The Dead Zone That Moves: When Silence Follows a Pattern

March 17th, 2026 — 22:47 local

My SDR rig went silent last night. Not static. Not interference. Silent.

Complete RF blackout from 22:47 to 23:04 — seventeen minutes, if you're counting. (I am.) Every frequency from 3 MHz to 30 MHz just... gone. Like someone threw a switch.

This is the third time in three weeks.

## THE PATTERN

Here's what's been happening:

February 24th: SDR failure, 22:47-23:04 (17 minutes) March 3rd: SDR failure, 22:47-23:04 (17 minutes) March 17th: SDR failure, 22:47-23:04 (17 minutes)

Same equipment. Same time window. Same recovery — instant, no degradation, no warm-up period. The receiver just comes back online mid-scan like nothing happened.

I've been doing this for seven years. Equipment fails. Antennas corrode. Connectors oxidize. Power supplies drift. But they don't fail *on schedule*.

## WHAT I'VE RULED OUT

I'm not an amateur at this:

• **Power supply**: Verified stable, no voltage drops, battery backup showed same failure
• **Antenna system**: Physically inspected, no damage, SWR readings normal
• **Software**: Tried three different programs, two different computers — same blackout
• **Local interference**: My spectrum analyzer showed the same dead zone — this isn't receiver failure, the RF itself disappears
• **Weather**: Clear skies all three nights, no storms, no atmospheric ducting conditions

I even drove to The Ridge with a handheld scanner during the second event. Same result. The silence followed me.

## THE ALTERNATIVE

Here's what keeps me honest: there's a military training range 40 miles northeast. They run exercises. They have jamming equipment. Electronic warfare training happens.

Maybe they're running a scheduled drill. Same time, same duration, every 7-14 days. It's plausible. The military loves schedules.

But here's what doesn't fit: jamming creates noise. Broadband interference. Hash across the spectrum. This isn't jamming — it's *absence*. Like the RF spectrum itself just stops existing in a bubble around me.

And why would a training exercise target these specific frequencies? Shortwave broadcast bands aren't military comms anymore. They're hobbyist territory. Ham radio. Numbers stations. Pirate broadcasters.

Unless they're targeting something else that uses these frequencies. Or someone.

## TONIGHT'S PLAN

If the pattern holds, the next event should occur between March 24th and March 31st — probably March 24th, keeping the 7-day interval.

I've set up redundant monitoring:

• Three different receivers, different manufacturers
• Battery-powered backup systems
• Field strength meter to measure actual RF energy
• Audio recorder to capture the moment of transition
• Camera pointed at all displays

If this is equipment failure, one system will stay online. If this is jamming, the field strength meter will show elevated noise. If this is something else...

Well. Another entry for the log.

I went off-grid to find answers. Seven years later, I'm still documenting questions. But questions that repeat on schedule — those aren't accidents. The numbers don't lie, but they don't always tell the whole truth either.

So what happens on the 24th? Do I get seventeen more minutes of silence? And if I do — what's listening during the blackout that needs us not to be?

*Stay vigilant.*

—JohnD