FW: RE: [Scan-DC] SCADA? Was Re: MPD "Mysterious" data noise

Fri, 12 Dec 2003 12:38:55 -0500

From a "lurker"...  :)

>The building going on down by Seneca Creek is WMET's new and improved
>transmitting facilities along with new towers.  I don't know much about the
>transmitters, but U. S. Towers out of Frederick did the tower work.

aaaaaHHHHAAAAAA!!

Thanks, one mystery solved!

I didn't know that operation was still on the air - thot it was abandoned.  
Still seems like a funky place for a radio station.  Wonder where their 
studios are - appears to be downtown somewhere!  I guess the xmitter is all 
remote-controlled.  Apparently they are soon going to 50KW... will be 
interesting to see if that affects anything around here, it's only about a 
mile away
{and about a hundred feet underground!  :) }

Fascinating...

http://1160wmet.com/

Thanks to all for the other info also, re SCADA units and other stuff... 
more later, gotta hit the road for work...

Happy Holidaze!

Doug

>-----Original Message-----
>From: [email protected]
>[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Doug K.
>Sent: Friday, December 12, 2003 1:19 AM
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: [Scan-DC] SCADA? Was Re: MPD "Mysterious" data noise
>
>
>Hey Shawn, what's a SCADA unit?  I've recently noticed some stainless steel
>boxes, resemble traffic signal controllers, but with antennas, and not
>necessarily near intersections with traffic lights, in Montgomery county...
>best description I can give is they look like some gadget that was on one 
>of
>the original Star Trek episodes, those were connected to some underground
>installation!  This thing is near a fire hydrant that is frequently used by
>one of those tank trux that says "Pools Filled" on it - wonder if it has
>anything to do with that... there's also a stormwater management pond
>(something _else_ that I don't understand!!) right there...
>
>Weird.  A new one has just gone in near me at the intersection of Woodfield
>Road (MD Rt. 124) and East Village Avenue, near
>Laytonsville/Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village.  I've been wanting to stop 
>and
>check the thing out when I go by there, but no good place to pull off.
>
>Anybody?
>
>I should see if I can get a picture...
>
>Not sure where these things are getting whatever power they need, too, for
>that matter..
>
>By the way, there's another larger installation going in in Seneca Creek
>Stream Park, I think it's called, down in the "holler" in Watkins Mill 
>Road,
>this is where the old radio station used to be... blockhouse-looking
>building that I usually associate with cellular - but no antenna, at least
>as yet.  Any of you Gaithersburgers seen that/know what it might be?  
>Cathy?
>   Ed, if you're up that way, take a ride by it.
>
>And while I'm at it, something I've wondered about for years and years - 
>how
>and why did that radio station (back when I was in high school it used to 
>be
>WHMC, about 1160 AM if I recall!) ever wind up there - it's 'way down in a
>hole and the tops of the antenna towers are about level with the top of the
>"bowl" that it's in...  I b'lieve that if I had a radio station, I'd want
>the towers in a _high_ place, right??
>
>I ought to get a picture of that too... the old towers are still there -
>anybody need a tower??  :)
>
>Thanks!
>
>Doug
>
>Mystified...
>
>
> >From: Shawnerz <[email protected]>
> >To: dan P <[email protected]>
> >CC: [email protected]
> >Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] MPD "Mysterious" data noise
> >Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2003 16:01:01 -0800 (PST)
> >
> >Dan,
> >I believe you're hearing the SCADA units.  IIRC, these
> >are remote data units positioned around the county
> >that relay telemetry information.  Typically, it's
> >water data (well amounts, valve positions, alarm
> >activations, flow rates, etc).
> >Please correct me if I'm wrong.
> >-Shawn

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