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Comment by CobaltFire | Hacker News Reader

This is an awesome article. I'm a HAM in an urban area trying to figure out how to operate in the mess that is my EM spectrum with low power gear. It's a fun challenge, but having some quiet would be nice!

I haven't had the pleasure of seeing this site, but I did have the opportunity to visit Sugar Grove Station (not too far away) while it was in operation. I had a friend stationed there while I was nearby, and took a detour to spend the weekend at his house on the base.

Seeing the massive old radio telescopes and the tracks they used for positioning them was something else. The scale is hard to communicate; it's kind of like the first time you get up close with a Navy Aircraft Carrier. It's hard to fathom just how BIG they are until you are next to them.

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Were you allowed on base? What was your experience like and your perception of what was going on?

I had the opportunity to perform a bat survey at Sugar Grove, and a poor guard had to come out to keep an eye on us until 3am because we couldn't be left alone. We noted curious wooden gazebos positioned around a featureless meadow, hinting at significant manned infrastructure underground.

Unlike the Green Bank Observatory from the above article, Sugar Grove was piggybacked on the National Radio Quiet Zone so the NSA could intercept intercontinental telecom traffic as a part of the ECHELON network. The cover story was that it was a run-of-the-mill AT&T site, but was an open secret for all the Pendleton County WV locals that it was a spy site. The base was also home to the best restaurant in the whole county, which isn't saying much for a single-traffic-light county.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Grove_Station

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON

Yes; I was cleared to the level required (but not need to know) and the visit was approved by his (the base) CO. He was stationed there as a Crypto Tech, and though I couldn't see the really neat underground stuff I was mostly free above ground as long as I was chaperoned by him. He gave me quite the tour.

The gazebos are there due to the underground facilities, yes. There is likely a whole lot more than even you realized.

As for my impressions: I was a Security Manager for a more operational side of the Navy for years (later). I informed a lot of my edge case thinking with what I saw of how they handled things there. I don't know that I really want to go into more detail than that.

Wow, I really appreciate your fascinating reply, thanks!

I can only imagine what it must have been like standing next to those giant dishes and realizing just how massive they really are

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