A Brief History of S.T.R.A.T.

Project S.T.R.A.T. (Special Telemetry Research and Tracking) was established in the spring of 1972. Through a dedicated effort the project became fully operational by the summer of 1973.

In the summer of 1972 the first ULF (Ultra-Low Frequency, 40 hertz to 15 kilohertz) radio marker beacon started broadcasting a 150-watt ULF sequence of electronic tone pulses towards the stars. This meager beginning was the start of a 22-year effort to better understand a great mystery.

As the fall of 1973 approached, a large wave of UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) sightings started to cover the entire country, as well as the whole world. I found myself involved in one of the most intriguing events of my younger life. During this time many UFO reports came in from the local area. Some were nothing short of astonishing!

As all of this was going on, the instruments at the project picked up some unusual electromagnetic disturbances, mostly in the form of harmonic interference (400 to 1,000 hertz), intermingled with the 60-hertz power line frequency. An oscilloscope was used in conjunction with the electric power distribution lines as a detector, to measure any unusual electromagnetic activity in the local area.

As the UFO phenomena persisted, Project S.T.R.A.T. expanded to encompass over 1,200 square feet of the home I grew up in. Over the next few years, a 16' by 38' addition was added to the house, which allowed room for one of the largest pieces of high-voltage equipment to be installed -- this two-story-high, 1,000 watt, 60,000-volt deep-space radio transmitter is comprised of four large poly-phase semi-tuned voltage impulse multipliers. These combined with other high-power, low-frequency linear amplifiers should enable the music program signal to travel great distances into space, and possibly attract the attention of any extraterrestrials passing through space near enough to the Earth to detect the signals and follow them in. This would allow for possible visual or electronic observation.

Over the past 12 years, I have been broadcasting a wide variety of jazz, ethnic, folk, and electronic music into space, for about six to eight hours daily. To more accurately "home them in", a 24-hour vertical marker beacon signal is used.

This in brief sums up the operations, and a little history of Project S.T.R.A.T. As things change, so will the project directives. More or less emphasis may be placed on electronic equipment development or new areas of scientific research.

PROJECT S.T.R.A.T. LABORATORY

'WHERE ART AND SCIENCE MERGE'

John Shepherd - artist and inventor, was born Sept. 8, 1951 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His interest in electronics began with shows like "Outer Limits", "Time Tunnel" and "Forbidden Planet",

"I always had a strong connection with electrical energy and the machines that generate and control it," says the 40-year-old artist-inventor. Sometimes he describes his work "as the embodiment of that energy into physical form and space."

John's interest in art came about indirectly from an experience in 1965 when he observed a UFO while living in Detroit. This event, combined with his interest in electricity and electronics, took him down a path that lead to an effort to contact alien life and track it on electronic instruments. This 21-year endeavour has brought John alot of national attention, including network television appearances on "P.M. Magazine" {1980} "Look at Us" with host Richard Crenna {1980} and "The Joan Rivers Show" {1989}

A story about John's work has also been published in a book titled: "In Advance of the Landing; Folk Concepts of Outer Space" by Douglas Curran{Abbeville Press} 1985. One of the more recent mentions of John's persuit is in Time-Life Books: "Mysteries of the Unknown - Alien Encounters" {1992}.

John Shepherd can be e-mailed at strat@nwcis.com. A new web site has been brought on-line, it is at http://www.nwcis.com/strat/