I can confirm Windy was on the air before 2009. I first caught it on Radio Shack DX-398/Sangean 909 clone that crapped out well before 2009. The antenna was a 40 meter dipole. I used to hear it in the mid-late afternoons here in the southern Appalachians. I was knocked out when I found out how little power it was running. It was a regular, reliable catch.
Thank you Pigmeat! I appreciate the contribution to the story.
McGreevy has claimed that Edson Hendricks built Windy (the "Wind" beacon) and after reading a bunch of things about Hendricks I could believe that to be possible. What is interesting is that Windy went off the air in May of 2020, McGreevy posted a weird cryptic message about Windy in June, Edson died in August of 2020 then Windy reappears in September. I think that was when Windy's voltage telemetry seemed to indicate the lead-acid battery was gone and Lithium-ions were substituted and I also suspect the external temp sensor was stuffed inside the box. Temp readings were ridiculously high to be true outside air temps. I also suspect the charging circuitry was not changed so the LiIon batteries were never properly charged, indicating low voltages or just going off the air for days. In early 2021 Windy's signal on the SDRs was showing signs frequency pulling as if the batteries can't supply enough current. Around May the signal from Windy and the battery voltage jumped up a bit as if fresh LiIons were installed.
Over the following months Windy's health again trended downwards until in September it appeared to get new batteries again. By November it was ailing and in December it was off the air again.
So if Ed is dead, who kept going out there and jamming the (wrong chemistry?) batteries into the box? I'm glad they kept at it but sorry that Windy still gave up the ghost.
