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utility:bpa [2026-07-06 19:23] – created J. B. Crawfordutility:bpa [2026-07-06 19:46] (current) – J. B. Crawford
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 ====== Bonneville Power Administration Microwave Network ====== ====== Bonneville Power Administration Microwave Network ======
  
-The BPA's historic microwave communications network is well documented in a [[https://www.bpa.gov/-/media/Aep/environmental-initiatives/cultural-resources/transmission-projects/microwave-radio-stations-report.pdf|historical inventory]].+The BPA's historic microwave communications network is well documented in a [[https://www.bpa.gov/-/media/Aep/environmental-initiatives/cultural-resources/transmission-projects/microwave-radio-stations-report.pdf|historical inventory]], and was [[https://computer.rip/2026-07-04-microwave-and-power.html|covered in Computers Are Bad]]. The first form of the network, built in the very late 1940s and early 1950s, used 23/24 channel ~2 GHz equipment from Federal Telecommunication Laboratories/ITT. During the 1960s many links were upgraded to 600-channel equipment (in 72-channel banks) over 8 GHz radios, all from Lenkurt. Another round of upgrades occurred in the 1970s around the Dittmer control center and computer control project, mostly to Lenkurt equipment with some Motorola used.
  
 ===== Map ===== ===== Map =====
 +
 +This map combines all of the information available from the historic inventory with data from other sources like NEPA documentation (especially categorical exclusion memos on changes made at many of these sites). Because the network was reconfigured over time to meet changing needs and take advantage of improving technology, it's hard to provide a single, succinct view of the network. Some of the routes and sites shown on this map were not active at the same time. In general, this map should reflect most of the network up to the 1970s, but given the lack of good sources is more likely to be missing things that were built after 1960.
 +
 +Most notably, this map shows most routes converging on the Portland headquarters building. This reflects the 1957 map in the historical inventory, which was the major source of route info. During the 1960s, the control center was moved to the Ross Complex, and it appears that the microwave network was reconfigured at that time so that many of the routes landing in Portland went directly to the new Dittmer building.
 +
 +Some site locations are speculative, especially for sites that have been demolished. Some paths have segments not described in the historical documentation that have been filled in based on inferences. See the original KML file for descriptions that, for sites that are not confirmed, explain if the location is speculative, scaled from maps, or some combination thereof.
 +
 +This map (mostly) only covers the components of the network that were owned and operated by BPA. The microwave network extended into Canada (ownership not definitely known but probably BC Hydro) and to southern California (ownership varies but mostly PG&E), but since these segments were operated by other organizations I have excluded them, at least for now. That said, a few sites did make it to this map that are owned by others, often electric coops or rural utilities where the BPA opted to lease space in an existing utility-owned site rather than building a new one. As you would expect, these are usually later sites in the history.
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 +<olmap id="bigMap" width="100%" height="500px" lat="38.5" lon="-104" zoom="9" controls="1" baselyr="OpenStreetMap" kmlfile="utility:bpa:bpa_map.kml">
 +</olmap>
 +(you can {{ :utility:bpa:bpa_map.kml |download this KML file}})