TELEPHONE CENTRAL OFFICES

MICROWAVE TOWERS SITES

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Northern California Microwave Sites Page 1

ATT SOCAL MAP 1987.jpg

 

ANAHEIM

 

Anaheim

Type: Junction/Switched/Toll Office

Location: City of Anaheim

Paths: LA03 Madison Complex, Santiago Peak and Corona del Mar.

Notes: All horns have been removed. Anaheim had L-3 cable to Corona and Gardena and Fiber to Corona, Gardena and Santa Ana.

ARCADIA

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

Arcadia

Type: Repeater

Location: Arcadia was located on the flank of the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Arcadia in Los Angeles and adjacent to the Santa Anita Reservoir.

Paths: Los Angeles 03 (Madison Complex) and Olinda

Notes:

 

BALDWIN HILLS

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

Baldwin Hills

Type: Repeater

Location:  On the north side of the Baldwin Hills near Culver City in Los Angeles.

Paths: Los Angeles 09 (Richmond) Central Office and Los Angeles 07 (Airport) Central Office.

Notes: Horns have already been removed from this site :-(

 

BELLE

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

Belle

Type: Repeater

Location:  Out in the middle of nowhere.  Actually located in the Pinto Mountains about 10 miles south of Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert.  Very remote.

Paths: Joshua Tree and Sheep Hole

Notes: One of the few towers that was painted red and white as to warn low flying aircraft.  Tower was 197 feet tall and was possibly painted because of the low flying military helicopters coming out of Twentynine Palms Marine Station. Built in 1962

 

BESS

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

Bess

Type: Repeater

Location: Another very remote site. Located on a small mountain near Iron Ridge in the Mojave Desert.  The closest "real" town is Dagget, some 30 miles to the northwest.

Paths: Lucerne Valley and Hector

Notes: Imagine being stuck here over night!  UFO hotline???  Also note how one of the horn covers is patched (left one) could it have been shot???  Built 1962

 

BIRD SPRINGS

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

 

Bird Springs

Type: Junction/Switched

Location: Atop "Wyleys Knob" adjacent to Bird Spring Canyon at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  About 14 miles southeast of Weldon.  Very remote.

Paths: El Paso Mtn., Mojave and Shirley Peak

Notes: Major switching point for traffic coming from east and going west/north (central and northern Calif.) or south (southern Calif).  Reverse was true for traffic coming from points in Calif to the east.

 

BLACK MOUNTAIN

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Black Mountain

Type: Repeater

Location: Just north of San Diego and west of Poway on the top of Black Mountain.

Paths: San Diego (University), Oceanside and San Marcos

Notes: This was a landmark tower located right on the top of the mountain. I remember I would always notice it driving north along the I-15.  Sadly all the horns have been removed recently and all that remains is the steel support structure.

 

BLYTHE

(Photo Chad Perkins)

Blythe

Type: Junction/Switched

Location: In the City of Blythe just south of the I-10 freeway

Paths: Glamis

Notes: Blythe was part of the Los Angeles-El Paso L-3 cable system  and provided the power feed for the eastern "desert" section of this cable.  Microwave service was added later to allow switching between both the cable and microwave paths.

 

BOUCHER HILL

(UCSD HEPWREN)

Boucher Hill

Type: Repeater,  TD-2 AT&T

Location: Atop Boucher Hill in the Palomar Mountains.  About 20 miles north of Escondido.

Paths: San Diego (University) and Santiago Peak

Notes: Boucher has been torn down and removed

 

BRAWLEY

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Brawley

Type: Repeater

Location: Near Brawley, Imperial Valley

Paths: Salton and Glamis

Notes:

 

CAMERON

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Cameron

Type: Repeater

Location: Amongst the numerous wind turbines along a ridge in the Tehachapi Mountains about 6 miles southwest of Tehachapi.

Paths: High Vista and Mt. Adelaide

Notes:

 

CIMA

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Cima:

Type: Repeater

Location: In the mid hills of the eastern Mojave Desert. About 5 miles from Cima Siding. Very Remote

Paths: Kelso and Beer Bottle (Nevada)

Notes: Cima was so remote that it had a helipad adjacent to the site most likely to transport maintenance personal and equipment to the site.  Tower is also painted the red/white colors as to warn approaching helicopters. 

 

CORONA

 

Corona

Type: Junction/Switched

Location: 5 miles south of Corona at the north end of the Santa Ana Mountains.

Paths: Ontario, Strawberry Peak and Wildomar.

Notes: Corona was an important site in the Southern California system.  It served as a power feed for L-3 cables to Anaheim and fiber optic lines from Anaheim and San Bernardino.  Switching took place between cable systems and microwave.  Corona was a hardened site to protect against nuclear attack and had large emergency generators, protected air/ventilation equipment and personnel provisions.  AT&T still owns and operates the site but have removed the horns from the tower.  More to come........

CORONA DEL MAR

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Corona Del Mar

Type: Repeater

Location: Signal Peak in the San Joaquin Hills about 4 miles southeast of Corona del Mar.

Paths: Anaheim, El Toro (Central office), San Clemente and Los Angeles 03 Madison Complex

CLINE SPRINGS

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

Cline Springs

Type: Repeater, AT&T TD-2

Location:  On the north side of Goat Mountain about 16 miles southeast of Barstow. Remote

Paths: Strawberry Peak and Sandy

Notes: Is conical horn part of the old GTE southern California microwave system?

 

EL CAJON (CREST)

 

El Cajon (Crest)

Type: Repeater

Location: About 5 miles east of El Cajon near Suncrest

Paths: San Diego (University) and Julian

Notes: Signs at gate show this site still active and in operation.  Operated by Pacific Bell for their Borrego microwave service???

 

EL PASO MOUNTAIN

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

El Paso Mtn.

Type: Repeater

Location: El Paso Peaks about 10 miles southwest of Ridgecrest.

Paths: Slate and Bird Springs

Notes: Part of the "north Mojave Desert" route path

 

GARDENA

 

Gardena (also known earlier as the Compton site)

Type: Junction/Switched/Toll Office

Location: Southwest Los Angeles in the City of Gardena.

Paths: LA07 "Airport" (One time had a path to LA Madison Complex but that was blocked due to high rise construction, path then moved to transition through LA07 "Airport" during the 1980s)

Notes: Almost all the horns have been removed from this site.  Only one remains which pointed to LA 07 "Airport".  See Area Code 310 for more information on the Gardena Tandem office.

GLAMIS

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Glamis

Type: Junction/Switched

Location: Atop Black Mountain in the Chocolate Mountains about 24 miles northwest of Winterhaven.  Very Remote

Paths: Blythe, Castle Dome Mtn. (Arizona), Yuma (Arizona) and Brawley

Notes: Major switching point in the east-west "Imperial Valley" microwave route.

 

GRANITE PASS

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Granite Pass

Type: Repeater

Location: In the Granite Mountains, adjacent to Granite Pass in the Mojave Desert.  About 70 miles east of Dagget.  Very Remote.

Paths: Kelso and Sheep Hole

Notes:

 

HALL CANYON

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Hall Canyon

Type: Junction/Switched

Location: Just northeast of Ventura and adjacent to Hall Canyon

Paths: Oat Mountain, Topanga Ridge, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Peak.

Notes: Major switching point for north-south traffic from LA area north along the "coastal" microwave route.

 

HAUSER MOUNTAIN

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

Hauser Mountain

Type: Repeater

Location: On top of Hauser Mountain in the Sierra Pelona Range about 6 miles southwest of Palmdale.  Remote

Paths: Newhall, Oat Mountain and Table Mountain.

Notes: Structure construction similar to Keller Peak

HECTOR

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

Hector

Type: Repeater

Location: Southern end of the Cady Mountains in the Mojave Desert. About 30 miles southeast of Dagget.

Paths: Kelso and Bess

Notes: Built 1962

 

HIGH VISTA

(Photo American Tower Corp)

 

High Vista

Type: Junction/Switched

Location: About 20 miles east of Lancaster in the southern Mojave Desert near Hi Vista. Remote

Paths: Mt. Gleason, Mt. Emma, Phelan, Mojave and Cameron

Notes: Major junction point in the high desert region

IBEX

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Ibex

Type: Repeater

Location: North end of Saddle Peak Hills near Ibex Pass.  About 37 miles from Baker. Very Remote

Paths: Turquoise and Owlshead

Notes: Another site with an adjacent helipad for maintenance/personal transport due to remote location.

 

JOSHUA TREE

(Photo American Tower Corp)

Joshua Tree

Type: Repeater

Location: Joshua Tree Wilderness Area atop a small ridgeline.  About 20 miles northeast of Palm Springs. Remote

Paths: Belle and Ranger.

Notes: One of the few "tall" towers in the southern California system.  Tower was 163 feet tall and due to height and low flying military aircraft in region was painted the signature red-white alternating colors. Built 1963

 

JULIAN

(Photo Robert Foster)

Julian

Type: Junction/Switched

Location: North of Oak Ridge in the Volcan Mountains.  About 5 miles northeast of Santa Ysabel.  Remote

Paths: Salton, Crest, San Diego (University), San Marcos, Sage and Warner Springs.

Notes: Julian was a major switching point for traffic into and out of San Diego and for traffic east along the "Imperial Valley" microwave path.  Julian also served the military communications circuits (AUTOVON) as well and provided secure links from the Mount Laguna Air Force Station/Long Range Radar Facility and later served the joint Mount Laguna FAA ARTC radar and Air Force Surveillance radar facility.

 

Southern California Microwave Sites Page 2