Proposed radio and helicopter clearings on Cabot, Carr, and Carrigain

[rocket21]

The Cabot proposal is especially ironic, given that the Forest Service forced Kilkenny Ridge Trail builders to minimize blazing for environmental impact of painted trees, yet putting a 50 foot tower and two clearings up there is no issue.
The Carrigain LZ seems a bit odd, in that the vegetation on Signal Ridge is unique and presumably fragile.

Presumably the new high elevation clearing means the Forest Service will allow for reclearing overgrown vistas throughout the WMNF, right?

 

[Becca M]

Presumably the new high elevation clearing means the Forest Service will allow for reclearing overgrown vistas throughout the WMNF, right?

--HAH!

--> perhaps if there is historic precedent?

 

[AlpineBee]

How can people best contact the Forest Service about this topic? Are they deciding/voting this month?

 

[billski]

Here is what a repeater installation looks like with helicopter access. This one is on Faraway mountain, which is accessbile by foot from Mt. Roberts (NH).
http://goo.gl/maps/84ZSk
This one is not a "helipad" as you might imagine, just a clearing, free from stumps and guy wires. I have to side with Becca on this one. They are providing a service, most especially when safety is involved. Think about that next time a SAR call comes in.

It's also less visual "blight" than a firetower (which we seem to romanticize) or a wind turbine.

 

[maineguy]

I looked at the map showing the existing coverage. It looked pretty good to me. Is it really necessary to have every square foot of the National Forest covered? Do they have a ranger walking the trails with a walkie-talkie saying "can you hear me now?"

That repeater near Mt Roberts is not sitting smack dab in the middle of the trail, it is off the beaten track. I've never even seen it up close, because it is so unobtrusive. But, ON the signal ridge trail?

 

[rocket21]

It should be noted that Mt. Roberts/Faraway Mountain are not in the WMNF, and are not, according to the scoping documents, part of the WMNF radio network.

Here's an aerial of the Hitchcock site: http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.08674... km SxSW of White Mountain National Forest NH

It should also be noted that two different tower installations are proposed - a 'Micro' one, presumably similar to the Royce facility, and a 'Standard' one, possibly similar to South Tecumseh. The Standard sized tower could be up to the height of a 4 or 5 story building, and is proposed for Carr and Cabot.

 

[billski]

It should be noted that Mt. Roberts/Faraway Mountain are not in the WMNF, and are not, according to the scoping documents, part of the WMNF radio network.

Hi rocket21,

I thought I made it pretty clear that was just an illustration of what the setup might look like, no?

 

[billski]

I looked at the map showing the existing coverage. It looked pretty good to me. Is it really necessary to have every square foot of the National Forest covered? Do they have a ranger walking the trails with a walkie-talkie saying "can you hear me now?"

That repeater near Mt Roberts is not sitting smack dab in the middle of the trail, it is off the beaten track. I've never even seen it up close, because it is so unobtrusive. But, ON the signal ridge trail?

Hi maineguy,

Radio propagation of these frequencies is limited to line of sight, and that includes repeaters. I use VHF/UHF handhelds in the whites and often cannot reach my party on the opposite side of the mountain. Not only can the endpoint be blocked, but so can the repeater.

The repeater on Faraway is for municipal purposes, but operates in a similar manner and has similar limitations.

 

[RoySwkr]

Here is what a repeater installation looks like with helicopter access. This one is on Faraway mountain, which is accessbile by foot from Mt. Roberts (NH).
http://goo.gl/maps/84ZSk

Also note this is "Mountain View" not Faraway Mtn, according to old maps by the guy who named it http://img.geocaching.com/cache/1e3579df-3f75-404e-bcb0-0ef3ed1481e6.jpg and the LRCT that owns the property

 

[RoySwkr]

In the kilkenny region the national guard used to routinely build helispots on Terrace mountain prior to the kilkenny ridge trail. When we blazed the original route on North terrace the summit was cut level with the ground. It is now a dense spruce/fir stand. I believe that South Terrace also had been a helispot previously.

I had heard that the 60s helispots on Terrace were prepared landing zones for firefighters as the idea of somebody transferred in from a region that actually had fires. There was also one on Kancamagus - the first time I was there you could see a clearing but most recently it can be identified as thicker brush than the surrounding area with trees. There is also a helipad near Square Mtn that was still in use a few years ago http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.55746,-71.32658&z=15&t=T

One issue I can imagine is that the helipad must be far enough from the radio tower so the rotor doesn't hit it, hence large clearing or two smaller ones

Carrigain actually has a twin summit which you can see in photos if you didn't note it yourself, it is towards The Captain and has a herd path and unofficial campsites. Clearing that would be less disruptive to
hikers and the environment than Signal Ridge and would be far easier for repair workers.

 

[JustJoe]

The repeater on N. Hitch is pretty close to the pad. The antenna is not that tall. Not sure why they need so much space on the new sites.

 

[nartreb]

Read through the scoping documents and the reason for the landing areas is pretty well spelled out. Its for maintenance of the equipment.

As a matter of uninformed first reaction, this seems excessive. How often does a radio repeater break down?

I understand that it's undesirable and costly for a technician to spend the whole day hiking up and down to service one repeater, but aren't helicopter rides expensive too?

Won't the helipads themselves need maintenance?

 

[JustJoe]

Won't the helipads themselves need maintenance?

See above.

 

[JCarter]

All this talk of intrusive helipads, and no mention that Northern Pass plans to put *2* new helipads in outside the special use permit zone (they call it "right of way") over Kinsman Gap?

http://www.nhacc.org/files/8213/9845/0429/Addendum.pdf

I am disappoint. These look darn close to the Reel Brook Trail, which is only about 200 feet from the power lines at the proposed location of the more westerly clearing. It's not the Signal Ridge, but it doesn't need further abuse.

 

[gaiagirl]

A friend mentioned this project/proposal today, and it's a good thing, because I had almost forgotten about it entirely. I am not sure when the 30 day comment period ends, but I will be sending comments to the Forest Service asap and I hope others might as well. I am not so naive as to think that just because a whole lot of us are opposed and have good reasons for such opposition that these "improvements" (yes, that is sarcasm ) won't go forward, but I do believe in speaking my piece regardless, since I see it as both a right and a duty. Hope some of you might follow suit. Thanks for the reminder, Steve .

Happy Trails!