[MRCA] Able Archer

[Ray Fantini]

It’s never too early to start planning, although it’s about six months away been thinking of operating as an extended field unit of Able Archer again this year and kicking around the possibilities of operating from a Nike ABM site.  Been giving a lot of thought to operating from the W-25 site in Davidsonville Maryland (38.54.09N 076.38.28W)being that’s an easy site for me to get to with the trailer and do not think it would be an insurmountable task getting permission from the Anne Arundel police training academy who currently own the site. The launch site is surprisingly intact with one of the magazine doors still in place and looks to be a good location to operate from.  Another possibility may be the B-30 site in Chestertown Maryland (39.12.49N 076.13.54W) being that’s some sort of 4H park and Ag center although there is little evidence of its one time being a command and control center.
The big question will be where the AA base will be set up this year and if we can do a six meter 51.0 FM path between the two locations. I figure it’s around 110 miles between Port Clinton and the two sites down here in the low lands but if you’re on top of a mountain and I will be using a mast and beam on my end maybe there is a possibility?
Wikipedia has a great list of all the former Nike sites grouped by state located at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nike_missile_sites#Maryland.2FDistrict_of_Columbia
There is also W-26 site in Bay Bridge Maryland (39.01.42N 076.27.00W) that’s some sort of children’s theater park thing but there is only minimal amounts of the original site left. Like most of the sites today they have been redeveloped.  One of the main concerns I have with all this is finding a site that’s still has some minimal sign of what it once was and something that don’t involve dragging the trailer and mutt thru a city or other high traffic aria.
The sites I listed are all an easy drive for me and it’s just a matter of obtaining permission to operate from them.
Never realized that there were so many of these sites until I started looking, perhaps some of the other list members may be enticed to getting out in the field and operating too? New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts all look to have plenty of sites.

Ray F/KA3EKH

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