Raise the Roof

I read an email earlier this week with a little dismay - my friend Dan, a Network Technician from one of our subordinate battalions, said that a radio link they were trying to put in wasn't going to work from where it currently stood. Radios like the ones they were trying to put up are aptly called "Line of Sight" because, of course, they need a direct line of sight between antennas to work. Normally, this isn't a problem until you hit the curvature of the Earth in a flat place like this, but we are in enough of a built-up area that we have to deal with buildings, parapets, man-made hills, trees, and even other people's antennas!

Dan pointed out that we have an antenna to another site on top of the Al Faw Palace (the one in the news when people visit Victory) - why not add another one? After a slew of emails probing for how much trouble we would get into for asking, we discovered that no one really cares what is up there, as long as it doesn't conflict with other stuff already there - wow. That led to a site recon :)

To get to the roof, you have to go to the third floor of the palace, then find the secluded utility access stairs:


I should have taken a picture of the ventilation level of the palace - it is a labyrinth of air ducts, air conditioning equipment, leaking pipes, shadowy movement (rats? lizards? dogs?), and lots of unmarked doors.

We made it outside after a while to something OSHA would have a field day with:


It may be hard to see, but that ladder is at an angle, and the steps are all painted metal. Nothing but the best for the palace!

We wove through antenna after antenna - not just dishes, but all kinds, a lot of which I could not identify on sight (not that I am an expert in antennas; still, some of those looked alien!).


Finally, we reached the "spot":


The flat thing pointing off in the distance is exactly what we needed to see, along with a lot of unused real estate. This is perfect for as many new ones as we have!

Of course, what's a trip to the top of a 25-30 meter tall building without a picture of the view?