ten seconds and then stopped. After stopping, it then dropped out a dark bundle like object. Soon after that, it then turned and came towards us (south) rather quickly. There was no sound at all. We traveled about a mile down the road, and the object was almost instantly right in front of us and began to hover slowly overtop of us. We drove right under it and saw it was triangular with one light on each point of the triangle. There was also a red light located next to one of the lights. After the object went over top of us, I looked out of my sunroof behind me and the lights began to change into different patterns. They began flashing and changing shapes using red, blue, and yellowish lights. It was impossible to stop or turn around because of a median. But as we continued driving, I watched out of the sunroof of my Ford Explorer and noticed that it was still moving slowly over the interstate and then up a little. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Wisconsin - Six Crop Circles WAUSAU -- The Country Journal of Hayward reports: One dairy farmer in Wausau Township thinks there may be a paranormal explanation to the crop circles in his barley field. Scott Worden, 37, had two paranormal investigators inspect six crop circles Saturday, August 28, 2004, that were found Monday by a farmhand. "I just want to know what caused it. I know cows more than I know circles," Worden said. He runs the farm with his brother, Tim, and dad, Darrell. Thanks to the Country Journal 8/28/04 Illinois - Light seen on Lake Michigan CHICAGO -- On August 31, 2004, at 6:20 PM, while driving east on the Kennedy Expressway (I-90) on his way into work the witness saw a bright spot of light that appeared to be over the lake. The light looked as though it was not moving, just hovering. After a few minutes the light faded rather abruptly so I doubt if it was Venus or Saturn. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Missouri - Sphere VIENNA -- This is a follow-up to the August 29, 2004, report. Ever since I saw this object at 6:45 PM, and was able to take pictures....I've watched for it. I barbequed today and was sitting there with my binocular/camera looking up and saw my "possible celestial body" moving at a high rate of speed across the sky faster than a passenger jet plane. I was able to get two photos of it before it was gone. One was blurry. But the other one was good. Thanks to Peter Davenport www.UFOCenter.com ST. JAMES -- On August 26, 2004, a father and son were driving home 7:35 PM, and it was still pretty light outside and the sky was very clear, when they saw an oval shaped object in the sky. They state, "We clearly saw a long oval shape with a sort of tail on it, that didn't appear to move, but appeared to be getting smaller....possibly moving further away to the west. It was an orange/yellow color. The tail disappeared and the object appeared to be just a circle of orange/yellow. Then eventually we lost sight of it." Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Kansas - Bright Cylinder TOPEKA -- On August 25, 2004, the witness a private pilot reports, "I observed a bright white or silver tube shaped object flying from south to north just below the top but up next to a wall of dark storm clouds over Topeka at 6 PM." The object was about three times as long as it was wide, but the overall size was hard to judge. It was traveling at about the speed of an airplane but after flying for a minute it stopped in the air and was stationary for a few minutes. The object was very visible against the darkness of the clouds and I could see turbulence in the clouds being blown around it. The turbulence did not appear to affect it. The object then gradually faded away. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Arkansas - Cigar SOCIAL HILL – The witness reports seeing a flying cigar as he drove west on I-30 at exactly the 92 mile marker at 11:50 PM, on August 25, 2004. The craft was going north towards Hot Springs and it had two non- flashing lights on each end of the cigar shaped craft. It was flying sideways, like if an airliner was flying sideways with no wings. The bottom was grayish black and yellowish lights were reflecting off itself, but not flashing. It was flying at 1500 to 2000 feet altitude and there was a small light plane following it. The cigar was about 3/4 of a mile out in front of the plane and was about as long as a passenger jet but flying much too slow and low to be one. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Louisiana - Two White Lights BAKER – The witness saw two white lights flying by at 9:45 PM, on August 25, 2004, that he thought were planes until they began moving erratically in the sky. It was an overcast night and they would appear and disappear in and out of the clouds erratically. This went on for about thirty minutes but then it disappeared. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Texas - Chemtrail UFO KAUFMAN -- Brian Vike received this report, "I was videoing a chemtrail on September 6, 2004, at 6:30 PM, that had just been laid. I noticed something bright on the northeast end above it, but by the time I started taping, it was in front of the trail. I taped it till I lost it in the tree. Whatever it was had a short little trail behind it. It was heading west coming from the east. I thought this was odd because I've been sky watching regular now for about a year and I've never seen a plane with a short trail, they either have a long trail, about ten times the length of the plane, or they're laying a trail across the sky, or have no trail at all. It was about 7:52 p.m. when I saw a flash in the northeast sky, I had my camera then and I pointed toward where I saw it and snapped it. The bright one was catching the sun, but the chemtrail was blocking the other one from being lit up. These were heading nearly due north. To me the picture shows the UFOs aren't planes, and they also have short trails as in the video clip. The video and picture were taken in Kaufman County, 20 miles east of Dallas, Texas. The video clip is at: http://www.hbccufo.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=18 Thanks to Brian Vike Colorado - Huge Saucer and flying Triangle DENVER -- About 7:30 PM, on September 11, 2004, while leaving a local store the witness saw a huge perfectly shaped light golden saucer, brilliantly lit in the western sky. The sun had just set and the small clouds were dark gray. Fifteen degrees above the horizon there was a saucer that was two inches in length, and about 1/2 inch high at arm's length. It had an absolutely perfect shape, and could not be a cloud. It drifted very slowly south until the trees obscured it. There were no flashing lights, just a beautiful bright golden glow. Thanks to Brian Vike, Director HBCC UFO Research Colorado - ENGLEWOOD -- On August 30, 2004, at 10 PM, the witness saw a star-like small point of light. I have reported this type of event several times over the past month and with binoculars it looks like a whitish sphere. It remained stationary for two minutes and flew off to the south in roughly 15 to 20 seconds. About a half-hour prior to the white sphere sighting the witness saw a metallic red sphere for a minute or two, also seemingly motionless and very high in the sky. Later, using the binoculars there was some sort of military craft; a dull gray, flattened triangle without a fuselage with just a large gray wing. It was much wider than long, with the shorter point of the triangle in the direction of flight. The sound was similar to a regular jet, although it did seem to rumble a bit longer than I would have expected as it disappeared in the distance. I got a good look at it; it was definitely no ordinary aircraft. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com New Mexico -- White Circular Object ALBUQUERQUE -- On August 30, 2004, at 4:10 PM, looking east and up about 30 degrees from horizontal, the witness noticed a round white object. I said to my wife that a child's balloon got away, but it held my attention and I didn't know why at first. It was rising beneath a cloud formation and the wind was blowing 20 to 30 mph. At first it looked like a solid white balloon that had been released from a nearby shopping center seconds earlier that was maybe 150 feet up. As I and my wife watched, we both said that it was no balloon of any kind because it was rising straight up, too fast with no sideways movement to be a helium balloon. It continued to rise in a non-swirling uninterrupted manner until it was about 80 degrees over head. I stopped and got out of the car to continue viewing. When I looked back up it had moved north across the sky in a northerly direction at high speed. My wife asked where it was and I took my eyes off of it to glance at her and when I looked back it was gone. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director ALBUQUERQUE – A licensed general contractor and ultralight instructor saw lights that were different and made rapid gyrations that were too violent to be a normal aircraft. This sighting occurred one mile north of I-40 in the Rio Puerco Valley on August 30, 2004, at 8:45 PM. The witness saw an unusual light heading toward his ranch house and retrieved his field glasses and observed a set of red, white, and blue blinking lights. The craft was traveling slowly south. The aircraft was closer now, but I could only see the lights blinking at twice the rate of aircraft strobe lights. I lowered the binoculars and watched the aircraft begin to dart about much the way a hummingbird would. This activity went on for several minutes. The shape of the craft was not distinguishable. The rapid gyrations were covering about 10 degrees of sweep right to left, left to right and up and down. I hurried into the house and asked my wife to check out this object in the sky. When we went outside the object was gone. My wife and I own a Powered Paraglider School which we operate from our ranch. .Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com California - Disk MODESTO – R. David Anderson reports, "I have taken more pictures of a UFO that moves in a zig zag pattern. I think that these pictures are important because they show how UFOs move. I have read from other accounts that UFOs move in this way. These two pictures are a good analysis of this movement. Notice in the second picture that the star is not at all slurred, demonstrating the stability of my camera mount. Thanks to R. David Anderson PATERSON – On August 27, 2004, the driver was on I-5 at 2 PM, when he saw a strange disc, and when he returned four hours later driving north on I-5 in almost the same spot he again saw the object. First he saw the sun reflecting on an aircraft banking, but when he looked harder it disappeared. So whatever it was, it seemed to be moving to reposition itself to be camouflaged against the sky. But, unlike others, which I have noticed over airports at times, this object was in the same area moving again to "reposition" itself with a flash or glint of sun reflecting off a silver metal disc before totally disappearing. There was no noise from engines. Four hours later he saw it over a power line grid off the interstate about 500 to 1000 feet up. SAN JUAN BATISTA – The witnesses were driving on SR Hwy 101 on August 31, 2004, at 8:45 PM, when they noticed a large shining object in the sky. It was very bright, like a star but moving like a plane at first, and then a smaller bright object dropped out of the bottom of the craft and fell directly under it. They report, "We never saw a flash like a crash, it just disappeared from sight, but the larger object stayed in the area, and we finally drove further south and could no longer see it." Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Washington – Three Craft NORDLAND -- On August 30, 2004, a family observed three craft in formation at an excessive rate of speed flying at 150 to 200 feet above Puget Sound. At 8:45 PM, three craft flying in a triangular formation were spotted. The two lead craft were about 100 feet apart flying parallel and the 3rd craft was about 200 feet back in line with the craft on the left. We could not distinguish there shape due to the darkness. They were traveling down the Puget Sound at an excessive rate of speed and once they reach about the City of Everett, Washington they stopped and hovered for several minutes. They made no sound. They were observed by myself, my wife and our 4 children. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com Alaska Stationary Object Over Coast Guard Base KODIAK ISLAND – On September 8, 2004, brothers went fishing for salmon near the COMSTA Coast Guard base and relaxed in the warm weather watching contrails from jets departing from Anchorage from 2 to 3 PM. A silvery dot was maintaining a precise location high in the sky while the contrails drifted over the mountain tops. There was almost no wind so it was unlikely to be a weather balloon. It was in and out of the contrails but never moved anywhere across the sky. The witness was a former Air Force member. The silver dot was suspended there. The high altitude contrails didn't blow away either but simply expanded and grew thinner. The craft must have been quite high because it was obscured but did NOT disappear within the contrails. When we left it was still there, after two hours in the same spot and it stayed in the same position even as the jets passed by every ten minutes. A few lower clouds were moving across the tops of the mountains. http://209.165.152.119/radios/commsta.html Canada – Corporate Jet Pilots See UFOs EDMONTON, ALBERTA -- "I am a highly experienced corporate jet pilot operating out of the West Coast of British Columbia. I was a crew member on our company aircraft during the early morning hours of Sunday, May 10, 2004 on a flight from Syracuse, New York to Calgary, Alberta. No passengers were on board, only the two pilot crew. As we approached Empress, Alberta at 39,000 feet and preparing for descent, we noticed a very bright light in the northwest sky at about 12 degrees above the horizon. As the bright light (same intensity as Venus or Jupiter) traveled southeast and came closer it "seemed" to transform into nine plus objects. The other pilot maintains that there were twelve objects. The salient feature was that the three trailing objects were 1/3 of the brightness of the forward numbers which were at least as bright as Venus at 12:23 AM. The objects appeared to be flying in an organized formation at 700 to 1000 nautical miles per hour and possibly very much faster. There was no apparent trajectory and the lights appeared to maintain a perfectly level altitude throughout the duration. We were in perfectly clear conditions and we have the absolute conviction this was NOT a meteor, nor a meteor breaking up because of a total lack of trajectory. The objects were flying at about 10,000 feet at a distance of perhaps 5-15 nautical miles at their closest point. Distances and altitudes can be extremely hard to judge with certainty. Both pilots agree the duration of the event was about 15 seconds. There was no other aircraft in the vicinity this early Sunday morning since this occurrence was definitely spectacular enough that other aircraft would have asked Edmonton Centre what this was? HBCC UFO Note: There were six other reports, some spectacular, that occurred at, or near Edmonton during our time frame. (Pilots words: (If one considers there is linkage to these events (ours to one or more of the other 3), and considering the others apparently involve low altitude movements (close to treetops) it all becomes very very intriguing). I now wonder what really did take place that early morning, knowing that these lights were making low altitude movements "close to treetops" ! Thanks to Brian Vike, Director HBCC UFO England – Cigar and Intensely White Object LONDON -- We were in busy traffic on Finchley Road on August 29, 2004, at 10:30 PM, when we saw a completely dark round object that stuck out like a sore thumb in the clear sky. The object was the brightest object in the sky and glowed intensely white and then stayed like that for a good 15 seconds before fading out and disappearing from view. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com

ALDERSHOT -- The sighting of a mystery object in the sky over the weekend has baffled passers-by, air traffic control experts and Army officials. A couple spotted the object on Saturday September 4, 2004, as they played with their sons in Aldershot Park. The cigar-shaped object appeared in the sky at about 2:15 PM, and the family watched it ducking around for around 20 minutes. “It caught our attention because it didn’t move like an aircraft,” said the mother. It was a shiny cylinder-shaped object with random moves and it turned and flew horizontally, vertically and diagonally.” The News received several other calls about sightings. The director of Farnborough International Airport Ann Bartaby said the object was nothing to do with them. The Army said, “We were not flying any type of cylinder-shaped aircraft on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to Jim Hickman and Skywatch-International. To Become A Member Of Skywatch-International, http://www.skywatch-international.org/skywatch_membership_application.pdf Spain - Bright white lights MURCIA, Mazarron -- On August 30, 2004, at 8:45 PM, with some light from the setting sun the witness saw a pinprick of white light at the edge of his vision. He spotted two objects of pinhead size, bright white in intensity, that lasted only a fraction of a second. Shortly after that there was a further flash of light for a fraction of a second, but this was much larger, about a quarter of an inch across. The sky was clear and light enough to have seen an airplane or helicopter, and I neither saw nor heard anything. The sighting lasted about one minute.www.UFOCenter.com Sri Lanka – Six Lights ATHRUGIRIYA – The witnesses including two medical doctors saw six blinking large stationary stars in a straight line towards west northwest on August 30, 2004, at 8:45 PM. Except for the second star that moved towards the first, all the others were stationary. These were bigger than normal stars and their colors varied from pinkish, orange to silver. Blinking was more pronounced than normal stars. After some time two stars disappeared and the second star of the remaining four stars, moved towards the adjacent star. After some time, two more stars disappeared. Finally the two that merged faded away. The whole episode took about 15-20 minutes. No other stars could be seen and these were unusually bright and aligned in a straight line, with one star moving towards the other and pronounced blinking. One of the observers has a PhD. in Economics. Other witnesses were two housewives, three children and pool attendants. Thanks to Peter Davenport Director www.UFOCenter.com

USING MULTISTATIC PASSIVE RADAR FOR REAL-TIME DETECTION OF UFO’S IN THE NEAR-EARTH ENVIRONMENT Copyright 2004 Peter B. Davenport All rights reserved. Author: Peter B. Davenport Director, National UFO Reporting Center Seattle, Washington ABSTRACT: The author proposes a system for the remote, real-time detection of UFO’s in the near- Earth environment, using passive, multi-static, frequency-modulated (FM) radar. The system capitalizes on the use of multiple, time-synchronized radio receivers to capture high-frequency radio signals reflected from a target. The time-lapse between received signals, together with three-dimensional Doppler-shift analysis, permits calculation of a target’s location, velocity, acceleration, flight path, and other parameters, possibly to include target size estimation. Signal analysis of the reflected signal, combined with analysis of target characteristics, will permit discrimination between suspected UFO’s, and targets of terrestrial origin, e.g. aircraft, satellites, space debris, meteor trails, upper atmospheric conditions, weather phenomena, migratory birds, the Moon, etc.. One application proposed may allow detection of UFO’s out to a range of at least 27,600 kilometers from the Earth’s surface. PREFACE The national debate over whether UFO’s are a real objects, i.e. sophisticated, extraterrestrial craft under intelligent control, was sparked on June 24th, 1947, by the now famous sighting of a cluster of disc-shaped objects near Mt. Rainier in Washington State by Mr. Kenneth Arnold, a former World War II fighter pilot. Upon landing at Pendleton, OR, after his sighting, Arnold was interviewed by reporters, to whom he reputedly described the objects as “saucers,” a statement which quickly gave rise to the term, “flying saucer.” Whether personnel in the U. S. Government were aware of the existence of UFO’s, and of their significance, prior to the Arnold sighting is unclear. However, the reports by air crews during World War II of “Foo Fighters,” peculiar objects seen to pace military aircraft over Europe, must have captured the attention of senior military and intelligence personnel, even if those personnel were unaware of their cause or origin. Since those early events, the field of UFO investigation has relied primarily on eyewitness accounts, hundreds of thousands of which have been collected by UFO investigators and organizations over the last 57 years. Some of those sightings have been supplemented by photographic evidence, physical trace evidence, or radar data, the latter collected almost exclusively by government agencies, e.g. the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Weather Service, or military facilities.  Many radar intercepts of suspected UFO’s have been captured since the early 1950’s, but because of the limitations of traditional radar, those events have not been convincing, to everyone’s satisfaction. PURPOSE This is not a technical paper. Rather, it is intended to convey a general concept to a nontechnical community of readers in the field of UFO research. Its principal purpose is to alert the UFO community to the fact that new developments in passive, multi-static radar, and in related technologies, will permit, for the first time in the history of ufology, remote, real-time detection of UFO’s in the near-Earth environment. Moreover, not only will the proposed system detect the presence of suspected UFO’s, but also, it will permit determination of their flight characteristic, e.g. velocity, acceleration, flight path, and perhaps size. The technology described here is not theoretical. Rather, it already exists, it is relatively inexpensive, and it does not require a great deal of technical acumen to operate. Passive radar is a quantum improvement over traditional radar, with regard to its capability to detect fast-moving targets, and targets at large distances. The author does not fail to recognize that this paper may cause some discomfiture in certain circles within the U. S. government, and perhaps elsewhere. The technology addressed here will permit detection of UFO’s in the vicinity of our planet, if in fact such objects exist, and if they reflect electromagnetic radiation. This new technical capability may represent a challenge to the traditional monopoly that the world’s governments seem to have enjoyed with regard to “hard” evidence surrounding the possible visitation of Earth by alien life forms. In brief, the technology may allow the resolution of the question as to the existence of UFO’s. DEFINITIONS Electromagnetic Radiation—A term synonymous with “radio waves.” Radio waves can vary in frequency, with the higher frequency radio waves having shorter wavelength, and lower frequency radio waves having a longer wavelength. All radio waves propagate at the speed of light. Examples of electromagnetic radiation are radio and television signals, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultra-violet, X-rays, gamma rays. All of these forms of electromagnetic energy differ only by virtue of their respective frequencies. Radar—Any system that uses reflected electromagnetic radiation to detect the presence of an object. Analysis of the reflected radio signal can be used to calculate certain characteristics of a target. Active Radar--Traditional radar employs 1) a transmitter, which radiates a (usually) narrow beam of radio waves, and 2) a receiver, which detects the reflected signal. 2  Passive Radar—A type of radar system which uses one (or more) receiver(s), but which has no active transmitter. The system detects ambient radio signals, emanating from nearby radio transmitters. Potential sources of electromagnetic radiation that can be exploited by a passive radar system include 1) commercial radio and television signals, 2) signals from cell telephone towers, 3) sources from space-borne platforms, and others. Mono-static Radar—A radar system in which the transmitter and receiver are 1) stationary, and 2) located at the same position. Bistatic Radar—A radar system in which its elements, either the transmitter(s), and/or receiver(s), are 1) stationary, and 2) in different locations. Multistatic Radar—Similar to bistatic radar, except that it employs more than two stationary transmitters and/or receivers. Frequency Modulation (FM)—Alteration of the frequency of a transmitted radio signal. Amplitude Modulation (AM)—Alteration of the amplitude of a transmitted radio signal. Signal Analysis—Measurement of various characteristics of a radio signal, to include its shape, duration, time of transmission or intercept, etc.. Many aspects of a signal can be measured quite accurately, and very quickly, by modern electronic circuitry. Doppler-shift Analysis—Measurement of the shift in frequency of a reflected radio wave, caused by the motion of the target either toward, or away from, a receiver or transmitter. Often, the frequency-shift usually is very small, but it nevertheless can be measured quite accurately. Phased-Array Antenna—A type of antenna, which employs a number of small elements, instead of a single, large element. Phased-array antennas can be used either for transmitting, or receiving, a radio signal. By precise timing of when each of the individual elements transmits its respective portion of a radio signal, the direction in which the overall signal is transmitted can be precisely controlled. If the time at which a signal is received by each element in a receiver array is measured precisely, the direction from which the signal was transmitted (or reflected) can be measured. Continuous Wave—A radio signal, which is transmitted as an un-modulated sine wave. Hence, its frequency is constant. Global Positioning System—A system, referred to as “GPS,” which allows very precise determination of location. The system employs time-synchronized radio signals transmitted from overhead satellites, which allows very precise determination of not only position, but time, as well. The system uses very precise time-lapse measurement to calculate the distance from each of several transmitting satellites, which, in turn, permits very precise calculation of the distance from each of the satellites transmitting the signal. 3  INTRODUCTION The principle of radar employs the fact that some materials reflect electromagnetic radiation (“ER”). Examples of objects that reflect ER are most metallic items, the Earth’s ionosphere, ionized “trails” behind meteors, satellites, re-entering space debris, the Moon, the surface of the Earth, migratory birds, etc.. Many materials, e.g. air, wood, plastic, most glass, etc., may not reflect electromagnetic radiation. Whether a target reflects a radar signal can depend on its size, the material it is made of, and the frequency of the impinging electromagnetic radiation, etc.. Active Radar Radar technology has become dramatically more sophisticated since its invention during the 1930’s, but traditional “active” radar, which uses a co-located transmitter and receiver, operates fundamentally the same as it did over half a century ago. The transmitter radiates usually a very narrow, high-power beam of radio waves, which is scanned over the target area. When the beam strikes a target, if the transmitted signal is reflected by the target, that reflected signal is detected by the system’s antenna and receiver. With signal analysis of the reflected wave, azimuth and elevation of the target can be calculated. In addition, the range to the target can be calculated from the elapsed time required for the signal to reach the target and return to the receiver antenna. As effective as traditional, active radar has become since its invention in the 1930’s, it nevertheless has certain characteristics, which make it less than optimal, particularly for detection of very high-velocity targets. Some of those characteristics are the following: • Given that active radar requires both a transmitter and receiver, an active radar system usually is expensive and bulky. • Because an active system requires a high power output, it is expensive to operate. • Most active radar systems are not easily portable. • When an active radar system is in operation, its transmitter is easily detectable. • Operation of the transmitter requires an FCC operator’s license. • Detection of a target often is intermittent, e.g. every few seconds, not continuous. • Range and altitude data usually are limited by the power of the transmitter. • Some systems require multiple transmitters and/or receivers for obtaining three- dimensional information. 4  • “Raw” radar returns often have to be filtered, in order for an operator to be able to make sense of them. • An active system can be defeated by ground clutter, or debris in the atmosphere. • False signals, called “aliases” or “ghosts,” can appear in the system, making interpretation difficult. Several of the characteristics listed above combine to limit the effectiveness for detection of UFO’s with traditional, active radar. The intermittent nature of the system, i.e. illumination of the target only very briefly every few seconds, limits the system’s ability to identify some targets unambiguously. If the target moves a large distance between subsequent detections of the target, for example, the system operator might conclude that the target is an anomaly, i.e. an “alias” or “ghost” return, and not realize its significance. In addition, the expense of building and operating such a system can be prohibitive for the average researcher, and operation of a transmitter requires a federal license. Except for low-power navigational radar systems on private boats and aircraft, most radar systems in the United States are operated by government agencies. Hence, government employees are often the only ones to see the radar data collected by present-day, active radar systems, and the information may not be freely available to the public. Although there are many instances in the UFO archives of detection of UFO’s by active radar, such intercepts are relatively few, compared to the number of eyewitness accounts of reported UFO sightings. Hence, there is considerable room for improvement in radar detection of UFO’s, beyond what has been possible over the last half century with traditional, active radar systems. Passive Radar The concept of passive radar detection, using reflected ambient radio signal emanating from a distant transmitter, is not a new concept. The idea was first addressed seriously as early as the 1950’s. The fact that various U. S. Government agencies have been interested, for decades, in the possibility of detecting aerial or surface targets by using passive radar is indicated by the conferences held during the late 1960’s, and the research projects that those conferences addressed. The Project “May Bell” Technical Workshop, sponsored by Raytheon Company, and held in Burlington, MA, on May 18-22, 1970, is evidence of an early interest in this the application of passive radar. The list of attendees of that conference reads like a “Who’s Who” of the defense and intelligence communities. One of the subordinate projects within Project “May Bell” that was discussed at that conference was “Project Aquarius,” sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA Order No. 1459), and conducted by the Sylvania Electronic Defense 5  Laboratories, Mountain View, CA. “Project Aquarius” was a research project, designed to test the feasibility of detecting submarine-launched ballistic missiles and low-flying aircraft, using a bi-static, passive radar system. Figure 1: Cover pages of the Project "May Bell" Technical Workshop and Project "Aquarius" Quarterly Report ( 1970). The fact that interest in passive radar for defense applications continues into the 21st Century is indicated by the Third Multinational Conference: Passive and Covert Radar (PCR: 2003), held at the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, on October 21-23, 2003. The attendees included personnel from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the U. S. Air Force Research Laboratories, the U. S. National Intelligence Council, NATO, the Lockheed- Martin Company, The Boeing Company, and from several U. S. and foreign academic institutions. The ranks and titles of personnel present at that conference underscore the professional interest in passive radar, and the fact that it is a technology that today is being viewed as having become technically feasible. The principal host of the Seattle conference was Professor John Sahr, Ph.D., from the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, in Seattle. Professor Sahr currently operates a passive, FM radar for imaging small, i.e. meter range, changes of the Earth’s ionosphere, using reflected FM radio signals from commercial radio and television stations. Details of that system are discussed later, and can be seen at the following website: http://rrsl.ee.washington.edu/Projects/Manastash/ 6  Figure 2: From a website announcing the University of Washington symposium on passive and covert radar, held October 21-23, 2003. That governmental, military, and intelligence offices are interested in passive FM radar systems is explained by the fact that it has certain properties which make the technology ideally suited to present day demands for surveillance and defense. Some of those advantages, and some of the other attractive characteristics of passive radar, are listed below: • Passive radar requires no active transmitter, only multiple receivers. • A passive radar system detects targets continuously, often, multiple times per second. • A passive radar system cannot be detected when in operation, since it has no active transmitter as an element of the system. • Passive radar can detect targets over a wide area, whose radius often is measured in hundreds, or thousands, of kilometers. • A passive radar system is relatively inexpensive, requiring nothing more than a receiver, a very accurate time source, and adequate signal processing capability. • Construction and operation of the system requires no government licenses, and therefore, is not controlled by any governmental licensing agency. • A passive system can be operated in virtually any location. The principal hurdle encountered in the development of sophisticated passive radar systems has been having enough computer computational power be able to process very large volumes of data. Real-time signal processing for a small-scale passive system, using two receiver stations, typically requires computer computational capacity in excess of 10-giga operations per second (GOPS). Such computational capacity has become available only relatively recently. Hence, computational capacity no longer is a limiting factor, a fact which has given rise to renewed interest in passive radar systems for applications other than just large-scale military purposes. The relatively recent deployment of the U. S. Global Positioning System is another development that has made passive radars feasible. GPS allows very accurate time measurement, which is a necessary for very precise time synchronization of radio 7  receivers. The GPS system also allows very accurate measurement of the location of receiver antennas. Examples of Passive Radars Although passive radar systems have been relatively rare over past decades, the concept behind the principles they employ, i.e. reflecting a transmitted radio signal to a remote receiver, has not been without precedent. Several examples of the use of reflecting a radio signal to a remote receiver are cited below: The Moon—The U. S. Navy began experiments in 1954, designed to bounce radio signals off of the surface of Earth’s moon. The project was called “Communication by Moon Relay” (“CMR”), and its principal objective was to allow direct radio communication between Washington, D.C., and Hawaii. Echo I and II—The Echo I and II satellites, little more than gas-filled balloons with an aluminized coating, were launched by NASA on August 12, 1960, and January 25, 1964, respectively. The purpose of the project was to create a high-altitude (800-900 km) “reflector” for radio transmissions emanating from surface-based transmitters. The satellites permitted “skipping” a transmitted signal to a remote receiver at a location over the horizon from the transmitter’s location. Figure 3: Postage stamp issued to commemorate the launching of Echo I. Note simulated radio signals being reflected off the surface of the satellite. Over-the-Horizon Radar--Military agencies have been interested in the concept of increasing the range of a radar system by reflecting a transmitted radar signal off the Earth’s ionosphere (e-region), thereby projecting it a signal to targets over the horizon. Projects designed to achieve that goal have experienced varying degrees of success. Meteor-Scatter Communications Technology--Ham radio operators have known for years that the ionized trails of hot gas, generated by meteors entering the Earth’s atmosphere, could be used for as short-lived, e.g. 1-5 seconds, reflection points for transmitting radio signals over the horizon to a distant receiver. The system has been in use for many decades, and commercial technologies have been built on the principle of using ionized trails behind meteors for bouncing radio waves to distant receivers. Meteor Communications Corporation, Kent, WA, has built “meteor-scatter” systems since 1975. U. S. Space Command--The U. S. Navy operates an extensive radar system, often referred to as “The Fence,” elements of which stretch from San Diego, CA, to Ft. Stewart, GA. The system is designed to detect, and measure, the trajectories of objects in Earth orbit. The transmitters radiate an extremely high-power (768 kW radiated power), high-frequency (216.98 mhz) continuous-wave (“CW”) radio signal, which is broadcast 8  through a series of phased-array antennas, forming a thin “fan” of electromagnetic energy, radiating out into space above the Earth. When an orbiting object penetrates the radiated beam, the signal reflected by the object is recorded by multiple, time- synchronized receivers on the surface. The system is reported to be sensitive enough to be able to detect an object 10 centimeters in diameter out to a distance of 27,600 kilometers from the surface, a distance equal to approximately two Earth diameters. Presumably, larger objects can be detected to a considerably greater distance. Figure 4: Map showing locations of elements of the U. S. Naval Surveillance System, also called “The Fence.” (Illustration provided by Ray-Paul Nielsen.) Lockheed-Martin “Silent Sentry” Passive Surveillance System—A passive, all weather surveillance system, designed to detect targets using reflected radio signals from commercial FM radio stations. The system was first announced in 1998, and was awarded the Aviation Week & Space Technology “Technology Innovation Award” in 1999. University of Washington Passive Ionosphere Imaging Radar System—The University of Washington Department of Electrical Engineering maintains a passive FM radar system for imaging small-scale fluctuations the Earth’s ionosphere, a project supported by the National Science Foundation. The system employs commercial FM radio signals (88 to 108 mhz) as a source, which are reflected off the ionosphere and detected by receivers several hundred miles distant, on the opposite side of the Cascade Mountains. FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF A PASSIVE RADAR SYSTEM A detailed technical description of a passive, multi-static radar system is beyond the scope of this paper. However, an attempt is made below to describe in general terms, and step by step, the operational elements of a passive radar system. Construction of System Construction of a passive, multi-static FM radar system is a relatively simple matter, compared to the complexity of building an active system. The principal elements of a single, bi-static, passive radar system include the following items: 9  • A sensitive FM receiver, designed to detect a radio signal, typically in the 30-230 mHz frequency range, depending on the type of target to be detected. • A modern, high-speed computer with sufficient capability to record a large number of intercepts per second, and to perform very rapid signal processing. • Appropriate software for rapid signal processing, to include calculation of three- dimensional Doppler-shift information. • Access to GPS equipment for accurate time and position measurement. • Knowledge about, or access to, the original transmitted radio signal. Operation of System Interception Phase 1) Multiple receiver antennas are deployed, such that they are shielded from direct, line-of-sight communication with the FM transmitter of choice, but which are able to detect any reflected signals from the target area. 2) The system antennas are connected to a radio receiver, which is tuned to the original transmitter frequency. 3) Accurate time-measuring equipment (usually from the GPS system) is applied, such that the time of arrival of a reflected signal at each receiver antenna can be measured very accurately. 4) The precise frequency of each of the reflected signals received by each of the receiver antennas is measured and recorded. Signal Processing Phase Once an intercept of a reflected signal is recorded, a process that can be effected hundreds or thousands of times per second, the intercepted signal can be analyzed in a number of ways, in order to extract information from the signal. 5) The time that a reflected signal is intercepted at each of the respective multiple antennas can be applied to triangulate the location of the reflected signal. 6) Multiple calculations of location of the target can be applied to calculate velocity, acceleration, and flight path of the target. 7) Any very subtle shift in frequency (Doppler-shift) of a reflected signal, caused by the movement of the target relative to the location of a fixed antenna, can be 10  compared with the frequency of the original transmitted signal in order to calculate velocity of the target. Target Discrimination Phase Once data are obtained for any given target or event, these data then can be used for analysis of what the source, or cause, of the reflected signal might have been. Probably the most useful elements information for determining what may have been the nature of a target are its location, elevation, duration, velocity, acceleration, and flight path. Analysis of any one of these parameters might be sufficient to rule out the likelihood of one, or more, categories of targets. For example, migratory birds would not be expected above a certain altitude or velocity. Similarly, most aircraft would be observed below a certain altitude, and would not be expected to be stationary. A meteor would not be stationary. Other categories of targets could be ruled out by similar lines of reasoning. A typical bi-static system is illustrated in Figure 5. It indicates 1) exploitation of a commercial FM transmitter, 2) the shielding (by a landmass) of the remote receiver from the transmitter, 3) access to the original transmitted signal, and 4) the path of a reflected signal. Figure 5: Schematic of typical passive, bi-static radar system. ( Note Reference Receiver on left,, necessary for registering original transmitted signal.). (Source: Prof. John Sahr, jdsahr@u.washington.edu; http://rrsl.ee.washington.edu/) A multi-static system has at least three receiver sites, necessary for three-dimensional triangulation to the reflection point, and also to allow calculation of Doppler-shift in three dimensions. Figure 6 illustrates a multi-static passive system, which 1) employs two transmitters, and 2) two sets of four antennas for each station. As the number of transmitters and receivers is increased, the amount of information generated by the system grows rapidly, and the amount of computational capacity grows exponentially. 11  Figure 6: A multi-static, passive array, employing two transmitters, and two sets of receivers, each with four antennas. (Source: Prof. John Sahr, jdsahr@u.washington.edu; http://rrsl.ee.washington.edu/) PROPOSED DETECTION SYSTEMS Scenario 1: Use of Commercial FM Radio and Television Signals Given the large number of high-power commercial broadcasting stations in the United States, they offer a readily available source of broadcast FM signal (88-108 mHz, for radio) for use by a typical multi-static radar system. Pre-requisites for operation of a passive radar system are that 1) the signal processor have access to the original broadcast signal, which serves as a reference, and 2) that the transmitter not be “visible” by the receivers, i.e. it is over the horizon from the receivers, or somehow “shielded” from them. With the receiver tuned to the operating frequency of any broadcasting station, intercepts by the system can be ascribed to a nearby reflection point, either in the atmosphere, or on the surface. Comparison of the received signal with the original broadcast signal will provide information as to the nature of the target. With sufficient signal analysis capability, location of the target, its velocity, acceleration, and flight path, and perhaps estimates of its size, should be able to be calculated. This information should be adequate for performing discrimination between different types of targets. Scenario 2: Use of the U. S. Navy Surveillance System Transmitter The nature of the phased-array transmissions used by the U. S. Navy Surveillance System for detecting and tracking orbiting objects makes it ideal for amateur tracking of targets in the near-Earth environment, or beyond. The system transmitters broadcast a very high-power (768 kW), high frequency (216.98 mHz) continuous-wave signal, which should permit of easy detection, and high-resolution, of objects in the vicinity of the 12  system’s three transmitters. Given that the system is designed to permit the detection of a target approximately 10 centimeters in diameter out to a distance of 27,600 kilometers, detection of a target whose diameter is on the order of ten meters out to that range would be a trivial process. Figure 7: Artist’s conception of the “fan” of radiated electromagnetic signal from the U. S. Navy’s Surveillance System, and how a target might reflect the signal. (Illustration by Ray- Paul Nielsen.) Scenario 3: Adaptation of University of Washington Passive System Personnel at the University of Washington, Seattle, have developed a working bi-static radar system, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, for meter-scale imaging of the e-region of the Earth’s atmosphere. The system may be able to be duplicated, and adapted, for tracking objects in the near-Earth environment. The system probably would have to be transformed into a multi-static system, with multiple antennas, in order to permit three-dimensional imaging capability, and the signal processing capability might have to be expanded dramatically to permit real-time processing of rapidly moving targets. However, with sufficient resource and technical personal, such a project seems feasible. Figure 8: Photo of bi-static system currently in operation at the University of Washington, Seattle. (Source: Prof. John Sahr, jdsahr@u.washington.edu;http://rrsl.ee.washington.edu/) CONCLUSIONS • Within recent decades, because of both 1) the advent of high-speed computers, and 2) the deployment of the Global Positioning System, passive, multi-static radar systems have become technologically feasible. Passive radar technology has developed to the extent that it is now being discussed for use not only in defense and intelligence applications, but in the civilian sector, as well. The day 13  is rapidly approaching, or perhaps has already has arrived, when the UFO community will have the technical ability to operate radar systems, which should allow unambiguous determination as to whether UFO’s visit the near-Earth environment. • Whereas some projects, dedicated to detecting intelligent life in the Universe, cost tens of millions of dollars per year to operate, a system of multi-static, passive radar receivers may permit detection of UFO’s for vastly less expense. • If the application of passive radar for detecting UFO’s is successful in confirming their existence in the near-Earth environment, the application of new technology proposed by this paper will serve to challenge the apparent monopoly that the U. S. Government, and other governments, presently enjoy with regard to knowledge of that fact. Governments no longer will be able to conceal the existence of the UFO phenomenon from the world community. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Many individuals, companies, and institutions contributed to my understanding of the subject of passive radar, and to the preparation of this paper. I owe a large debt of gratitude to all them, as well as to others, who made minor contributions. I list below the major contributors in the order in which they appeared on the stage of this production: Mr. Fred Johnson, Enumclaw, WA; Meteor Communications Corporation, Kent, WA; Mr. Robert B. Frost, Seattle, WA; Christian Stepien, NUFORC webmaster, Seattle, WA; Dr. Donald Johnson, Ph.D., Seattle, WA; Mr. Mark Cashman, State Director (former), MUFON/Connecticut; Mr. Robert S. VunKannon, Kennewick, WA; Prof. John Sahr, Ph.D., Dept. of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Mr. Jim Klotz, Computer UFO Network (“CUFON”), Seattle, WA; Mr. Ray-Paul Nielsen, Illustrator, Seattle, WA. REFERENCES Davenport, P. B., On Detecting UFO’s with “Meteor-Scatter” Communications Technology, The MUFON Journal, No. 379, November 1999. Hall, P.W., Correlative range - Doppler detectors and estimators in bistatic radar using commercial FM broadcasts, MS thesis, Univ. of Wash., Seattle, 1995. Hansen, J.M., A new radar technique for remote sensing of atmospheric irregularities by passive observation of the scattering of commercial FM broadcasts, MS thesis, Univ. of Wash., Seattle, 1994. Lind, F. D., J.D. Sahr, and D.M. Gidner, First passive radar observations of auroral E region irregularities, Geophys. Res. Lett. Vol. 26 , No. 14 , July 15, 1999; p. 2155. 14  Proceedings of the “May Bell” Technical Workshop, Publ. By the Raytheon Company Spencer Laboratory, Burlington, Massachusetts, May 18-22, 1970. Sahr, J.D., and F. D. Lind, The Manastash Ridge radar: a passive bistatic radar for upper atmospheric radio science, Radio Science. Vol.32, No.6; Nov.-Dec. 1997; p.2345-58. Standley, R., Snow, K., Project Aquarius Quarterly Report (U), Sylvania Electronic Defense Laboratories, Mountain View, California, March 2, 1970. Copyright Peter B. Davenport 2004. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted to MUFON for publication in Proceedings for 2004 Symposium.