AN/FRD-10 "Dinosaur Cage" Array

USA / Hawaii / Whitmore Village /
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"In the early 1960s the U.S. Naval Security Group began deploying a network of large high-frequency direction-finding (HF-DF) circularly disposed antenna arrays, the AN/FRD-10s, to detect, monitor, and plot the location of Soviet submarines and other radio emitters in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

"Sometimes dubbed Elephant Cages or Dinosaur Cages, the FRD-10 arrays were enormous structures. In the centre of each array was a two-storey operations building, about 40 metres square, where the station personnel worked. Surrounding this building were two concentric rings of HF antennas, one for shorter HF wavelengths, containing 120 sleeve monopoles, and one for longer HF wavelengths, containing 40 folded dipoles. The shorter wavelength ring was about 260 metres in diameter and the longer wavelength ring was about 230 metres in diameter. Inside each ring there was also a large wire screen, supported by 80 towers, which was designed to prevent HF signals from crossing the array and interfering with its operations. The inner screen, corresponding to the longer HF wavelengths, was roughly 36 metres high. A horizontal ground screen about 390 metres in diameter surrounded the entire site.

FRD-10s were constructed at the following sites:

Adak, Alaska
Edzell, Scotland
Galeta Island, Panama
Gander, Newfoundland, Canada
Guam
Hanza, Okinawa
Homestead, Florida
Imperial Beach, California
Marietta, Washington
Masset, British Columbia, Canada
Northwest, Virginia
Rota, Spain
Sebana Seca, Puerto Rico
Skaggs Island, California
Wahiawa, Hawaii
Winter Harbor, Maine
Read more here: luxexumbra.blogspot.com/2005/06/frd-10-endangered-speci...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wullenweber
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   21°31'20"N   158°0'40"W

Comments

  • This array was removed in September 2007 for the new Hawaii Regional Special Operations Center buildings.
This article was last modified 13 years ago