Mountaintop Structure in Canadian Rockies

Hello all, I have something that I need speculation on.

Let me tell you how I spotted this structure: I was on a roadtrip through the Rockies to Jasper, then to Calgary. As we drove along, I spotted something strange up on the hill. Not thinking it was strange at the time, I took a picture to review it later. That was last year, before I joined ATS. Now I have cropped the photo and played with the exposure levels to make it easier to view, does anyone have any idea what it could be? Considering the mountain it is on is pretty much gigantic, it would require some government funding to build. But what is it?

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/776a629d5e6b05bb.jpg[/atsimg]

I'll try to track it down on Google Earth for you, it was taken on the highway after leaving Blue River and heading up into the Rockies.

reply to post by Dnevnoi


I believe that's either a signal tower for planes, or a large seismograph to record movements in the mountains.

We have a similar one in the woods behind my house.

~Keeper

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Thanks for the information, its more likely a signal for planes since it is a very remote area except for occasional logging roads. I doubt its a seismograph installation since that part of the Rockies is far away from any faults.

do you remember the highway you were on when you got this pic? Never seen anything like this before, but i'm no radio tower watcher.

Is it between Blue River and Valemount? I lived in Blue River for 2 yrs and I have also seen that structure, it does not seem to fit the description of any communications tower or aircraft comms unit. I have some friends in that area, let me see what I can do.

reply to post by Blade The Hunter


Yes it was in that area. You can see it from the highway.

The highway that runs by Blue River is Highway 5. It goes north from Kamloops to the Interchange that you can take to go to either Prince George heading west and Jasper heading east.

reply to post by Blade The Hunter



hmm weird i grew up in clearwater and i dont remember that thing, or hearing about it. There's alot of helilogging/skiing in that area maybe it's a marker of some sorts?

Ahhhh, good ol Clearwater lol.

Im planning to take a road trip out there hopefully this summer or early fall, would any one be interested in going for a little hiking trip?

looks like a church steeple to me!

Sometimes there are roads leading to buildings on hills, sometimes entire towns are just out of sight. over the top.

This is actually a repeater station. I've worked on a few of these. They are used when someone needs to get a radio signal past a mountain. These stations receive the signal from one side of the mountain and then retransmit it on another frequency. The cone shaped structure is designed to blend in with the evergreen trees often seen at the tops of small mountains but they are very weather resistant so they are often used above the tree line as in this case. The tall structure nicely accommodates a large dipole antenna. Usually they are made out of fiberglass with an aluminum frame. The ones that I worked on were installed by park rangers, amateur radio clubs etc. to extend the coverage of their 2-way radio systems. Keep your eyes on the summits of the tallest mountains around any highways and you'll be able to spot them quite regularly. I've seen many in the Kootanys and Cascades as well. Just look for the thickest most symmetrical tree near the summit.

Edit to add more info.

[edit on 28-7-2009 by dainoyfb]

Awesome! that's a Weapon X Facility!

Nah, i just think is a comunications tower of sorts... nothing more...

reply to post by dainoyfb


THIS IS WHAT A REPEATER STATION SHAPED LIKE THAT LOOKS LIKE




HAVE NOT SEEN ONE PICTURE OF A STATION THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT...I'M NOT SAYING YOUR A LIAR, BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE.

I managed to grab a shot of the area Dnevnoi was talking about, it's on highway five going through the central region of the BC rockies.

reply to post by bertogooch


Yes well that is a repeater station plus a whole lot more.

Perhaps you were looking for something like this:

Exactly what I'm talking about


Repeaters come in many shapes and sizes including hand held units such as this:

Hand held radio with repeater function


The housing in the OP is made for small single transceiver repeaters for small applications like forestry services and amateur radio clubs.

PS: Please review the ATS T&C and refrain from using all caps.

And just one more thing you might want to know about me for future reference. I don't EVER post something as fact that I can't back up. Just FYI.


Edit to add more info.

[edit on 29-7-2009 by dainoyfb]

Here are some great pictures of the inside of them etc.

Heres a couple more on the peak of Mt. Arrowsmith, Vancouver Island BC.
The only way to get to them is by helicopter.