High Frequency Global Communications System, Lincoln Receiver Site

USA / California / Lincoln / Moore Road, 5750
 military, radiocommunication, United States Air Force
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Also known as West Coast Global, the single sideband shortwave receiver site is part of the High Frequency Global Communications System. The HF-GCS network is used to communicate with aircraft in flight, ground stations and some United States Navy surface assets. All transmitting and receiving sites are remotely controlled from Andrews AFB. After McClellan AFB closed in 1999 due to BRAC, the transmitter site was relocated close to the Naval Radio Transmitter Facility in Dixon, CA. Management of the Lincoln receiver site was transferred to Beale AFB.

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Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Frequency_Global_Communications_System
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°52'20"N   121°23'44"W

Comments

  • Still working on finding out what sort of mission this place has/had. Websearches bring up scant references to a Vietnam-era "Plan 55 Teletype Relay," the site of the first online link encryption device, and the site being an AUTODIN Switching Center during the '80s. A search of current Air Force commands and groups doesn't list the 2049th. This site appeared to still be active when I drove by it back in 2001/2002, and the map here shows cars in the parking lot, but is it still an active site?
  • This site is/was the receiver complex for long range HF communications - Scope Pattern/Scope Signal/Scope Control: the transmitter site for these radio systems located south of Davis CA. Central control facility for both sites was at McClellan AFB in Sacramento. Site was still active to the best of my knowledge.
  • It's an HF receive site for what's now known as the High Frequency Global Communication System. Site & basic mission dates back to the early 1950s when it was known as a GLOBECOM -- Global Communications -- HF receiver annex of McClellan AFB. The associated transmitter site was near Davis since the early 1950s, but shut down in the early 2000s with transmitter operations being collocated at another nearby US gov't-owned (contractor operated) HF transmit site. I don't think it ever was an AUTODIN Switch. For the past couple years, as part of the SCOPE COMMAND upgrade & the HF-GCS net, it's remotely operated by the HFGCS Net Control Station at Andrews AFB in Maryland. The site is now an operating location of the 9th Communications Squadron (Beale AFB, which is the closest air force base to the installation) but it's pretty much unmanned other than a frequent technician visit & people cutting the grass.
  • Thank you for the great information. I'll be able to update this tag properly now. Is this the same Hooligan from the Battery Townsley behind-the-scenes tour? Re: "nearby xmit site": presumably this is NRTF Dixon?
  • I was stationed at McClellan AFB in 1983 and 1984. During that time, I was assigned to the Lincoln Receiver Site as a Ground Radio Maintenance Technician. During my assignment, the site was manned 24/7. There were the Ground Radio Techs like me, Microwave folks and the Power Production people. All data from the Receives were sent to McClellan via microwave as there was no "Hi Speed" Internet back in those days :) . The Power Production folks were there to provide power during the frequent power outages caused by a mill (wood?) down the road. Had some great times there. If anyone out there worked at Lincoln Receiver site...please respond. I'll keep an eye on this site and check it periodically.
  • I was there 1977-78. Best assignment I ever had. I can describe the whole layout before the upstairs barracks facilities were deactivated. After duty hours it was hotel California. Was one of those rare gifts from god to a bunch of party animals.
  • Wow, sorry I haven't checked back sooner. Yes, I'm the "Hooligan" from Battery Townsley, et al, and yes, the transmit site for this HF-GCS system is now aboard NRTF Dixon. My photos of this Lincoln receive annex are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldwararchaeology/sets/72157626417878559/with/5639237828/ & I'd love to get in-touch directly with anyone assigned to the Lincoln or Davis GLOBECOM annexes. Hooligan@aol.com
  • I gotta agree with deltazulu. This place was the best assignment ever. I was there 1971-72. It had it's own BX, a movie room, pool tables. It had a 16ft boat anybody could use, ping pong, skeet, you name it. It truly was the best assignment. Also, there were no officers when I was there. It was run by an E7. What a life!
  • I was stationed at Lincoln Receiver site from 63-66 then Davis Transmitter site for 6 months in 70, then again 72-74. P55 was in the basement of Bldg 7 on McClellan. Autodin was accross the street next to old comissary parking lot by 4 seasons store. Receiver site is operated now by AMC via Beale AFB support. The transmitters were transferred to a navy site about 5 miles from old Transmitter Site. It was called Davis tranmsitter site but address was really Dixon, CA.
  • In 1972 and 73 (maybe longer) Det 1, 3rd Mobile Comm Group had an AN/TSC-54 satellite communications terminal here, as well as an AN/TSC-80 tactical terminal. I was assigned to the unit for a year and spent a lot of hours at this site. It was one of the most enjoyable assignments I ever had, as I worked mids as much as possible and got to take full advantage of the movie room and kitchen facilities. One memorable time was the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, during which we packed the whole terminal up and sat on alert status at McClellan waiting for deployment to the middle east. Fortunately, it was a short war and we never had to get on the C-5 to deploy. I PCSed to Shemya AFS shortly after that, so I'm not sure what finally happened to the TSC-54 that was there. Doug Wetzel k7ip@arrl.net
  • Good to see another satcommer on this site. The 54? Maybe it ended up as the one on display at Fort Gordon's main gate. ;)
  • Monday Afternoon 09 June 2014 I was scheduled to PCS back from Karamursel (Turkey) Tech Control in Feb '75 and was told that I was being sent to "Lincoln Comm". I did some digging around and all I could find (from my location on the NE side of the Med) was that there was a place called 'Lincoln' but it was down near Los Angeles (I wondered "Am I being sent to a recruting station or what?"). When I got to McClellan (the place that did all the paperwork for people assigned to Lincoln Comm) I found out what Lincoln Comm was and asked what the chances would be to get an OK to put up a ham transmitter (I'd been off-the-air for the 18 months I was stationed in Turkey and although being a shortwave-listener, like when I'd been a kid in central Texas, had been OK, I wanted to get back on-the-air) and whomever I was speaking with agreed with my preconceived thoughts that it was unlikely that I'd be allowed to put a hundred Watt HF transmitter on from a receiver location because of the risk of receiver overload (that's why they put transmitters & receivers in separate locations when possible). By that point the 2049th Comm Grp (the hdqtrs outfit at McClellan) realized that I had an SSIR clearance (it'd been required for all Tech Controllers at Karamursel) and I was asked if I'd be interested in going to work at the AUTODIN Switch ? I had no idea what AUTODIN was but it seemed a lot more likely that I could wrangle an approval for a ham transmitter on McClellan than out at Lincoln Comm so I said "Sure". That was 'it' insofar as my connection to Lincoln Comm went. I believe that I did drive up north from McClellan on a day off to see if I could find Lincoln Comm but all I can remember is a lot of open fields. (PS) I later DID get an OK from the McClellan Base Civil Engineers to put up an HF antenna (an 80M center-fed dipole using open-wire feedline and a matchbox at the xmtr) and my ham station was active from the 3rd floor of the (former) NCO barracks for about 6 months in 1976 (until I left the service in Sep and rejoined the civilian world). (signed) Paul (WB5AGF) formerly an Air Force Tech Controller (30750) Texas
  • Hi, Yes, it still is an active site.
  • I was there from about Aug '66 to Feb '67 as head of the microwave/carrier shop. In February they sent me to Ft. Monmouth, NJ for Satellite school. I passed back through on my way to Clark AFB in the PI. Slot cars were the big thing then and a bunch of us spent time hand winding the little motors and soldering the little tubular frames and then racing them at a marvelous track in Roseville. There were hares all over the place and hunting with a 12 ga. shotgun or one of the station M1 .30 cal. carbines was approved. I bought a nice little .22 LR carbine to plink with. I really enjoyed my time there.
  • Hi there, We're interested in looking at the extent of the skeet range for environmental cleanup. Could you please tell me where the skeet range was? Thank you. AllenT
  • Hi Deltazulu, Could you please tell me where the skeet range was? We're looking to do environmental cleanup for clay pigeons and lead shot. Thanks much, AllenT
  • I was stationed at this location in 1972-73, assigned to an AN/TSC-54 mobile satellite comm terminal that was parked on the west side of the building. We were a detachment of the 3rd Mobile Comm group out of Tinker AFB, but I don't think anyone in the detachment was ever actually stationed at Tinker. We were briefly alerted and packed up to go to Israel in the 1973 war, but it was over before we actually got the gear on the plane to go. The Lincoln receiver site was a great place to be stationed, and I even managed to get one of the HF tech controllers interested in ham radio and licensed while I was there. One of the better assignments in my part of the USAF, in an AFSC where there were very few good assignments (at that time).
  • I was at the Davis site from 72 - 75 then at McClellan for another 9 months. It was great duty. We had a 1/2 mile dead strait and level 2 lane driveway from the county road to the gate. Perfect drag strip. I will answer as best as I can any questions about Davis. At the time they were designated OLA (Davis) and OLB (Lincoln) 2049th Communications Group.
  • I was at the Davis site from 1972-73. Worked in the microwave shop. Would go into town with some buddies to a local bar called the Antique Bizzare.
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This article was last modified 8 years ago