Long Lines site: Barnett, MO

  • Common Language Identifier: BRNTMO
  • Coordinates: 38°22’0.85″ N, 92°40’4.30″ W (38.36690 N, 92.66786 W)
  • County: Morgan
  • AT&T call sign: KAJ60 (inactive)
  • Antenna Structure Registration (ASR): 1005481
  • Height (overall): 78.9 meters (259 feet)
  • Current owner: American Tower Corporation
  • Currently in use? unknown
  • Horn antennas? Yes (x5 KS-15676 horn-reflectors, x2 Gabriel “cornucopia” horn-reflectors)
  • Original hops: Cole CampBrinktown
  • Later hops: Prairie Home

This former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Barnett, Missouri, was a repeater along the Kansas City-Halifax microwave relay route. The route supported both telephone and television traffic between the mid-1960s and the 1990s.

According to the 1966 map, Barnett had two hops: one to Cole Camp (approximately 24 miles west) and the other to Brinktown (approximately 36 miles southeast). The 1979 map is slightly more confusing, since Versailles, Eldon and Jefferson City were added in the area. Based on the horn antennas mounted to the Barnett tower, I don’t believe it had a hop to Eldon. The Eldon site (tower since demolished, though base station may still exist… but is on private property with a private driveway) had hops to the Jefferson City central office and Versailles.

The 1979 map isn’t detailed enough to depict whether Barnett hops to Eldon (which in turn hops to Jefferson City, northeast, and Versailles, west-northwest.)

Adding to the confusion, Maprad.io list the site’s last hop to an unlikely fellow Long Lines site: Prairie Home, in Cooper County — approximately 31 miles north. This hop isn’t depicted in any maps I’ve seen, and suggests both Prairie Home and Barnett were active in the 2000s. The license mentioned in Maprad.io (license WLK708) was granted to AT&T Communications of the Southwest, Inc., effective Nov. 29, 2001, and canceled before its anticipated expiration of Feb. 1, 2010. The license states the hop operated at 6 GHz with a power of 79.2 watts EIRP.

The last known hop for Barnett — 31 miles north to Prairie Home.

On the site itself, Barnett is built around a semi-hardened concrete structure, a familiar sight along this route. Next to the building is the 260-foot tower, which is still populated with five KS-15676 horns (two on the top platform pointing west to Cole Camp, with the other two on top and the outrigger pointing southeast to Brinktown) and two Gabriel horns on top. It appears the Gabriel horns match perfectly with two Gabriel horns located on Prairie Home, which validates the Maprad.io license linked above. Much like Prairie Home, some of waveguide is still intact on the tower, but has been removed at the base of the tower to the building. (Some waveguides running up are completely missing altogether.)

Barnett is a unique site because I can discuss what’s inside the site, thanks to a YouTube video someone else posted where they enter the site before climbing the tower. (Note: I do not condone trespassing onto a site, and especially do not condone climbing any tower without the proper climbing gear and protection.) In the brief look inside the concrete structure, we see lots of equipment left behind: a General Motors diesel generator (a staple of these sites), empty racks with wiring, possible parts of the former TD-2 radios, the Lectrodryer filter for decontaminating pressurized air for the waveguides, among other things.

A tour of the former Barnett AT&T Long Lines site, including a look inside the building and atop the tower.

A sign on the door to the facility reveals its current owner: American Tower. The site is registered with FCC ASR #1005481. FCC records indicate it was constructed around February 1964 and reports the tower being roughly 78.9 meters (~259 feet) tall.

Photos: September 29, 2024

Another Southwestern Bell cable marker seen at the northwestern edge of the former Barnett, Missouri, AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site, this time seen Sept. 29, 2024 at the intersection of Beacon Lane and Beacon Road.
The generator exhaust is seen above the concrete “blast shield” that would have protected the generator air intake from a nuclear blast. A dummy load heater, used for testing the generator, is seen mounted at the top of the blast shield, with an identical heater on the opposite side. (Photographed Sept. 29, 2024, at Barnett, Missouri, AT&T Long Lines site.)
The eastern wall of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site is seen Sept. 29, 2024, near Barnett, Missouri, with a tower leg and the 1,000-gallon fuel storage tank supporting the site’s General Motors diesel backup generator.
Waveguide racks seen running under the tower. (Photographed Sept. 29, 2024, at Barnett, MO, AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site.)
Looking straight up the tower at the three KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas positioned southeast for the Brinktown hop. (Photographed Sept. 29, 2024, at Barnett, Missouri, AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site.)
A distant view of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower, seen Sept. 29, 2024, from the north on North Beacon Road in Barnett, Missouri.
View of the Barnett, Missouri, AT&T Long Lines tower (red arrow pointing to it along horizon) from 5 miles northeast, just south of the High Point MOSWIN repeater on Route CC in rural Moniteau County.

Photos: August 2024

I finally had a chance for a trip to Barnett.

The former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Barnett, Missouri, is seen Aug. 18, 2024, from the northwest at the intersection of Beacon Road (which runs north-south) Beacon Lane (which heads east from the tower site). The KS-15676 horns pointing toward the camera (facing west) supported a microwave link to Cole Camp, and the pair facing away (east) supported a link to Brinktown. The newer Gabriel horns at the very top of the tower supported a later link to Prairie Home.
An underground cable marker is seen Aug. 18, 2024, along Beacon Road next to the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Barnett, Missouri.
The “semi-hardened” concrete base building seen Aug. 18, 2024, at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Barnett, Missouri.
The south-facing wall of the concrete base building seen Aug. 18, 2024, at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Barnett, Missouri. On the right side of the photo is a “blast shield” protecting the air intake for the generator behind the wall. The exhaust for the generator is directly above the “blast shield.” Based on a video showing the inside of this site, Barnett — like most other unmanned relay sites in the Long Lines system — used a General Motors diesel generator for emergency power.
Identification for the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Barnett, Missouri, seen Aug. 18, 2024, posted on the fence surrounding the tower base, along with guidelines for working in environments with a lot of RF and/or microwave energy.
A former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower is seen with its base station Aug. 18, 2024, from the west-southwest on Beacon Road outside Barnett, Missouri. The top set of KS-15676 horns pointing toward the camera (facing west) supported a link to Cole Camp, while the pair of KS-15676 horns on the opposite side, along with a singular KS-15676 horn for spatial diversity, supported a link to Brinktown. The top-most antennas, the Gabriel horns, supported a later link to Prairie Home that was active by AT&T in the 2000s.
Looking at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Barnett, Missouri, Aug. 18, 2024, from the north on Beacon Lane. The KS-15676 horns pointing left (southeast) supported a link to Brinktown, the top-most Gabriel horns (facing north) supported a later link to Prairie Home, and the right (west) horns supported a link to Cole Camp.
Looking at the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay tower near Barnett, Missouri, during a picturesque sunset Aug. 18, 2024, from a curve in Beacon Lane east of the site.

Photos: July 2022

C. Vance submitted these photos of Barnett in November 2022 after taking them on a trip in July 2022. He has listed these photos under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Creative Commons license.

A somewhat distant look of the former AT&T Long Lines tower near Barnett, Missouri, from almost directly north. The two Gabriel cornucopia horns on top facing the camera (north) hop to Prairie Home and are much newer than the original KS-15676 horns down below. The horns facing right (west) hop to Cole Camp, and the horns facing left (southeast) hop to Brinktown. (Photo: C. Vance)
The tower seen from the northwest. (Photo: C. Vance)
A view of the tower from the west at the entrance to the site. The antennas facing the camera (west) hop to Cole Camp, and the antennas facing right (southeast) hop to Brinktown. The top-most Gabriel horns facing left (north) hop to Prairie Home and were added much later. (Photo: C. Vance)
The featureless northern wall of the former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Barnett, Missouri. (Photo: C. Vance)
A notice on the door reveals the current owner of the site: American Tower. The site is registered with FCC ASR 1005481. (Photo: C. Vance)
The main door handle has been damaged, likely by trespassers trying to enter the building. (Photo: C. Vance)
The southern side of the concrete building. The infamous “blast shield” with generator air intake, with generator exhaust directly above, is seen. (Photo: C. Vance)
The small pipe seen in the upper left is a water outlet from the dryer that removes moisture from the pressurized air feeding the waveguides. The generator muffler and exhaust are seen on the right. Both are located above the “blast shield.” (Photo: C. Vance)
A heater used as a load for the large General Motors diesel generator located on the other side of the wall. The heaters (another on other side) are located in the “blast shield” with the generator air intake seen inside. (Photo: C. Vance)
The reverse of one of the generator load heaters, with the fan motor and blades visible. (Photo: C. Vance)
The southeastern edge of the concrete building, with the eastern edge of the “blast shield” visible with the generator load heater.
A diesel tank for the General Motors diesel generator is located adjacent to the tower. (Photo: C. Vance)
Guards built around where the waveguide would normally go, likely to protect the waveguides and coupling equipment from the elements and vandalism. (Photo: C. Vance)
Some large air intake scoops. (Photo: C. Vance)
The bottom waveguide rack. Waveguides have been removed at the base of the tower. (Photo: C. Vance)
One of the bases for the 300-foot self-supporting tower. Note the ground wire running from one of the anchoring bolts. (Photo: C. Vance)
The “well-secluded” outhouse for the Barnett site. (Photo: C. Vance)
The toilet found in the outhouse. (Photo: C. Vance)

Photos submitted Nov. 9, 2022, taken July 14, 2022.



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