Visited my local RCAG!

[eorange]

Now that I know that remote ARTCC antenna sites are called RCAGs, it didn't take long to find this database of RCAGs:

http://freqofnature.no-ip.com:8080/faa/index.php

...which allowed me to pinpoint the location of the RCAG closest to me (Chardon, OH). It's about 20 miles from me, so I took a drive out there. About 3-4 miles away, I started hearing both sides of the converation on the ZOB ARTCC / Chardon frequency!

I turned down the road closest to the RCAG, and although the access road wasn't obvious from the street (not sure I would have driven down there even if I did see it), I could see the building and the big white antenna from the road, no problem.

It was weird seeing this building and knowing it provides the comm linkages for the eastern half of the ZOB ARTCC. I have been in this area many times before and had no idea this was out there.

Here's a pic of it from local.live.com:

 

[crayon]

That picture is of a VORTAC transmitter. A RCAG site is a building with 1 to 4 antenna towers close to it.

 

[Stavro35]

Here's a map showing where the one's closest to me are located.

ttp://freqofnature.no-ip.com:8080/faa/aff_rcag.php?artcc=ZSE&site=BEACON%20HILL

 

[crayon]

Here's a map showing where the one's closest to me are located.

http://freqofnature.no-ip.com:8080/faa/aff_rcag.php?artcc=ZSE&site=BEACON HILL

That FON:8080 website is pretty cool. I did not stay on top of the thread that is was posted in back in June and missed it. Although it is somewhat misleading with the blue lines that it draws to other locations.

After some thought, it seems as though FON:8080 linked the ARTCC APP/DEP control of an airport back to the RCAG. What is misleading about that (at least to me) is it seems give the impression that there is an additional TX site where none exists.

eh, FWIW.

 

[gcgrotz]

Here is a picture I took a few years ago after an ice storm on Buck's Elbow Mtn, VA, of the RCAG there (ZDC). This was a couple days later after they hired a 'dozer to clear the road so the propane truck could get there. Power was out for 5 days.

Take away the ice and that is what an RCAG looks like.

 

[eorange]

That picture is of a VORTAC transmitter. A RCAG site is a building with 1 to 4 antenna towers close to it.

OK...but that doesn't seem consistent with what I observed and heard.

FWIW, the map for this thing came from the FON "RCAG Database".

More to the point, I looked up a VORTAC -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortac

According to the article:

• a VORTAC is a navigational aid and transmits data only. But as I approached this site, I clearly heard both sides of the conversation on the ZOB ARTCC freq for Chardon (120.775).
• Also, 120.775 is outside the frequency range of a VOR (108-117.95 MHz).

The other possibility is the RCAG was there and co-located geographically with this VORTAC, but I didn't see it on the map or in person.

Thoughts?

 

[eorange]

The other possibility is the RCAG was there and co-located geographically with this VORTAC

OK, I took another look at local.live.com and captured a bigger picture. Is that an RCAG antenna in the 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions?

 

[crayon]

The other possibility is the RCAG was there and co-located geographically with this VORTAC, but I didn't see it on the map or in person.

Thoughts?

Agreed. Hearing both sides of the conversation pretty much indicates a colocation. Why build another building when you already have one?

OK, I took another look at local.live.com and captured a bigger picture. Is that an RCAG antenna in the 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions?

It could be, but one could also be an electric power pole too. Typically, the antenna structure looks like the ones in the picture that gcgrotz posted, but an antenna on a pole works too ..

A positive ID on the FAC is the only sure way to know how it is operating if you ever get out that way again.

 

[mjw357]

Here's the ZID remote RCAG at Port Columbus (KCMH)

n 40 w 82.9045

put in Google map search and zoom in

 

[eorange]

Very nice! 4 unmistakeable towers there.

 

[BigJimbo]

If you havent been to Port Columbus lately, they have just finished erecting a new antenna site that is just north of the main entrance to the airport.

I was there in late May and it appeared they had just finished building the site. It is NOT the same site that you listed with the map coordinates. The google map image doesnt even show this new antenna site, so if you're not too far, you may want to take a drive and check it out.

I didnt know ZID had an RCAG at CMH. Indy also has a real strong RCAG on St. Rt. 54, about 2 miles north of I-70. 5 or 6 towers at that site and all tranmitters are STRONG.

My thoughts upon seeing the new site at Columbus was that they got just got new antennas since they got the new tower up, and the antennas were for CMH, not Indy.

BTW, I believe the open dirt area just to the northeast of the RCAG on google maps is the old radar site.

 

[mjw357]

If you havent been to Port Columbus lately, they have just finished erecting a new antenna site that is just north of the main entrance to the airport.

Yes, the new site is out along James Rd. They moved it to make way for new pariking lots. Gonna be a lot of construction out there in the next 5-10 years.

 

[nr2d]

The "tower" @ 2:00 is the monitor antennas for the TACAN system, azimuth/range, of which the azimuth portion is used by the military only and the range AKA DME is used by all aircraft that are equipped. The tower @ 8:00 could be the RCAG tower. It is not uncommon to have an RCAG or other type of COM facility co-located. When I was still in facility maintenance I took care of 3 VTAC and 1 VOR facilities. At all 3 we has COM equipment. Since the VOR was on an airport the COM equipment was located elsewhere. At that same airport in the same building we had a RCAG, RTR and a RCO all of which went to different controlling facilities.

BTW if you look closely around the VTAC counterpoise you will see 16 antennas mounted on the counterpoise. These are the monitor antennas for the VOR portion of the VTAC that are spaced every 22.5 degrees.

Rich Dunklee
NR2D

 

[BMT]

RCAG transmitter's are either 10 or 50 watts.

BMT

 

[K4DHR]

OK, I took another look at local.live.com and captured a bigger picture. Is that an RCAG antenna in the 2 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions?

That antenna at the 2 o'clock position is probably the antenna used to monitor the VOR.

The TACAN portion is actually the white cylinder at the top of the cone. A stand alone TACAN will only consist of the large white cylinder.

 

[eorange]

Thanks for the updates on this old thread!