u/MelamineEngineer

Not planned but drove past on my way to Arrowsmith, IL -(edited the rest until I can confirm some stuff)-

I hope I don't wind up in federal fuck me in the ass prison for espionage activity 🤣

Shout-out L3Harris, last thing I used of theirs was the PEQ-15, on the end of my M4a1 in another life. I didn't know they made air traffic control systems.

This is the only tower in the area with 5g antennas on it and I'm connected full bars, so I uploaded these on site so that you could be treated to images which came in via a long lines tower.

This cat followed me all shoot and tried to get into my car, so fucking adorable

I am fully ready for your personal abuse and my asshole is, I assure you all, well lubricated.

Actual history of this site has come into full realization thanks to the investigative work of long lines most active historian Garret Fuller and our favorite tower owner and grandfather of long lines hobbyism Terry Michaels, who owns this tower and dug into his own records to find us the truth.

The FCC records are indeed shady for old towers, and this was built in 1984, not the late 90s, by what was then just Qwest microwave.

They were attempting to stand up their own backbone service in the wake of the bell breakup, and built their own microwave lines, which were probably almost immediately not useful and abandoned as the fiber revolution took over.

Qwest (the later Qwest, which acquired the name when they bought the small Texas based company in the 90s) innovated by laying fiber along rail lines when others weren't, became a primarily fiber company and acquired US West. Today they are Lumen and their fiber backbone dreams are fully realized.

This tower was manufactured by Tower Fabricators Inc, not Grasis or another more known company, out of Tulsa Oklahoma. TM says a bill of lading for steel shows OCT 84 as the start of construction.

Interestingly there was a pair of microwave transmitters going to a tower called "Bills tower" which was a local FM station. They probably used that more than the other connections given the fiber takeover.

Thanks to Garret Fuller for finding the original site of the tower it talked to in Champaign, which given it's location and the width of microwave paths puts it in the same path of the Champaign office, who's dishes that I assumed were aimed at Elliot may have been aimed at Paxton or rantoul, as it's hard to tell depending which sat image you pull.

Many thanks to all involved, what a ride.

My favorite Illinois site. Many thanks to the owner of tower sites for hauling those historical antennas up there.

"May have paths to Champaign", I say, ducking as Garret Fuller swings stolen western electric loudspeakers at my head, ants showering down all over me.

Just as I think I've escaped, an ice shield- which is definitely not a platform of any kind- falls from the tower and crushes me.

We've got it all gents:

>Unexplained 2 north facing Champaign dishes with no pathing on long lines site

>2 South facing Elliot IL dishes

>40km distance with no terrain in the way higher than 100ft

Can anyone tell me info about this tower? Seems to point to Soybrook IL and either Weldon or Champaign

Had to get better pics than the first time.

Marietta IL, talking to Norris IL and Macomb

This would have to be a TV only receiver station I believe

Lostant IL tower. I believe it only communicated with the Norway tower to the northeast and the Metamora tower to the southwest. Round horns may have gone to Benson and Ottawa but I think they were for extra traffic on the main route. Someone who knows please educate.

Metamora IL microwave tower. Civil defense role prominently noted.