Mt. Pisgah site

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AlphaFive

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I am going to put this post here, as opposed to the V.I.P.E.R. thread, since it deals with a multi use site. Hope it's okay.. It appears the Mt. Pisgah site is just a part of history now, specifically V.I.P.E.R. use. I have compared the State license for Pisgah, WQTA919, with the new White Fawn site, WRAC532. The two sites share three of five output frequencies, most importantly a control channel. I have run both separately, and 852.9625 is the control channel that is locked onto.
I blew the layer of dust off of my Pro - 197. In Tune Search mode I entered separately the frequencies listed for the Mt. Pisgah license. Only the 852.9625 locked on as a control, showing the site number as 96, which if memory serves me,,, is what was listed for White Fawn. I would have to exit out of this and check to be sure. So, a fond farewell to Mt. Pisgah. I'll have to take a hike back up there soon.
 

AlphaFive

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Pisgah

Excellent point there, distance could be a factor. I was assuming (dangerous), that a high freq would still reach me in W. Asheville. I do receive the Chambers Mountain site, and the Jump Off Mountain VIPER sites, along with a few others that aren't necessarily south or west. One just never knows. Certainly worth a trip closer to Pisgah. Thanks for the response.
 

KB4MSZ

Billy
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Memories

This sure brings back some fond memories. My family vacationed in North Carolina in 1968, I was 8 years old. We climbed Mt Pisgah, and we even stayed a few hours at a TV relay station at the top. The station had a cable car which they used to transport people and supplies up and down the mountain. We had to stay inside because the weather got very bad. My dad and I climbed to the roof of the tower base building after the weather cleared and we took super 8 film of the surrounding view. I recently had the film converted to digital. I know this doesn’t have anything to do with the subject at hand but I thought I would throw it in anyway.
 

AlphaFive

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Pisgah

The tracks are still there, just completely overgrown from lack of use. You still hike the trail right to the tower. Surprise for me was the number of what appeared to be private/ individual amateur antennas just attached to the side of the structure, in an unorganized looking fashion. Don't get me wrong, it was cool, just surprising. How in the heck would you run data to your own receiver from there? Geez
 

AJIComm1

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Candler, NC
I am going to put this post here, as opposed to the V.I.P.E.R. thread, since it deals with a multi use site. Hope it's okay.. It appears the Mt. Pisgah site is just a part of history now, specifically V.I.P.E.R. use. I have compared the State license for Pisgah, WQTA919, with the new White Fawn site, WRAC532. The two sites share three of five output frequencies, most importantly a control channel. I have run both separately, and 852.9625 is the control channel that is locked onto.
I blew the layer of dust off of my Pro - 197. In Tune Search mode I entered separately the frequencies listed for the Mt. Pisgah license. Only the 852.9625 locked on as a control, showing the site number as 96, which if memory serves me,,, is what was listed for White Fawn. I would have to exit out of this and check to be sure. So, a fond farewell to Mt. Pisgah. I'll have to take a hike back up there soon.
I was sitting in weaverville today and i was sitting doing searches on control channels and input in the frequency 852.9625 it shows site 96 for white fawn. Then i went to Haywood Co and done a search on same and i got nothing but closer to buncombe i was picking up white fawn again. So you may be right. MT Pisgah site may be history.
 

GamecockSJ

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The cable car was shut down by the state and I believe Sinclair/WLOS was fined for keeping it in operation. The only way for engineers to get to the site now is to hike. I guess equipment has to be helicoptered in.

I don't think VIPER ever ended up on Pisgah. There was a license for the site but nothing was never activated. UNC-TV has filed to move off of Pisgah so it probably never will be activated.
 

KB4MSZ

Billy
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A few Screenshots

Here are a few screen shots from my super 8 film which we had digitized recently. This is what the tower and cable car looked like in the summer of 1968.
 

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trumpetman

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VIPER has never had a site on Mt Pisgah. It is my understanding that there will never be a site there either. The funicular was shut down years ago by the state as Gamecock mentions above. Now you hike in to fix any issues on what little LMR equipment is still in active use up there that hasn't been abandoned.


Trust me, I have been up that mountain in the cart once and have also hiked in to fix issues (the day after Thanksgiving no less...) neither option is worth trying to maintain equipment regularly up there, even for how good of coverage Pisgah provides.
 

ts548

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VIPER has never had a site on Mt Pisgah. It is my understanding that there will never be a site there either. The funicular was shut down years ago by the state as Gamecock mentions above. Now you hike in to fix any issues on what little LMR equipment is still in active use up there that hasn't been abandoned.


Trust me, I have been up that mountain in the cart once and have also hiked in to fix issues (the day after Thanksgiving no less...) neither option is worth trying to maintain equipment regularly up there, even for how good of coverage Pisgah provides.

I thought at one time it was going to be just a Microwave hop for VIPER? I guess they have sense scratched that plan?
 
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