Titan Missile Museum

[K6GBW]

I decided to take a short trip to the Titan Missile Museum near Green Valley Arizona. I got to hook up my Xeigu X6100 to the 80 foot discone antenna and operate for about an hour before I did the tour of the missile silo. Although the antenna worked really well, the area was saturated by strong signals from a nearby AM radio transmitter. The Xeigu's receiver got overwelmed and it was difficult to pull out anything but the strongest signals. Even so, I made some contacts back in California and it was really fun. But if anyone decides to go and do this it might be better to bring a regular 100 watt radio as the filtering will be better. The silo turned out to be really interesting and worth the trip in it's own right. Afterward, we went to the Pima Air Museum and spent about four hours looking at old airplanes. Overall, we had a really great time!

 

[mmckenna]

I've got to drive out to San Antonio TX in April. I've been thinking about this but couldn't remember exactly where it was, so thanks for sharing.

I'm supposed to do periodic tests with our HF gear at work. Was thinking of tossing it in the truck and taking it with me. Jacking into that antenna would be fun.

Would like to do the tour of the silo, that would be interesting.


If you ever want to head further east, the Very Large Array in New Mexico is an interesting stop. I did that a few years ago and stood out there amongst those antennas. It's pretty neat experience.
However, as I was standing their contemplating the cosmos amongst the silence of the high desert, all those antennas suddenly moved in unison. Realized they were listening to something way off in the depths of the universe and suddenly felt very, very small and insignificant. A humbling experience. While there, make sure you swing by Pie Town and have a slice of New Mexico Apple Pie.

 

[mmckenna]

Ham Radio Operators | Titan Missile Museum

Visit the Titan Missile Museum and you'll get the chance to use our discone antenna to broadcast and listen to Ham Radio Operators.

titanmissilemuseum.org

 

[vagrant]

That's a long drive, so I looked at catching a flight and then renting a car and hotel room for a few days of fun. I have spoken with operators using that antenna over the years and I believe they were all using 100W, as I probably asked, and would have remembered QRP.

As to AM broadcast issues, I use a Dunestar 400-HPF at home and while remote. Here are some sweeps. Oh damn! Dunestar Systems is no longer in business. Looks like the owner passed in 2020. He sounded pretty old when I last spoke to him a few years before that. I have a handful of his single band filters. I also purchased two of his multi-band switching filters as well for my local club to use. Well suck. Fortunately, they are others. While these aren't the best, the cost was friendly and fine for amateur use.

 

[AK9R]

Afterward, we went to the Pima Air Museum and spent about four hours looking at old airplanes.

I visited that museum in the early 1990s. I remember walking up and down dusty rows of incredible air planes when I looked around a corner and saw an F-100...then an F-101...then an F-102...then I realized that I was looking at the entire series of Century Series fighters through F-107. I was amazed.

Sadly, I was not into HF at the time, so the big discone at the Titan museum didn't have much impact on me.

 

[N9JIG]

I decided to take a short trip to the Titan Missile Museum near Green Valley Arizona. I got to hook up my Xeigu X6100 to the 80 foot discone antenna and operate for about an hour before I did the tour of the missile silo. Although the antenna worked really well, the area was saturated by strong signals from a nearby AM radio transmitter. The Xeigu's receiver got overwelmed and it was difficult to pull out anything but the strongest signals. Even so, I made some contacts back in California and it was really fun. But if anyone decides to go and do this it might be better to bring a regular 100 watt radio as the filtering will be better. The silo turned out to be really interesting and worth the trip in it's own right. Afterward, we went to the Pima Air Museum and spent about four hours looking at old airplanes. Overall, we had a really great time!

Been to Titan and Pima many times. The next time I go down there I will have to bring my 705!

Thanks!

 

[GlobalNorth]

I've got to drive out to San Antonio TX in April. I've been thinking about this but couldn't remember exactly where it was, so thanks for sharing.

Go to the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 19 [Green Valley], turn south. Look for the DOT road signs and you can't miss it.

 

[GlobalNorth]

The Titan II site is the only missile museum in the US that still has the HF antenna array. The Minuteman II site [Delta-09] in SD does not have HF.