Navy to Shut Down Sub Radio Transmitters

CLAM LAKE, Wis. -- The Navy said Friday it will dismantle two huge radio transmitters in northern Wisconsin and Michigan used for submarine communications, including one that has been the site of repeated demonstrations by anti-nuclear weapons activists.

The $400 million submarine communications system, which has been in use since 1989, is outdated and no longer needed, the Navy said.

Radio transmissions from the sites, in the Chequamegon National Forest near Clam Lake and in Michigan's Escanaba State Forest near Republic, will cease Sept. 30.

It could take the Navy up to three years to close down the sites permanently, said Steven Davis, a spokesman for the Navy's Space and Navy Warfare Systems Command in San Diego. Each transmitter consists of an antenna strung on 600 40-foot poles across dozens of miles of forest.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-submarine-communications,0,2027537.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

used to work on these ultra low frequency transmitters back in the day. He described working on vacuum tubes so big that guys could walk right inside them,

Interesting guy... submariner from way back. Used to zone out in the middle of class, go silent all of a sudden and stare into space for a few seconds. All of a sudden he'd blink and say something like "Sorry. Went off my bubble for a bit there."

it's about time! My dad spent years fighting against the installation of that damned system. What a waste of frickin' military money that whole project was!

edited to add that it was because of environmental concerns that my dad was battling it, so I'm glad it will be dismantled.

when I lived in Ashland.

I'm glad that it's being shut down......I've always been suspicious of the ELF stuff......

back when it was called 'Sanguine,' and then 'Seafarer.'

Now that I think about it, that must have been many moons ago!

By the way, how are you, ewag!? :hi:

It's been so long, I forgot about Sanguine and Seafarer!

I remember a "debate" at our City Council meeting where somebody made the mistake of saying ELF "killed Squirrels". One the the conservatives jumped on it and said something like, "So did Davy Crockett and he was a patriot too!"

btw: Keeping busy with the local Dems and the Feingold Campaign...still struggling trying to break into the health insurance market up here......nevertheless, I'm thankful for the flexibility to do my political things....

Hope you're doing well.......hope you are campaigning your heart out.

Radio signals don't penetrate water very well. Any one know?

tin cans and a string? :shrug: