[Having found photographic evidence that the AN/FPS-24 at Mt. Hebo had a radome installed, at least for a short while, we asked for comments from Mt. Hebo veterans. Jerry was first to respond.]

My foggy thoughts of the `radome mystery`

1. What year did the contractors first attempt to install the AN/FPS-24 radome?
(1963? 1964?)

I arrived on station in September 1965 while the last "dome" was being completed, in fact the radome was up and contractors were finishing the antenna iron work. At least one radome had been previously installed and storms had destroyed it. One could still see remnants of the hexagonal shaped panels and pieces of honeycomb that went between the panels, in the trees on the east side of the mountain. Rumor had it that the last one was the third attempt to install a radome on the 24, and all had been removed by mother nature.

2. What year did the contractors finally succeed in completing the AN/FPS-24 radome? (1964? 1965? 1966?)

The final radome was installed before September 1965, the search became operational again sometime in 1966. We remained operational until the final storm in February of 1968. A storm came out of the Pacific and took the radome over the side one last time. The winds on the top of that hill could be fierce. I have personally monitored the one anemometer on site with the meter pegged at 120 KPM. The winds would flex the fiberglass panels until they tore out from the aluminum frame. Frequent inspections were required of the panels and when one was found to be torn the contractor would replace the panel. The contractor attempted to limit the flexing of the panels by pressurizing the radome. This only forestalled the inevitable. A panel in the top of the radome flexed to the point it started tearing, once the fiberglass was gone the wind had a good handle on the rest and soon made junk of the last one. There were a group of maintenance guys in the dome trying to come up with a method to cover the hole when the radome started to go, in fact the last man came down the hatch just as it collapsed.

3. What was the real reason the AN/FPS-24 search radar was replaced by an AN/FPS-27 search radar at Mount Hebo AFS in 1967/1968? Was it because of a failure in the AN/FPS-24, such as a main bearing failure? Or, did the radome collapse? Or, was there some other reason?

Three radomes at $ 1 million/radome seemed to be reason enough. The radar worked fine, no bearing troubles beyond what the other 24 sites had. We replaced a few rollers in the bearing but nothing substantial. Filled a nine inch coax line with water, bad relay in the antenna startup sequence that we would smack with wooden safety cane to get the antenna rotating, but no bearing trouble. The 27 at Miles City was being dismantled so we got it and a few technicians.

I left in March of 69, SEA, so I did not see the 27 operational, I understand it was a hybrid, the 24 tower made for a strange bed for any `fellow`.