In response to John's message concerning the FPS-20 Series. Those still in use by the FAA all have a Solid State Receiver to replace the old GPA-102 and 103 Receivers. The transmitter basically still uses vacuum tubes with the exception being Solid state rectifiers and Clipper Diodes. The front end of the radars has also been improved with solid state components. These radars are still some of the most reliable in service. They are going to be replaced due to logistic problems with a new state of the art system that will eliminate the klystrons using a series of low power amplifiers. Jack Armstrong

Associated Press
ITT Wins Air Traffic Control Contract
By DAN CATERINICCHIA
WASHINGTON (AP) - A team led by defense contractor ITT Corp. on Thursday won a government contract worth up to $1.8 billion to build the first portion of a new satellite-based air traffic control system.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which awarded the contract, said upgrading the system used to manage commercial and general aviation traffic will help reduce congestion on runways and in the skies, and do so at a lower cost than the existing radar-based system.
White Plains, N.Y.-based ITT beat out teams led by defense contracting giants Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Co.
The full upgrade of the air traffic control system is expected to cost more than $15 billion and take nearly 20 years to build.
ITT will receive $207 million for the first three years of its work on the contract, which could be spread out over a total of 18 years.
The current system uses 50-year-old analog radar technology to handle roughly 85,000 flights per day, a number predicted to reach more than 111,000 daily flights by 2020. A satellite-based system could handle about three times current air traffic levels.
Congress has until Sept. 30 to reauthorize the FAA and possibly raise taxes and fees to pay for upgrades to the traffic control system and other aviation programs. But commercial airlines are battling corporate jets and small plane operators over what share of the cost they each should shoulder.
The Department of Transportation earlier this month said the airline industry's on-time performance in the first half of 2007 was its worst since comparable data began being collected in 1995. But despite expected delays, 15.7 million passengers are expected to fly on U.S. airlines over the extended Labor Day holiday, the Air Transport Association said last week.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey on Thursday said if the agency's reauthorization does not tie its revenue to its business costs, "the improvements will sputter along, the delays will only get worse and every weekend will feel like Labor Day."

Regarding Jeff State's posting...It's about time. If you've looked closely at this website, you'll know that several of the old radar sites are still in use by the FAA and still using the 1950's vintage radars that were in place when the Air Force abandoned the sites. Most of the sites are using derivatives of the FPS-20. That radar came on line in the mid to late 50's, meaning it was conceived and designed in the late 40's and early 50's. The FPS-20 was state-of-the-art when I was going through tech school in 1961. By the time I was assigned to a SAGE site in 1963, many FPS-20s and their derivatives were being replaced by more modern sets. At Saratoga AFS, the FPS-65 (an FPS-20 variant) was taken off line in early 1964 and replaced by an FPS-27. Can anyone out there answer this question....Are the old FAA/USAF sets still using vacuum tubes or have they been updated to use solid-state devices? Are they still able to obtain vacuum tubes? My recollection is that some of the tubes did not have a very long life and had to be changed often. I remember for a few years after I got out of the Air Force (1965) you could still go to the corner drugstore and use their tube tester to check the tubes in your radio or TV. The thing was quite large, and the bottom was a cabinet that contained an inventory of some of the more popular tube types. The last time I saw one was sometime in the early 70's.

During the late 50's I was stationed 719 Sparrevohn AK, 11/56-10/57, 634 Burns OR, 11/57-2/58, 670 San Clemente Island 2/58-7/59 and 760 Colville WA 8/59 to 2/60. I was a Point to Point Radio Tech. Later from 8/77 to 9/81 I worked on top of Mount Lemmon AZ as a microwave radio tech., working for Bell Aerospace. The U.S. Army had a tracking radar mounted on one of the old towers and Bell had a contract to operate it. Most of the old Air Force buildings had been torn down and the University of Arizona had several observatories there. The winter weather could be hell. Since I grew up in Arizona I had tried to get stationed there in the 50's. No such luck. Good day to all. Carl

News story, 8/22/07: UK jets intercept Russian bomber near British airspace; Vladimir Putin's Russian government is stepping up its military production in an attempt to regain its place as the world's leading producer of military aircraft in the midst of tense relations Russia and Western nations, the Guardian of London reports. Meanwhile, British jets were scrambled for the first time this week to intercept a long-range Russian nuclear bomber that was nearing British airspace over the north Atlantic. That follows similar action by U.S. fighter jets, which have recently escorted Russian bombers from airspace near Alaska and Guam. Some analysts see Russia's latest saber-rattling as a reaction to U.S. plans to operate a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, both former Soviet states. With the patrols restored for the first time since 1992, Putin aides hinted Russia could resume production of two strategic nuclear bombers, the Tu-160 and Tu-95. An aide told Interfax the bombers would be a "means of strategic deterrence." "Russia wants balance. It wants a strategic balance with the US," Ivan Safranchuk, a Moscow-based defense expert, told the Guardian. "Safranchuk said Russia's decision to resume long-range bomber patrols is "significant" because it shows the country's political leadership is no longer reigning in the military.

Re Stan Duro's comments below. I am not picking on him directly, and I am certainly not defending Hanford or the government. Also, I am sorry to hear that some of his friends are dying from cancer; I have lost friends that way, too. I just wish to point out that there are many unknowns in the cancer-causing equations. That is, as far as we know, it has never been established scientifically that living or working near Hanford or any other facility that was involved with radioactive materials was THE cause of anyone's cancer. Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn't. It is certainly one possibility. It is convenient to assume that radiation leaks at Hanford were THE cause, and maybe they were, but such a claim is not definite. It should be pointed out that many of our fellow military members and friends might have been exposed to one or more other known or suspected carcinogens to one degree or another, which clouds the issue. The same goes for RF (non-ionizing) radiation from radars and radios, or x-ray (ionizing) byproduct radiation from high-voltage transmitter tubes like klystrons and magnetrons. Maybe genetics and old age were the sole contributors to any one person's cancer? Who knows? Causes and effects, as I understand, are truly difficult to establish ... unless all other pssible contributors can be ruled out. Other known or suspected carcinogens at military and other government facilities include lead-based paint, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), trichloroethylene (TCE), asbestos, cigarette smoking (first-hand and second-hand smoke), fuel byproducts, cooking byproducts, and no doubt a number of others. Again, I am not picking on Stan Duro, nor am I defending any radiation-handling facilities; I only wish to point out that many other possibilities could exist. That's all. Thanks.

The History Channel has a Lost Worlds episode concerning the lost cities of the A-Bomb. This should air again on 8/25 at 1400. This went into detail about the Hanford AEC plant which bordered the 637th
of Othello, WA. This location was so off limits, that this is the first time I saw details of the 12 plants that made plutonium, rather than standing looking from the skeet shooting range on the site.
When grassfires threatened our site and our guys went out to fight the fires with loaner water tankers, they were chased off by AEC security.
With some of the radioactive release problems at that site, now I know why some of my acquaintences in Othello and Franklin lose their battles to Cancer.
I was too naive at the time to ask why the AEC tested the water at the 637th on a regular basis

I was a weapons controller (mushroom marauder) for over 23 years from 1965 to 1988. Would love to hear from other controllers.

Rediscovered this excellent site recently. Was stationed at the 674th AC/W, Osceola,WI, 656th AC/W,Saratoga Sps, NY,Barrington Nova Scotia, Canada, Truax Field, WI, KI Sawyer (Sage)Upper Michigan, AC/W. Duncanville,TX, 65thAD OPS Ctr, TorrejonAB, Spain, and Gieblestadt, Germany. Retired 1972,
John Combs.MSgt

Strategic planes resume flights on permanent basis - Putin


17.08.2007, 17.11 CHEBARKUL RANGE /Chelyabinsk region/, August 17 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia was resuming flights of its strategic aviation on permanent basis from Friday. "Four strategic missile carriers, support planes, and tanker aircraft took off from seven Russian airfields in various part of the country at 00:00, Moscow time, on August 17. Combat duty has begun," Putin said.

I have been trying to find information regarding a friend, who was stationed at Palermo AFS in the 1960. I have had little success finding any references to the base until I came across your site.

I lived across from the Palermo AFS on Rt. 9 in NJ and spent many hours on base, including Chapel every Sunday. Palermo AFS was an integral part of our small community and the men stationed there made contributions of their time and talents for years. Many volunteered for rescue and recovered during and after the powerful coastal hurricane (Nor'Easter) that destroyed much of the NJ coast in 1961.

Several of the men pooled their talents and constructed a two-story cabin on a forested plot of a few acres, which was donated to the Boy Scouts of America, Bay Sea Council. These same men then sponsored the local Boy Scout Troop and remained activity in the Council for years.

It is impossible to quantify how immensely the Palermo AFS and its men affected our town. I have been trying to locate several of them and hope that you may be able to help me find a directory or a military history / alumni organization ... any idea would be appreciated.

Jim Broomall
seaville4@aol.com or seaville4@comcast.net

I was a GATR troop - radio instead of radar. I served at Ophiem from May of 1963 through April of 1964, when I transferred to North Omaha Radar Station (still with 29th Air Division).

Good day Gentlemen, I have a question. I have just recently visited CFB Borden where my son is stationed ( CF Air Force ) I decided to turn the visit into a vacation...I travelled through NY on my way home to Nova Scotia. On route 3 East of Fort Drum ,on the north side of the highway, the town I believe that was closest was called Fine. What looked to me was barracks and maybe the remants of a radar site. Was this a Pine Tree installation or something else? I live near this site. http://www.pinetreeline.org/site6.html Thanks for your time, and would appreciate any info to answer my curiousity. Regards...Tom Daigle

Wonderfull site.

I have a web site www.angelfire.com/ne2/nedpage and have a page
636th AC&W Condon, Oregon that I made of my time there. Also, it has
some emails and pictures of others that were stationed there. Recently
a couple of others have sent me emails which I have not yet encluded
on the page....

Let me know if I can contribute to you...Ned Scholz

Re the Russians and their bombers---Looks like it might be time to "dust-off" our old uniforms. Unless my memory is playing tricks on me...we've all "been there and done that once before!!"

Dust off old uniforms ? coudn't get the pants half way around waist, leave it to the young troops would not spend a yr. again in NE Iceland to intercept anything, might have been an adventure for some but not me,

I was stationed at the 684th Radar Sq, Mt. Lemmon Az, 1966-1969. I was the station's draftsmen/graphic artist. I made lots of signs and various other detail drawings. I also was a member of the band called the "Candle Lights". We played at many local places such as Summer Heaven, Davis Monthan Officers Club, and the Univ of Arizona PARTIES.
There were a few write-ups on the Air Force Combo. The military was so proud of us that they sent us on a tour of the US bases in 1968. We came in 2nd place in the Worldwide Air Force Talent contest.

I can remember the winter of 1967, when we were snowed in. The radar domes were crushed by the weight of the snow. There were about 18 of us living in the chow hall. Thanks to a standby generator, we made it 5 days. The roads were blocked that even the Davis Mountain equipment couldn't get us out. Sorry to say the Marines had the equipment to drive over the 8-10ft of snow.

I fought two forest fires! I never saw the flames. They just told us to dig these ditches/fire brakes. Whew.

Great memories of my youth and turning 21 on Mt Lemmon. Oh, did I say we got lots of lightning strikes?

I visit to Tucson every March for Spring Training.

Thanks to all who offered to assist me in translating a price list in German. I was able to get it translated, and a letter has been sent in to the German Archives requesting the photos.
Again Thanks to all who responded.
Gene

News story: 8/13/07: PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (Reuters) - Russian bombers are flying more missions than normal near U.S. territory, including Alaska, demonstrating their long-range strike capability, U.S. and Canadian officials said on Monday. Russian aircraft carrying cruise missiles ran an aviation exercise near Alaska two weeks ago, according to Canadian Col. Andre Dupuis, an officer at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a U.S.-Canadian operation responsible for protecting both countries' airspace. "They didn't do it to practice alone. They're making a point, doing it outside of their normal training cycle," he told Reuters. "They maintain capability." Russian bombers were also tracked last week flying a course toward Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific. Some analysts and defense officials say the flights likely reflect Moscow's desire to display its military muscle to remind Washington of Russia's capabilities and express dismay over U.S. plans to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe. One defense official called the Russian flights "a little bit of chest pounding, trying to let people know Russia's back in the game." "Over the last probably three months or so the Russians have been flying their bomber force maybe a little bit more than we've seen in the past, certainly they're ranging farther than they have in the past," said U.S. Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command. "We've had a couple times where we've intercepted them out over international waters, near Alaska." Relations between Washington and Moscow have been strained, partly by U.S. plans to put missile defense assets in former Soviet-allied territory. Since meeting with U.S. officials to discuss the missile shield plans earlier this year, Moscow has issued a series of statements about building its military power.

Looking for other vets who were stationed at Cape Newenham between 1969-1970. Please drop on line to my email.

What a wonderful discovery of this website.
I am very curious about the reunion in San Antonio this coming October.
Any feedback will be welcome.

Interesting news reports today (8-10-07). The Russians claim that two Bear bombers flew over U.S. territory (Guam) and were intercepted by U.S. aircraft. U.S. denies the claim and says planes never got closer than 300 miles to Guam or 100 miles to U.S. aircraft. The incident brings back Cold War memories of when the Reds used to fly Bear missions near Iceland where they were routinely intercepted by Air Force interceptors directed by the men of the 932nd AC&W Squadron.

Hey John lets not forget the connie troops like,79AEW&c out of flordia latter DET 1,how about the 552 AEW&C wg they had many TDY"S In fact A/C 55-0121 gear collapsed and burned on the runway.

I was on Shemya AFS, Alaska as a Department of Defense Contractor ... working for General Electric as an electronics technician on the AN/FPS-80(M) tracking radar (radomed).
Two tours: 1967-68 and 1974-1975 while Cobra Dane was being constructed but not operational.

I also worked in the same capacity in Kho Kha AFS, Thailand on Cobra Talon's GPS-10 radar during installation, testing, and operation from Nov 1971 to Jan 1974 (non-radomed).

Here is the link for a good history of ADC and the Radars. Rather long but worth reading. http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/airdef/searching_the_skies.htm

Re the entry by Jack Armstrong (below). The book, ''Searching the Skies,'' has been out for almost ten years now. Gene and I both have hard copies, courtesy of HQ ACC. ''Searching the Skies'' is pretty good, but does contain a few errors and omissions. I heard recently from Sam Stokes of 'Hole In The Head Press' that he has been negotiating with HQ ACC to update this book and to combine it with ''The Emerging Shield.'' Stay tuned for updates. -- Tom

Today's Buffalo News story regarding old Nike site:
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/135210.html

Gene Hellickson: There are a number of currency converters on the Internet. Just use the 'Google' search engine (or similar) to find them. However, if I understand correctly, Germany no longer has its own currency; it now uses the Euro (€) instead of the Deutschmark (DM).
According to Yahoo's currency converter (http://finance.yahoo.com/currency?u) for today's date, one U.S. dollar equals 0.7261 Euro. Conversely, one Euro equals 1.3773 U.S. dollars.
Now, I did find on-line (http://www.euro.gov.uk/cntry_Germany.asp) a conversion from Euro to DM: €1 = DM 1.95583. However, ''DM ceased to be legal tender midnight 31/12/2001 but was accepted until 28/02/2002,'' according to that same website.
Hope this information helps.

I was at the site from 25 April 65 to 25 Oct 65. I worked in the 24 Tower. I'm looking for Sgt. Evans, Airman William F. King and Mr. Leroy W. Ellis. Any help you can give me will be appreciated. Thank You.

Retired GS-12

I was at the 689th Radar Site, Mt. Hebo, Oregon from April 1965 to )ct 1965. Can you put me in touch with Sg. Evans, Mr. Leroy W. Ellis and Airman William F. King. Ahelp you can give me will be appreciated. Thank you,

vern gomes

Retired GS-12

I was at the 689th Radar Site, Mt. Hebo, Oregon from April 1965 to )ct 1965. Can you put me in touch with Sg. Evans, Mr. Leroy W. Ellis and Airman William F. King. Ahelp you can give me will be appreciated. Thank you,

vern gomes

Retired GS-12

I am in the process of getting a photo from the German Archives, but the price list is in German. Is there anyone who might be able to translate their price list for me?

Gene H

I served at both 741 AC&W at Lackland AFB and the 616 AC&W Squadron at Wassakuppe, Germany from 1969 thru 1972. Great information site. I will do what I can to support this site with picture and info in the near future.

Would be interested in a reunion in the near future! It would be great to organize a trip back to some of the sites in Germany.

Sincerely Bob Eft

Spent time at the following AC&Ws as a 27350 Radar Operator, ICT, and M&I Tech: 1957-1960 812th AC&W, Lake Charles, La.; 1960-1962 686th AC&W, Walker AFB, NM; 1962 639th AC&W (3 mos), Lowther, Canada; 1962-1963 685th AC&W, Las Cruces, NM; 1963-1964 640th AC&W, Stephenville, Newfoundland and 1964 was last assignment as a 27350 at PHADS-Luke AFB, AZ. 1964 Cross-trained to the Air Operations AFSC 27170 and stayed at PHADS until 1966. 1966-1969 Went to 22AF FEACP at Tachikawa and Yokota, Japan; 1969-1970 ACGS at Forbes AFB,KS; 1970-1971 834th AD ALCE at Ton Son Nhut & Phuc Vinh, Vietnam; 1971-1977 4900th Flt Test Gp and 1606th ABW Air Fld Mgmt. Retired Nov 1977.