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Pinnacles Radio Coverage Improvements
Pinnacles National Park » Pinnacles Radio Coverage Improvements » Document List
Pinnacles National Monument proposes to upgrade the park radio communication system by installing a new radio repeater and a new 30 foot tall microwave tower on the West side. The purpose of the radio system improvements is primarily for visitor safety and improvements to park operations. Presently, radio coverage between the East side and West sides of the Park is poor. The park has experimented with satellite and cellular phones, but they have proven to be unreliable in communications between the East and West Districts. In addition, there are a number of "dead areas" in the park having no radio coverage. Many of these "dead areas" are along highly used trails in the park.
There have been a minimum of 10 serious medical incidents and/or search and rescue operations delayed because of poor, unreliable communications to park dispatch or visitor's ability to use the public phone system to seek emergency assistance. In addition, problems with radio communications have hampered fire suppression activities in the park on more than one occassion. During a recent incident, park headquarters staff on the East side were unable to contact West District personnel to warn them and prepare for possible evacuation due to a grass wildland fire along the entrance road to the park.
The park proposes to install a microwave tower and support building on the West side of the park on a knoll near the Chaparral maintenance facility. The proposed microwave site was selected by the local telephone company after identifing that radio signals could reach their existing microwave tower located 15 miles east of the park. The microwave installation will require burial of approximately 500 feet of underground communication cable from the maintenance facility to the residence, picnic area, and ranger station.
The park also proposes to install a new radio repeater to improve radio coverage along high use trails presently experiencing no radio coverage. The location of the repeater will be largely determined using a GIS viewshed analysis followed by radio coverage ground truthing.
There have been a minimum of 10 serious medical incidents and/or search and rescue operations delayed because of poor, unreliable communications to park dispatch or visitor's ability to use the public phone system to seek emergency assistance. In addition, problems with radio communications have hampered fire suppression activities in the park on more than one occassion. During a recent incident, park headquarters staff on the East side were unable to contact West District personnel to warn them and prepare for possible evacuation due to a grass wildland fire along the entrance road to the park.
The park proposes to install a microwave tower and support building on the West side of the park on a knoll near the Chaparral maintenance facility. The proposed microwave site was selected by the local telephone company after identifing that radio signals could reach their existing microwave tower located 15 miles east of the park. The microwave installation will require burial of approximately 500 feet of underground communication cable from the maintenance facility to the residence, picnic area, and ranger station.
The park also proposes to install a new radio repeater to improve radio coverage along high use trails presently experiencing no radio coverage. The location of the repeater will be largely determined using a GIS viewshed analysis followed by radio coverage ground truthing.