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Gray Summit, MO, AT&T Long Lines site

Coordinates: A: 38°32'22.40" N, 90°45'02.30" W (38.53956 N, 90.75064 W)
B: 38°32'21.50" N, 90°45'02.30" W (38.53931 N, 90.75064 W)

Antenna Structure Registration (ASR): A: 1005494; B: 1240176

Height (overall): A: 110.6 meters (362.86 feet); B: 85.3 meters (279.86 feet)

Current owner: American Tower Corporation

Currently in use? Yes

Horn antennas? No

Original hops: 1960 — Hermann (NW), Wright City (NNW, telephone only), St. Louis CO (ENE), Hillsboro (SSE, telephone only).

Later hops: 1979 — Sullivan (SW)

Hidden by trees off Route 66 about 30 miles southwest of downtown St. Louis is the Gray Summit, Missouri, microwave repeater for the AT&T Long Lines network. Built in the mid-1950s, this site originally hosted four hops — two carrying telephone and television traffic along the Kansas City-St. Louis route, and two carrying just telephone traffic along the Elsberry-Campbell-Memphis, Tennessee, telephone route. Between 1966 and 1979, a fifth hop was added southwest to Sullivan, which continued southwestward to the Rosati site along the Kansas City-Halifax-Oakdale, Illinois, route.

The Gray Summit site consists of two towers and multiple base station buildings. All previous antennas, such as the KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas and a parabolic aimed toward Hillsboro, have been removed by American Tower Corporation — who currently owns the site and leases space to wireless communications companies.

The taller of the two towers is labeled "Gray Summit 1A" and currently has various antennas installed up and down the tower. Its top platform could hold two antennas. "Gray Summit 1B" appears to have been used as the main tower, with two top plaforms that could hold six antennas. The "B" tower has several cell repeater antennas on it, like the adjacent, taller "A" tower.

Two modern base stations were installed by American Tower Corporation around the base of each tower. Some external equipment, likely used for the cell carriers, are mounted in their own outside enclosures. One such carrier is AT&T, who has equipment and multiple cable markers along the northern edge of the property off Little Tavern Road. (I confirmed AT&T uses the site, as my phone displayed full signal strength at the site.)

Along the southern edge of the property is the original AT&T base station building. Gray Summit originally had a white concrete block building like the other repeater sites along the Kansas City-St. Louis microwave route. However, the building was expanded — likely in the early-mid 1960s — with a concrete "semi-hardened" facility similar to those found at repeater sites along the Kansas City-Halifax-Oakdale, Illinois, route. At the southeastern edge of the concrete addition is the generator air intake "blast shield", generator exhaust and a rear entrance. A weathered "Warning" sticker can be found on the rear door. The sticker is original, as the original Bell System logo — predating Saul Bass' 1969 logo — is still visible after decades of weather and sunlight, although just barely.

Writing in permanent marker — including "Gray Summit" (or "Grey Summit," sic) — can also be found on pieces of the waveguide racks running between the two original AT&T base station buildings and the tower bases.

Photos: October 17, 2024

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Gray Summit towers

The tower towers at Gray Summit. The left tower is "Gray Summit 1A," a 363-foot tower with a top platforms capable of holding two horn-reflector antennas, ASR 1005494. The right tower, "Gray Summit 1B," ASR 1240176, had two top platforms configured to hold six horn-reflector antennas. Today, cell repeater and other antennas are located throughout the two towers.

Tower area

A view of the tower area, showing the two newer base station buildings and the original white concrete block building from when AT&T constructed the site.

Tower area AT&T cable marker and equipment

A modern AT&T cable marker and equipment boxes are seen at the northeastern corner of the site, off Little Tavern Road. A Kohler backup generator used to power the site during power outages can also be seen.

Tower A identification

Tower "A" identification with RF/microwave safety guidelines.

Tower B identification

Tower "B" identification.

AT&T buildings

Waveguide rack running to the concrete "semi-hardened" addition (left) to the original white concrete block base station (right).

Grey Summit on waveguide rack frame

"Grey Summit" written in permanent marker on the frame of a waveguide rack.

Original base station building

The original white concrete block base station building, similar to those found at other sites along the Kansas City-St. Louis microwave route.

Base station

The solid concrete "semi-hardened" base station addition, likely built in the early-mid-1960s south of the original white concrete block building.

Rear base station entrance

Rear entrance to the base station, along the eastern wall at the southeastern corner of the "semi-hardened" addition. Also seen is the "blast shield" for protecting the generator air intake, along with the intake grill itself and the generator exhaust.

Blast shield

Generator blast shield, left, for protecting the generator air intake from a nuclear blast. Most sites along the Kansas City-St. Louis microwave route did not have the blast shield, but Gray Summit and Hermann did. This is at the southeastern corner of the site, along the newer "semi-hardened" addition.

Bell warning label

The site's original "Warning" label on the rear entrance to the base station. While badly faded after years of exposure to the elements and sun, the original Bell System logo is barely visible at the bottom center of the logo. Variations of this logo date back to 1889, and was replaced in 1969 by the Bell outline created by Saul Bass. The label appears to have the 1964 variation.

Map

Links


Missouri AT&T Long Lines sites

AullvilleBarnettBrinktownCole CampDaytonDoverGray SummitHalifaxHermannHillsboroHoldenHolts SummitJefferson City (CO)Kansas City (CO)LawrencetonOak GrovePrairie HomeRichwoodsRosatiSlaterWindsor


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