[Milsurplus] Aleutian campaign factoids

[Lloyd KK7IZ]

I was stationed at Cold Bay on 1984 as part of a helicopter support team 
drilling off the Prebilof Islands (sic?) .
There were many "artifacts" still in existence. You could see where 
virtually every quonset hut cluster was or had been. There was also a large 
radar dome or enclosure that had been abandoned. One of the natives had 
filled it up with abandoned equipment. First comes to mind stacks of some 
kind of monitor receivers, 19" rack panel, 4 or 5" high, each covered 
several bands as I recall. Think there were different sets for different 
freq ranges. Part of the old DEW line monitoring system, I guess. Also 
HRO's, Nationals, and others dissolving in the humidity. It was private 
property so did not try to take anything.
I did take a lot of pix, but not of things I should have.
There was also an old B-17 on the tundra marsh that was just left there.
BTW I understand Cold Bay is an emergency alternate landing site for the 
space shuttle. It is also the last ILS airport headed west until you get to 
Korea.
Thanx
Lloyd  KK7IZ
kk7iz at cox.net
Thanx
Lloyd  KK7IZ
kk7iz at cox.net


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hue Miller" <kargo_cult at msn.com>
To: <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 11:56 AM
Subject: RE: [Milsurplus] Aleutian campaign factoids


Some of the already existing weather stations no doubt had some kind of hut 
and gas engine
generator. However after the Japanese bases were built, some more weather 
stations were
put in place so US air forces planners could plan their air attacks. These 
weather stations
must have been more simple and temporary and maybe even hidden.  The Gobi 
desert stations
unless i'm mistaken still came under the aegis of the US Navy's SACO China 
effort, and if i'm
correct in this, and i think i am, then they would have used the same set as 
the other China
stations, the TBX.  Unless maybe a longer range skywave set was needed, and 
the Navy actually
employed their 4 - 14 Mcs portable radio MBM, which is questionable. The 2 
Siberia stations -
I suspect that due to the long distance to China, maybe would have been TBW. 
I also wonder
if that gear was simply left for the Soviets when the crews were pulled out. 
I was told by a
Russian ham that he had seen a complete TBW setup once being used, 
apparently, by hams
in USSR. Maybe with the nameplate removed, hi hi ??

The Aleutian wx stations were US Army as far as i can see. That means they 
would have been
using Army equipment. Most likely. I think the Aleutian weather station 
distances to another
station would have been not much more than 50 miles. My guess. The book 
title i mentioned
in a previous post has a chapter on weather stations, decoding operations, 
and DF stations.
Shows one quonset hut DF station in a valley. Unfortunately, par for the 
course, no photos
or mention of radio equipment specifics. -H M


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