[GreenKeys] AT&T microwave tower

[Don Robert House]

I communicated with a man in California that bought an ATT microwave  
tower and turned it into a museum.
The older links that are still used (mostly for backup and alternate  
routing) are across the Rocky Mountains.
You will notice that the only large RBOC that little at&t (aka SBC)  
has not bought is Qwest.  The former Mountain Bell.
That is because Qwest has the highest facility maintenance costs in  
the nation.

Don


On 8 Jan 2009, at 12:02 PM, Larry Tighe wrote:

Go here for ATT towers.

http://www.drgibson.com/towers/

I recently sold mine....5000 sq ft bldg, 1 ft thick walls and atomic  
bomb "proof" built in the '60s to resist Russian attacks on the NYC  
and Phila. area...tower was 250 feet tall with 4 horns.  Generator was  
150 KW !!!

Last surviving ATT microwave links I've heard of were out west and  
survived a massive forest fire.

lar
----- Original Message -----
From: amourdutigre
To: Greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 12:56 PM
Subject: [GreenKeys] AT&T microwave tower

The microwave tube on e-bay stirred a question in my mind that would  
go nicely here...

When I was a young boy, I remember seeing along the country highways  
these relatively low, broad for their height unguyed towers that had  
giant microwave horns shooting in opposite directions. They were fed  
with what I assume was wave guide. There was always a huge red  
aviation warning light on top even though the towers were relatively  
short, and there was always a late forties early fifties vintage brick  
and masonry building at the base of the tower with fence around it and  
a locked gate. I remember seeing these from the mid sixties to the mid  
seventies, and I assume that they were around a lot longer before.  
They were usually along the old (non-interstate...most of those had  
not been completed at the time) country highways. I have not seen one  
in many years.

Along the same lines, many of the old telephone buildings had a  
rectangular enclosed tower on their roofs that had the same type of  
horn array. Now, only one telephone building any where around where I  
live has one left, probably because it has not been dismantled. The  
telephone building in Kansas City, MO had one on it for years before  
it was removed, and it used to be a prominent part of the skyline. Now  
it is gone.

Are there anymore of these microwave links left? Just before I started  
noticing that they were disappearing, I noticed that the horns were  
being replaced with passive reflectors that were themselves being  
illuminated by dishes at the base of the tower shooting straight up.

I would love to hear more about these facilities, and any of the  
history surrounding them. Though I have never worked in the telecom  
industry, I have always had a great fascination with it, and have  
collected many artifacts associated with it.

Best and 73,

Joe KB0TXC


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