Antenna Identification

[Dattiljs]

Good Morning all!!

Just found this forum and this is my first post. I drive through Damascus Maryland on the regular and always see these radio towers and am curious as to their function. I absolutely am fascinated with radio towers and radar. Any assistance anyone can provide is greatly appreciated. Please see attached photos.

 

[ocguard]

The larger tower is home to microwave relays for continuity-of-government communications systems. In modern times, it mainly connects communications systems at various federal installations in the area. In the Cold War days, it was a vital link between between COG locations including Camp David and Raven Rock Mountain.

I'm not sure who owns the radar. But this tower does also currently house communications equipment for Carroll and Montgomery counties.

 

[Dispatcher308]

Its related to this:
U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command, Fort Ritchie Site E, Tysons Corner, VA

And this:
Presidential Emergency Facility - Corkscrew

And this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_Rock_Mountain_Complex

And this:
https://civilwardefenses.wordpress.com/category/fort-reno/

 

[Dispatcher308]

I almost forgot this one:

WAWS Microwave Route Map

 

[hill]

I you sure about Carroll County system being on this tower, since kind out of the way for them. I would think it could function for Howard and possibly Frederick Counties.

 

[ocguard]

I you sure about Carroll County system being on this tower, since kind out of the way for them. I would think it could function for Howard and possibly Frederick Counties.

Yes. The tower is situated less than 1/2 mile from the Carrol County border. And since FCC emissions standards for public safety systems requires that their footprint stays within the intended coverage area, tower sites are frequently places at the borders and the transmit antennas aimed directionally toward the target coverage area. This tower's location is almost perfectly in the corner of four counties; Carroll, Howard, Montgomery, and Frederick.

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?fccCallsign=WPIU695

 

[N9IIT]

There's a microwave tower identical to these owned by ATT between Finksburg and Westminster on MD140 - building is setup like a bunker and surrounded by barbed wire. Last hop between DC and Camp David?

 

[Dispatcher308]

This tower hosts Carroll, Montgomery, Howard Counties 800MHz systems, it also hosts MIEMSS UHF and an ASR for MDFiRST.