Ham Club Relocating Repeater
from Toppled Tower
08/01/2013
In the wake of what authorities in California believe is a case
of vandalism that led to the collapse of a 200 foot radio tower on the
West Coast, the Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club
plans to relocate its gear from the Rocky Ridge tower site to another
tower nearby. Jim Siemons, AF6PU, says his club’s repeater committee
decided this week to remove MDARC’s heavily used 144.390 MHz packet/APRS
digipeater from the equipment vault on Rocky Ridge as soon as the club
can get physical access.
“The plan is to, at least temporarily, relocate the digipeater to the
North Peak of Mount Diablo, where we are now building an ATV repeater
system,” Siemons told ARRL, adding that the move could happen as soon as
Saturday. “The North Peak of Mount Diablo should offer packet and APRS
coverage to the majority of Northern California,” he added.
Despite the tower collapse, the club’s radio systems continued to
work. “Even though the prostrated tower with our antenna lay flat on the
ground, our packet system faithfully continued to operate for a couple
of days subsequent to the collapse,” Siemons noted. He said American
Tower Corporation has indicated that it plans to restore some of the
most critical public safety radio services within a week.
Late on July 28 or early on July 29, authorities say, vandals
apparently cut several guy wires supporting the Rocky Ridge radio tower,
located in the hills of the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness above San
Ramon and Danville, causing the 200 foot structure to crash to the
ground. Siemons says the Rocky Ridge Tower “has been a key
communications tower for amateur, commercial, and public safety radio
operators, alike” and served as “an important communications hub in the
Contra Costa and Alameda counties’ East Bay Regional Communications System Authority. (EBRSCA) group that is just now providing P25 communications to many municipalities and districts within the San Francisco East Bay.”
Until the tower is restored, Siemons predicted “challenges with
coverage” in certain coverage areas. KCBS Radio in San Francisco this
week reported that police were investigating the tower collapse. No
injuries occurred. Damage could go as high as $1 million. A Contra Costa
County Fire official told the radio station that the tower collapse had
affected some dispatch services in the western part of the county, but
police say back-up systems headed off any disruptions. According to
KCBS, police “are trying to determine why vandals would target the
tower, which is located in a remote area of the park behind multiple
gates and fences.” — Thanks to Jim Siemons, AF6PU, and KCBS Radio
.
