Tower of power for Site 300

A 300-foot tower has been erected at Site 300 to improve radio coverage at the experimental test site and upgrade communications links with the Laboratory.

The new structure replaces the nearby 100-foot tower at Bldg. 849 on the 1,400-foot promontory overlooking the test site and the Central Valley. A modular 14-by-24-foot communications facility has also been built to house microwave and radio transmitters and receivers.

"Communications have become very sophisticated and we’ve needed to upgrade systems at Site 300," said Pete Davis, project engineer. "The taller tower will improve radio coverage of the test site and provide a good stable structure for microwave links."

The tower is integral to all wireless communications at Site 300 and with the main Livermore campus — security communications, fire dispatch, telephone and the Laboratory paging system.

"This will continue to serve as an emergency communications point," Davis said, noting the facility is equipped with back-up power to operate the trunk radio system in the event of a power failure.
As required by the FAA, the tower is topped by a strobe warning light for aircraft.

Cal Dibble, Site 300 project manager, said the new tower will eliminate most of the radio "dead spots" at the 11-square-mile test site on Corral Hollow Road. The tower will also be a prime consideration for developing future non-emergency communications at the test site.

The new tower is anchored in a foundation consisting of 60,000 pounds of steel and 280 yards of concrete. "This provides a communications facility that will serve the Laboratory and the test site well into the future," Davis said.