As a relatively young 2nd Lieutenant trained Weapons Director I showed up in 1969 at Calumet AFS before the site was operational with BUIC equipment. Since only the site's commander was already there, he made me key personnel and thereby my wife and I moved into one of the site's housing at the base of the road up to the control room. I spent many a day in front of the screen backed by a Burroughs Computer, mainly in training status, ie back-up. Three or four times a week, we would go live and actually get to direct F-102 or F-106 interceptors. F-106 had data-link which was neat, when it worked, but many times we would fall back to voice. I always got the feeling that the pilots didn't really like data-link, I think it wasn't quick enough for them. I left Calumet in 1970 to go to pilot training myself.
Took my Open Skies tour this August, and I think a mom of one of those guys led the tour. She was just as passionate and knowledgeable about the place! It was pea soup thick fog, so I didn’t get the “million dollar view” from up top, but since I was recording with VHS for a thriller short film, it couldn’t have been more PERFECT!
I was stationed at Empire AFS In Michigan and worked on the gap fillers that were at Petosky, Saugatuck , Shelby and Alpena. The main radar site had a FPS7 that was maintained by the FAA we had a FPS 26 and a FPS 6 that were height finders. At some point it had a NCO academy was there. While I was there in 68/69 there were less than a 100 people on the site. It was a great site and a step up from Caswell that I was stationed at in Maine. I never realized how much fun I was having in the Air Force till it was all over.
hey! great video! i'm from Hancock & my wife is from Calumet. i was stationed at K I Sawyer in the early 70s & also a tour in Vietnam. my wife dated some of the guys stationed at the radar site in the early 70s as well. there was even a hockey team called the Calumet Radars which my father in law was a player on for some years! looks like Open Skies has a big project on their hands, but as a follower of history, i'm glad the site will be preserved for future generations.
They should get with the local Hams and setup a special event station during the ARRL Field Day on top of the tower. That would make a great way to showcase this site and bet it has some sick propagation. Plus what ever club or what not could make a unique QSL card for the event.
channels like these remind me of the old internet when it was more like flying an island hopper in a archipelago or chain of islands with old youtube or sites like stumbleupon. not the current walled garden in the desert model of today.
Born and raised in Calumet and never been near there! Of course, the base was a working base when young! Airmen would come into town on the weekends! Friend here in my apartment building married a guy from Calumet Radar Base! He passed quite a few years ago!
This was so cool for me, because, back in the early 1960s ,my family moved up near Hancock, and I remember going on a Sunday drive with my parents and my sisters in a 1953 Chevy up to Copper Harbor. We saw that huge white puffball, and Dad told us "that's a 'Raydome'". It was the midst of the cold war, and everybody up there was aware that they were a target of a Soviet missile because of that.
Very cool to see, i'm a cold war submariner sonar tech, we played with Russian subs in the north Atlantic 79-82'. Looking back on it now it was an amazing time....thanks!
Antigo, Wisconsin has a similar sight. Many of the airmen still meet annually in Antigo. I was stationed at Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin 1972 to 78. SAGE was there too.
We used to visit the PX / BX at Antigo when it was still active. Dad Retired in 74 and moved us back home to Wausau, Still live Here today. Did a lot of My Driver training of hwy 52 with a Big ol Boat 75 Oldsmobile 4 dr Cutlass, Former unmarked Cop Car that Dad bought from O'Malley when it was Downtown.
What year ?? My Father moved us there in 1960,61 I was not quite 1 Year old Dads 1st Tour was France in 1955 where us 3 older kids were born then to Ki. Dad retired in 74 and moved us back to Wisconsin, Still here today went to Ki in 1993 when they had their Open House. Checked out the unit We lived in and the Chain-link Fence my dad installed to keep us youngins in the Back Yard was still there. Mike M.
Thank you for what you’re doing. I was a scope dope myself back in the ‘60s. I was at the 625th at Hastings Nebr, and 636th in Condon, Oregon. Both sites are still there but very run down, so what you’re done gives a lot of history of our defenses during the Cold War.
Nice! I always wanted to make it to Calumet! I'm a huge Cold-War history buff myself. If you ever make it to Detroit lmk and I'll give you a tour of the old D18 Nike base on Belle Isle. Not much left but still....
A very interesting project, thank you for showing us the airfield. I'm fascinated by the old equipment, and I suspect that the large tube might be a thyratron. For microwaves, the tube seems a bit big to me. It's a pity that the diesel engine with the 500-kilowatt generator is no longer there; I really like the sound of those old engines. I find it especially interesting when these engines have an open valve train. It’s just fascinating to watch the mechanics in action. The view from the towers is fantastic.🤗
I love seeing this! I was a radar operator from ‘77 to ‘87. I was stationed at Murphy Dome AFS from ‘82-‘83, when “The Dome” was shutting down. It was one of my favorite tours of duty. Thank you for sharing the tour of the Calumet AFS radar site.
My thanks to those that are making the effort to restore and preserve the Calumet Air Force Station, and open it to the public. A mostly intact Cold War Air Force Radar Station is a very rare find indeed. I'm a bit of a cold war buff myself, having fought the cold war from a Trident Submarine.
I lived and worked at the site of a similar station in WV - the Guthrie AFB. Interesting how much I see in the Calumet photos that I recall from Guthrie. The years I was there it had been taken over by the WV Dept. of Agriculture. Of course these days it has changed quite a bit, and the old radar dome structure is long gone. I recall there was copper screening inside of the walls or our building. We lived in one of the old officer's housing units on site for about 10 years. A pretty neat place, right on top of a mountain near Charleston.
I think that is not a bomb shelter. It is a crawl space under the house to give access to the plumbing and heating. I have lived in several homes with crawl spaces
As part of the repurposing parts of the base, it would be really cool to host HAM POTA (parks on the air). It would be cool to have somehow towers available for amateur radio operators to communicate from
I think those are great suggestions. I am an Engineering Physics / MD/ Trauma/ Prepping nerd. Several years ago I thought getting into HAM radio would be interesting. I loved the technical aspects. But the people I ran into seemed like a closed off Cult with a strict Hierarchical Structure. The whole HAM response to people in trouble in NW North Carolina after the recent "never before seen" Inland Hurricane Flooding confirmed my previous experiences. At least obstruction, interference and outright denials for emergency access was reported by many in the alternate media and YT channels. People who were giving significant amounts of volunteer aid of time, manpower and supplies. That attitude needs to change. HAM operators need to stop being informants for the FCC Stasi enforcers. That's just my opinion and experience. Your mileage may vary.
You guys need to check out the Air Force Radar station just south of Waverly, IA. If I’m not mistaken, it’s completely abandoned and hasn’t been touched in decades. As far as I know, the gates have been locked and no one has been allowed inside since it closed… from the outside, it looks a lot like this radar station in Calumet!
My time in USAF, Trained as telephone linesman. We were sent up to Alaska's DEW line in the early 1980s. They shutdown the White Alice and we installed telephone cable so they can link the radars to a satellite above then the information was sent back to Elmendorf AFB. And all the air force personal were removed form the stations and leaving only a few civilians manning them and some are unman. I also worked at Eielson AFB and Shemya AFB. We should never forget about the Cold WAR. Your doing are a great job keeping this alive for the public to understand how close we came to WW III. And how many men and woman served protecting America. And many of these stations were located in remote areas across America, Alaska and Canada. I also was sent to then West-Germany twice to do some work for NATO. Me and even my three brothers served during that time. Feels great being part of Cold War history. Keep up the good work that you and others are doing. A big Thank You and a salute to all of you.😀👍
I was in the military in Germany from 1966 to 1970. We were part of a group that decommissioned a monitoring site. It was amazing how things were built back then. It was an interesting time. Good luck on your project.
I cant imagine how that must have felt day to day. We are in a weird, theoretically similar situation right now but not nearly as severe or maybe not as urgent. Even though it feels to me to be nearly certain we are headed toward a large scale conflict on at least one front, maybe two or three. Hopefully cooler heads prevail...
Once again you create a very intriguing and interesting content.Which kind of leaves you on the edge of your seat because you don't know exactly what you're going to see next.Great job dude keep up the good work
I'm only 4 hours south of there in WI, I used to travel up there a lot and never knew about this site. I'll definitely drag the family there for a trip now that I know about it. Thank you very much!
I recall reading somewhere, a company from the Netherlands purchased a bunch of forestry area in the Keweenaw. I don't recall if from Cleveland Cliffs or from whom.
A similar fascination of mine too and nice to see this video. I was stationed at Kotzebue Air Force Site / White Alice Center during 1973. Fascinating stuff that went on when I was there. Alas... all gone now.
I was stationed at Calumet in 1969 though the Buic 3 transition as radar operation tech, (scope dope). Glad to see all this happening, it was a really great site to work. My barracks was the first one on the right coming in the gate. Also had secondary duty of snow removal, watching your video brought back a bunch of memories, shame they spend so much money only to be closed down in a couple of years
I enjoyed this, even being mainly a shell of what it was at this point, it's commendable that they are preserving the site and history. I wish them the best of luck on restoration.
Great job editing/telling this story. Challenging to put together a 30 minute video when so much of the base is in disrepair. You managed to keep my attention all the way to the end👍💙 *Great job.*
In 1967 I was assigned to a similar facility in Blaine, Wa. We were the backup to the SAGE site at McChord AFB. Since this was a NORAD function we also had US Army Nike Hercules surface to air missile sites around the Seattle area. I was the only US Army officer (with three enlisted) stationed there at that time.
Not as exciting, though on a similar to that region note is that getting out to the old Keweenaw Rocket Range launch site has gotten way easier than when I used to trek out there back in the late 90's early 2000's. Might be boring though compared to what you've experienced. Anyways, the northern coastal range of the UP is awesome in general in many ways historically and currently. Watching the Calumet Air Force Station latest and greatest is just jaw dropping! Way awesome and excellent to see. Thanks for sharing all the detail regarding the Open Skies Project!
@@saveitforparts Ouch! Yeah, wasn't so bad with the 01 Dodge Ram last I was out and with the 13 Prius I only made it to the new parking area for the first beach area I never went to prior from what I remember. Amazed me I got that far with a not lifted Prius. Now, in regards to back in the day while I was at Tech, bouncing around the old 89 Ranger was something else where I needed a few carefully planned and executed running starts whether mud puddle runs or that little rock hill earlier on in the stretch. Used to be 2 wheel drive super sketchy, though I had the attitude back then like I do now, if you can't get there in 2 wheel drive you don't need to be there and 4 wheel drive costs too much. Those I beam front ends are nice!
This was very cool. I'm glad they did this. I'm glad you went there and put it on your channel. When i saw the title, I thought it was about optical astronomy (dark skies). Keep up the good work.
Its so cool seeing one of my favorite youtubers film somewhere I live. Awesome Video! If you ever visit Hancock/Houghton theres a TON of stuff to check out.
As a troubled youth I couldn’t get away from there fast enough. As a troubled adult and seeing all the expensive equipment onsite, I can’t wait to return.
If these guys aren't already doing so, they really need to go through and take a bunch of before shots, so they can show just how bad the place was before they restored it. It's a super cool place, hopefully it all goes well for them. :)
Much appreciated. Most people have no clue about our Cold War military might. We have our own in Montauk LI.But it was taken over by the state. They do not put much money into it, which is in a rotting state of decay. Congrats to you guys😊
Your video brought back a lot of memories thank you. Ham radio operators heard angels sing and waxed over in contemplation about the possibilities of having a station at the tower site, it would be really cool to at least do a special event station from there. My wife grew up just across the river from the Hanford nuclear range in Washington State where they developed material for the Manhattan project. Just outside her town was a radar base like this one but on a smaller scale, it still stands to this day in about the same condition. It too had a T33 on a pedestal that was eventually moved to the city hall area of her town. A fellow LEO and myself are both Astronomy nerds as well as ham radio operators and wanted to build an observatory on one of the radar buildings and were researching how we could fund it at the time, before that happened I left law enforcement and we moved back to my home state. At the turnoff to one of the places we rented was an old Titan missile base/silo, that I always wanted to explore. there was also many Nike ground to air defense bases that lined the border of the restricted zones when you get closer to the Columbia river I did find some of those and explore what was left but they had filled many things in with dirt. Such an interesting time in history.
Amazing that they could send data to the aircraft and arm the weapons and send navigation data back in the 1960s, i had no idea that technology was available back then.
i grew up around the SAGE/ AN-FPS 35 facility in Montauk NY. Ive spent many days exploring that site. Its cool to see we have similar interests!! Its cool to follow your adventures!
Been friends with these guys for a while now, as I study Cold War USAF History and Strategic Air Command history. I had been researching and trying to preserve (by video/photo) K. I. Sawyer AFB - and they reached out. Wonderful people!
There’s a very similar example of a pine tree line Cold War radar base here where I live too (red cliff , Newfoundland ), it’s cool to see one In the condition yours is in . Thanks for the video
Very cool tour! But that trap Door under the stove was just access for the crawl space no protection at all down there. Unless it was the in-laws shelter???
I used to live near a cold war weather station in SE Wisconsin. All that's left are some of the buildings. It was used as a pre-release center for incarcerated convicts. We were on the list for targeted sites as it was connected to the Nike sites in Chicago and Milwaukee.
Back in 1982/83 I was stationed at the King Salmon Air Force Station at King Salmon Alaska and I worked in the GTATR Sight. The Receiver and transmitter shown in the center of the photo at 3:07 was one of the radios that I worked on. The transmitter on the bottom looks like a GRT-21.
There's a, potentially nuke-proof building in my area. An old vinegar factory. Regs had it so that they needed a bunker where some of the volatile parts of production had to be done. The walls on that bunker are at least one meter thick.
Right angles are not for blast deflection. they are for the attenuation of ionizing radiation. High energy particle radiation will impact the initial wall at weak points in the shielding and generate incidental X-rays through bremsstrahlung that scatter perpendicular (Compton scattering) to the surface impacted. 36" of sand and concrete block provide a minimum of 99% decrease in ionizing radiation exposure, however this structure provides less shielding from neutron radiation during a close detonation, and would be insufficient at protecting occupants. My guess is that during incoming they would evacuate crew to the buried shelter for survivability, then return to their stations after an attack if possible to resume command and control.
I work for the company that runs the DEW sites in Alaska. Installations that were manned by 100s of AF personnel are now operated by a hand full of contractors.
This is way cool ! My wife & I will be over next year. We're retired & like to take trips to truly "interesting" places & this fits the bill to a T ! We live in Minnesota.
Thank you so much for sharing! That site has so many possibilities! Have they reached out to local Hams for a Repeater placement? I think I'd consider moving there just for the infrastructure. Cheers!
I am a Amature R$adio Operator. I only work AMSAT (Amature Satilltes) and planing to work the Birds from there. The site has a 360 degrees view of the horizon. Plan to work the Satellites when they are over the Atlantic and work Operators in Europe. LOVE the HOBBY!!!
@@tmwinkler I've been using Eggs with SSB Electronics preamps for about 9 years now here at the QTH. Worked many EU Operators over the years. Most QSO/QSL's on the RS-44 Satellite. 73!
really cool. the was a smaller radar station in Truro on Cape Cod that was eventually abandoned when the PAVE PAWS was built in Sandwich also o Cape Cod. maybe measure up to the basketball backboard to figure the floor height.
There was a a similar site on Lookout Mountain Georgia called Flintstone Air Force Station. Opened in 1955 and was operated by the 867th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron with d AN/MPS-11 and AN/TPS-10D radars for Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and the SAGE defense system. Site had about 30 buildings was closed somehow for budgetary constraints in 1960. I find that poignant as in 5 years when Vietnam started money was not an issue for defense spending. Covenant College bought this abandoned property bordering their campus. All buildings torn down and now house their athletic fields.
As a relatively young 2nd Lieutenant trained Weapons Director I showed up in 1969 at Calumet AFS before the site was operational with BUIC equipment. Since only the site's commander was already there, he made me key personnel and thereby my wife and I moved into one of the site's housing at the base of the road up to the control room. I spent many a day in front of the screen backed by a Burroughs Computer, mainly in training status, ie back-up. Three or four times a week, we would go live and actually get to direct F-102 or F-106 interceptors. F-106 had data-link which was neat, when it worked, but many times we would fall back to voice. I always got the feeling that the pilots didn't really like data-link, I think it wasn't quick enough for them. I left Calumet in 1970 to go to pilot training myself.
I'm glad people like Zack exist. Restoring and telling history, especially in fun ways, benefits us all!
He really is an amazing guy
I'm in Calumet for 3 days out of the week for work. I've been living up here for 5 years and had no idea this existed 😂😂
Took my Open Skies tour this August, and I think a mom of one of those guys led the tour. She was just as passionate and knowledgeable about the place! It was pea soup thick fog, so I didn’t get the “million dollar view” from up top, but since I was recording with VHS for a thriller short film, it couldn’t have been more PERFECT!
Drop the letterboxd link king
I was stationed at Empire AFS In Michigan and worked on the gap fillers that were at Petosky, Saugatuck , Shelby and Alpena. The main radar site had a FPS7 that was maintained by the FAA we had a FPS 26 and a FPS 6 that were height finders. At some point it had a NCO academy was there. While I was there in 68/69 there were less than a 100 people on the site. It was a great site and a step up from Caswell that I was stationed at in Maine. I never realized how much fun I was having in the Air Force till it was all over.
hey! great video! i'm from Hancock & my wife is from Calumet. i was stationed at K I Sawyer in the early 70s & also a tour in Vietnam. my wife dated some of the guys stationed at the radar site in the early 70s as well. there was even a hockey team called the Calumet Radars which my father in law was a player on for some years! looks like Open Skies has a big project on their hands, but as a follower of history, i'm glad the site will be preserved for future generations.
Perfect radio location
You've done at least 2 abandoned cold war radio sites now - so you need to keep going with this series! At least make a playlist of them please.
They should get with the local Hams and setup a special event station during the ARRL Field Day on top of the tower. That would make a great way to showcase this site and bet it has some sick propagation. Plus what ever club or what not could make a unique QSL card for the event.
channels like these remind me of the old internet when it was more like flying an island hopper in a archipelago or chain of islands with old youtube or sites like stumbleupon. not the current walled garden in the desert model of today.
Born and raised in Calumet and never been near there! Of course, the base was a working base when young! Airmen would come into town on the weekends! Friend here in my apartment building married a guy from Calumet Radar Base! He passed quite a few years ago!
Thank you for buying and restoration and preserving a part of "HISTORY !!"
Old scope dope here. Thanks for showing that nice radar site.
This was so cool for me, because, back in the early 1960s ,my family moved up near Hancock, and I remember going on a Sunday drive with my parents and my sisters in a 1953 Chevy up to Copper Harbor. We saw that huge white puffball, and Dad told us "that's a 'Raydome'". It was the midst of the cold war, and everybody up there was aware that they were a target of a Soviet missile because of that.
Very cool to see, i'm a cold war submariner sonar tech, we played with Russian subs in the north Atlantic 79-82'. Looking back on it now it was an amazing time....thanks!
Antigo, Wisconsin has a similar sight. Many of the airmen still meet annually in Antigo. I was stationed at Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin 1972 to 78. SAGE was there too.
We used to visit the PX / BX at Antigo when it was still active. Dad Retired in 74 and moved us back home to Wausau, Still live Here today. Did a lot of My Driver training of hwy 52 with a Big ol Boat 75 Oldsmobile 4 dr Cutlass, Former unmarked Cop Car that Dad bought from O'Malley when it was Downtown.
This is really cool! I wish them all the best in this endeavour!
A tuggy video and cold war base in one week!!! This channel is great!!!
I was born at KI Sawyer! That was keeping me safe and I didn't even know it was there!
Live and work at the former K.I. Sawyer AFB as I type.
K.I. Sawyer Supply Officer (‘64-68).
We supported the station.
What year ?? My Father moved us there in 1960,61 I was not quite 1 Year old
Dads 1st Tour was France in 1955 where us 3 older kids were born then to Ki.
Dad retired in 74 and moved us back to Wisconsin, Still here today
went to Ki in 1993 when they had their Open House. Checked out the unit We lived in and the Chain-link Fence my dad installed to keep us youngins in the Back Yard was still there.
Mike M.
@@m9ovich785 1972!
Cool video. Thanks for taking us along!
Looks like a cool repeater spot to me.. Thanks for the look, all the best!
Thank you for what you’re doing. I was a scope dope myself back in the ‘60s. I was at the 625th at Hastings Nebr, and 636th in Condon, Oregon. Both sites are still there but very run down, so what you’re done gives a lot of history of our defenses during the Cold War.
Nice! I always wanted to make it to Calumet! I'm a huge Cold-War history buff myself. If you ever make it to Detroit lmk and I'll give you a tour of the old D18 Nike base on Belle Isle. Not much left but still....
A very interesting project, thank you for showing us the airfield. I'm fascinated by the old equipment, and I suspect that the large tube might be a thyratron. For microwaves, the tube seems a bit big to me. It's a pity that the diesel engine with the 500-kilowatt generator is no longer there; I really like the sound of those old engines. I find it especially interesting when these engines have an open valve train. It’s just fascinating to watch the mechanics in action. The view from the towers is fantastic.🤗
This place would make a great summer camp.
Was stationed at Fortuna AFS, ND Finley AFS ND & Opheim AFS Montana. (Should have bought Fortuna for 65K when it went up for sale). Was there 70-72.
I love seeing this! I was a radar operator from ‘77 to ‘87. I was stationed at Murphy Dome AFS from ‘82-‘83, when “The Dome” was shutting down. It was one of my favorite tours of duty. Thank you for sharing the tour of the Calumet AFS radar site.
I went to college in Fairbanks so it's fun to see people mentioning sites around there!
My thanks to those that are making the effort to restore and preserve the Calumet Air Force Station, and open it to the public. A mostly intact Cold War Air Force Radar Station is a very rare find indeed.
I'm a bit of a cold war buff myself, having fought the cold war from a Trident Submarine.
I lived and worked at the site of a similar station in WV - the Guthrie AFB. Interesting how much I see in the Calumet photos that I recall from Guthrie. The years I was there it had been taken over by the WV Dept. of Agriculture. Of course these days it has changed quite a bit, and the old radar dome structure is long gone. I recall there was copper screening inside of the walls or our building. We lived in one of the old officer's housing units on site for about 10 years. A pretty neat place, right on top of a mountain near Charleston.
I think that is not a bomb shelter. It is a crawl space under the house to give access to the plumbing and heating. I have lived in several homes with crawl spaces
As part of the repurposing parts of the base, it would be really cool to host HAM POTA (parks on the air). It would be cool to have somehow towers available for amateur radio operators to communicate from
I'll second that! Maybe a 2 meter/70 cm repeater on one of those towers!
I think those are great suggestions.
I am an Engineering Physics / MD/ Trauma/ Prepping nerd. Several years ago I thought getting into HAM radio would be interesting. I loved the technical aspects. But the people I ran into seemed like a closed off Cult with a strict Hierarchical Structure. The whole HAM response to people in trouble in NW North Carolina after the recent "never before seen" Inland Hurricane Flooding confirmed my previous experiences.
At least obstruction, interference and outright denials for emergency access was reported by many in the alternate media and YT channels. People who were giving significant amounts of volunteer aid of time, manpower and supplies.
That attitude needs to change. HAM operators need to stop being informants for the FCC Stasi enforcers.
That's just my opinion and experience.
Your mileage may vary.
You guys need to check out the Air Force Radar station just south of Waverly, IA. If I’m not mistaken, it’s completely abandoned and hasn’t been touched in decades. As far as I know, the gates have been locked and no one has been allowed inside since it closed… from the outside, it looks a lot like this radar station in Calumet!
My time in USAF, Trained as telephone linesman. We were sent up to Alaska's DEW line in the early 1980s. They shutdown the White Alice and we installed telephone cable so they can link the radars to a satellite above then the information was sent back to Elmendorf AFB. And all the air force personal were removed form the stations and leaving only a few civilians manning them and some are unman. I also worked at Eielson AFB and Shemya AFB. We should never forget about the Cold WAR. Your doing are a great job keeping this alive for the public to understand how close we came to WW III. And how many men and woman served protecting America. And many of these stations were located in remote areas across America, Alaska and Canada. I also was sent to then West-Germany twice to do some work for NATO. Me and even my three brothers served during that time. Feels great being part of Cold War history. Keep up the good work that you and others are doing. A big Thank You and a salute to all of you.😀👍
I was in the military in Germany from 1966 to 1970.
We were part of a group that decommissioned a monitoring site. It was amazing how things were built back then.
It was an interesting time.
Good luck on your project.
I cant imagine how that must have felt day to day. We are in a weird, theoretically similar situation right now but not nearly as severe or maybe not as urgent. Even though it feels to me to be nearly certain we are headed toward a large scale conflict on at least one front, maybe two or three. Hopefully cooler heads prevail...
What about the one in Greenland….Thule AFB…..still there?
Once again you create a very intriguing and interesting content.Which kind of leaves you on the edge of your seat because you don't know exactly what you're going to see next.Great job dude keep up the good work
I'm only 4 hours south of there in WI, I used to travel up there a lot and never knew about this site. I'll definitely drag the family there for a trip now that I know about it. Thank you very much!
that place is really interesting, imagine the stories that happened there... and super cool place overall
Haven't even watched it yet but i know it's gonna be awesome.
Warm greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱!
I recall reading somewhere, a company from the Netherlands purchased a bunch of forestry area in the Keweenaw. I don't recall if from Cleveland Cliffs or from whom.
@@jafinch78Cleveland Cliffs is always up to something.
I was a RADAR operator during the 70s in similar facilities but stationed elsewhere
A similar fascination of mine too and nice to see this video. I was stationed at Kotzebue Air Force Site / White Alice Center during 1973. Fascinating stuff that went on when I was there. Alas... all gone now.
This was an awesome watch! Some really cool things the Open Skies project have plans for.
Found online - their winning bid was $237,365 for the 105 acre site.
Wow, so cool to see a sanctioned tour of this site! Definitely a flagship exploration site from Adam's adventure guide.
Great video. Was just near there this summer and appreciate how great a part of this country the UP is!
I was stationed at Calumet in 1969 though the Buic 3 transition as radar operation tech, (scope dope). Glad to see all this happening, it was a really great site to work. My barracks was the first one on the right coming in the gate. Also had secondary duty of snow removal, watching your video brought back a bunch of memories, shame they spend so much money only to be closed down in a couple of years
Cool to hear! Glad you liked the video.
My dad was stationed there in 1969. He worked on the radar.
I enjoyed this, even being mainly a shell of what it was at this point, it's commendable that they are preserving the site and history. I wish them the best of luck on restoration.
Another facilities tour!? Thank you! First the broadcast station, and now this? Awesome!
Great job editing/telling this story. Challenging to put together a 30 minute video when so much of the base is in disrepair. You managed to keep my attention all the way to the end👍💙 *Great job.*
In 1967 I was assigned to a similar facility in Blaine, Wa. We were the backup to the SAGE site at McChord AFB. Since this was a NORAD function we also had US Army Nike Hercules surface to air missile sites around the Seattle area. I was the only US Army officer (with three enlisted) stationed there at that time.
The SAGE system was one of IBM's biggest projects, in collaboration of the Bell System ("Ma Bell", now AT&T).
Not as exciting, though on a similar to that region note is that getting out to the old Keweenaw Rocket Range launch site has gotten way easier than when I used to trek out there back in the late 90's early 2000's. Might be boring though compared to what you've experienced. Anyways, the northern coastal range of the UP is awesome in general in many ways historically and currently. Watching the Calumet Air Force Station latest and greatest is just jaw dropping! Way awesome and excellent to see. Thanks for sharing all the detail regarding the Open Skies Project!
I went out to the rocket range a few years ago, messed up my axle a bit on the road to the camping spot!
@@saveitforparts Ouch! Yeah, wasn't so bad with the 01 Dodge Ram last I was out and with the 13 Prius I only made it to the new parking area for the first beach area I never went to prior from what I remember. Amazed me I got that far with a not lifted Prius. Now, in regards to back in the day while I was at Tech, bouncing around the old 89 Ranger was something else where I needed a few carefully planned and executed running starts whether mud puddle runs or that little rock hill earlier on in the stretch. Used to be 2 wheel drive super sketchy, though I had the attitude back then like I do now, if you can't get there in 2 wheel drive you don't need to be there and 4 wheel drive costs too much. Those I beam front ends are nice!
This was very cool. I'm glad they did this. I'm glad you went there and put it on your channel. When i saw the title, I thought it was about optical astronomy (dark skies). Keep up the good work.
Its so cool seeing one of my favorite youtubers film somewhere I live. Awesome Video! If you ever visit Hancock/Houghton theres a TON of stuff to check out.
SUPER interesting site! Thanks for the great upload!
Excellent tour, really great stuff!
I lived there from 1981 to 1985. I loved it.
As a troubled youth I couldn’t get away from there fast enough. As a troubled adult and seeing all the expensive equipment onsite, I can’t wait to return.
Ha! A lot of that expensive equipment is for the security systems!
That is soooooo cool. I don’t think I could have sneaked that purchase past my wife. That tower is cool. Thanks for an awesome look at this place !!!
This was really interesting!
Yesss! Cold War history!!!
…and I thought you were gonna be at the place on the North Shore.
Really nice sightseeing; thanks! :)
If these guys aren't already doing so, they really need to go through and take a bunch of before shots, so they can show just how bad the place was before they restored it. It's a super cool place, hopefully it all goes well for them. :)
Much appreciated. Most people have no clue about our Cold War military might. We have our own in Montauk LI.But it was taken over by the state. They do not put much money into it, which is in a rotting state of decay. Congrats to you guys😊
Your video brought back a lot of memories thank you. Ham radio operators heard angels sing and waxed over in contemplation about the possibilities of having a station at the tower site, it would be really cool to at least do a special event station from there. My wife grew up just across the river from the Hanford nuclear range in Washington State where they developed material for the Manhattan project. Just outside her town was a radar base like this one but on a smaller scale, it still stands to this day in about the same condition. It too had a T33 on a pedestal that was eventually moved to the city hall area of her town. A fellow LEO and myself are both Astronomy nerds as well as ham radio operators and wanted to build an observatory on one of the radar buildings and were researching how we could fund it at the time, before that happened I left law enforcement and we moved back to my home state. At the turnoff to one of the places we rented was an old Titan missile base/silo, that I always wanted to explore. there was also many Nike ground to air defense bases that lined the border of the restricted zones when you get closer to the Columbia river I did find some of those and explore what was left but they had filled many things in with dirt. Such an interesting time in history.
I believe there's a repeater on the cell tower, and yeah it would be a good site for a lot of astronomy and radio experiments!
SAGE is such an under appreciated system, the networking alone! (Oh and the terminal light gun interfaces, genuine GUI).
Fun fact, the technology for SAGE was the base on which the SABRE airline reservation system was built. Some of the original code is still used.
@ COBOL baby lol
you're probably my fav youtube channel, thanks for your work
Very cool to see. I was stationed at Eielson AFB in the late 80s and used to explore the old sites behind the base.
This place is super cool. I'm glad they're keep the history alive. Very interesting history!
The way of having regular rooms in a building in a bunker reminds me of the movie Blast From The Past
Amazing that they could send data to the aircraft and arm the weapons and send navigation data back in the 1960s, i had no idea that technology was available back then.
Google USAF SAGE for more info. You'll be amazed at the "Size" of Technology bake then.
We didn't. These guys are F.O.S.
@@dukefordyes they did.
@@kimnielsen9332 The navigation, yes, but SAGE could not arm the weapons. The pilot was still responsible for that.
@@dukeford simply a matter of flipping switches. But the real deal on this was the limitations of 1950s/1960s electronics. It just didn't always work.
i grew up around the SAGE/ AN-FPS 35 facility in Montauk NY. Ive spent many days exploring that site. Its cool to see we have similar interests!! Its cool to follow your adventures!
What an awesome tour! I knew there were stations up there but the details are more than I had any idea of. Thank you!
Great video work Gabe. The UP has some crazy wind that will toss even a heavy camera around.
Fantastic place ! Thanks for sharing !!!
Been friends with these guys for a while now, as I study Cold War USAF History and Strategic Air Command history. I had been researching and trying to preserve (by video/photo) K. I. Sawyer AFB - and they reached out. Wonderful people!
There’s a very similar example of a pine tree line Cold War radar base here where I live too (red cliff , Newfoundland ), it’s cool to see one In the condition yours is in . Thanks for the video
That was super interesting. It's too bad that the actual radar dishes aren't there any more.
Very cool tour, thank you!
it is al wise windy up there. lived on K.I. Sawyer for 9 years and stayed in the area for another 2 years
Awesome. I live in central MN and want to go!!
Im facinated with cold war history too. I love stuff like this.
Cool video and history of the site. Good luck with the project.
Very cool tour! But that trap Door under the stove was just access for the crawl space no protection at all down there. Unless it was the in-laws shelter???
Just a crawl space.
Probably a root cellar for storing food. Doesn't look strong enough to withstand a blast.
Greetings: Indeed a near perfect location 4 my retirement. Thx 4 the share.
Thank you for preserving this most important historical site.
that was a super neat tour, I put it on my list of places to go (aka see in person). is it really windy there?
I used to live near a cold war weather station in SE Wisconsin. All that's left are some of the buildings. It was used as a pre-release center for incarcerated convicts. We were on the list for targeted sites as it was connected to the Nike sites in Chicago and Milwaukee.
You have something fantastic
Back in 1982/83 I was stationed at the King Salmon Air Force Station at King Salmon Alaska and I worked in the GTATR Sight. The Receiver and transmitter shown in the center of the photo at 3:07 was one of the radios that I worked on. The transmitter on the bottom looks like a GRT-21.
That's cool! I grew up in Alaska and we had a lot of Cold War stuff around.
There's a, potentially nuke-proof building in my area. An old vinegar factory. Regs had it so that they needed a bunker where some of the volatile parts of production had to be done. The walls on that bunker are at least one meter thick.
Appreciate you use the best unit system! 😉😁😇
Right angles are not for blast deflection. they are for the attenuation of ionizing radiation. High energy particle radiation will impact the initial wall at weak points in the shielding and generate incidental X-rays through bremsstrahlung that scatter perpendicular (Compton scattering) to the surface impacted. 36" of sand and concrete block provide a minimum of 99% decrease in ionizing radiation exposure, however this structure provides less shielding from neutron radiation during a close detonation, and would be insufficient at protecting occupants. My guess is that during incoming they would evacuate crew to the buried shelter for survivability, then return to their stations after an attack if possible to resume command and control.
I work for the company that runs the DEW sites in Alaska. Installations that were manned by 100s of AF personnel are now operated by a hand full of contractors.
This is way cool ! My wife & I will be over next year. We're retired & like to take trips to truly "interesting" places & this fits the bill to a T ! We live in Minnesota.
Thank you so much for sharing! That site has so many possibilities! Have they reached out to local Hams for a Repeater placement? I think I'd consider moving there just for the infrastructure. Cheers!
The local Ham Club does have repeaters on site.
I am a Amature R$adio Operator. I only work AMSAT (Amature Satilltes) and planing to work the Birds from there. The site has a 360 degrees view of the horizon. Plan to work the Satellites when they are over the Atlantic and work Operators in Europe. LOVE the HOBBY!!!
@@thederangedwartomato5383 Very cool! I am hoping to build a tracker, but recently learned about egg-beaters. (73 from K8TMW)
@@tmwinkler I've been using Eggs with SSB Electronics preamps for about 9 years now here at the QTH. Worked many EU Operators over the years. Most QSO/QSL's on the RS-44 Satellite. 73!
God bless you 💕
really cool. the was a smaller radar station in Truro on Cape Cod that was eventually abandoned when the PAVE PAWS was built in Sandwich also o Cape Cod. maybe measure up to the basketball backboard to figure the floor height.
Cool place thanks for the video. It will be interesting to see how they set up a water system.
Excellent.
This is super cool. I would love to come visit.
There was a a similar site on Lookout Mountain Georgia called Flintstone Air Force Station.
Opened in 1955 and was operated by the 867th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron with d AN/MPS-11 and
AN/TPS-10D radars for Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and the SAGE defense system. Site had about 30 buildings was closed somehow for budgetary constraints in 1960. I find that poignant as in 5 years when Vietnam started money was not an issue for defense spending.
Covenant College bought this abandoned property bordering their campus. All buildings torn down and now house their athletic fields.
This is so cool… never heard of this site before.