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Slater, Missouri, AT&T Long Lines site

Coordinates:39°10'17.76" N, 93° 3'18.32" W

Antenna Structure Registration (ASR): none

Height (overall): unknown

Current owner: "Sedalia Smiles" (Central Communications Service Company)

Currently in use? unknown

Horn antennas? No, removed early 2010s

Original hops: Dover, Prairie Home, Roanoke

AT&T constructed an unmanned remote microwave relay repeater site in the mid-1950s on Route P near Orearville, about three miles south of Slater in Saline County, Missouri. The site consisted of a relatively-short tower that supported horn-reflector and parabolic antennas for two hops along the Kansas City-Saint Louis route, along with antennas for a spur hop to Roanoke. The typical white concrete block base station sits nearby for sheltering the various equipment — such as the TD-2 microwave radios originally used, telephone equipment or the General Motors diesel generator used to power the site in the event of a main power failure — used to support the hops.

The tower formerly had two KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas and a large shrouded parabolic antenna (mounted below the horns, likely used for spatial diversity) aimed west at Dover, and two more KS-15676 horns and another parabolic antenna pointed southeast toward Prairie Home. Another KS-15676 horn antenna was used for the Roanoke spur telephone hop, but only one outrigger platform is on the tower. No evidence of a second antenna aimed at Roanoke has been found.

A sign on the base station main entrance identifies the site's owner as "Sedalia Smiles." While your first thought might be a dentist or orthodontist, a preliminary Google search yielded FCC records for violations at another former AT&T Long Lines site in Everton, Missouri, after the obstruction light failed on that tower. (More on lighting later.) The site appears to not be in use currently, although this hasn't been confirmed. (There does appear to be a dipole array on the top of the tower, along with some tiny parabolic antennas mounted lower on the tower — likely used by the former WISP mentioned below.) The number for "Sedalia Smiles" is no longer in service.

After years of documenting other Long Lines sites and miscellaneous microwave relay towers, I've connected "Sedalia Smiles" with Central Communications Service Company in Sedalia, Missouri. Both are owned by Steven Semon, and Google Street View imagery of Central Communications' office in Sedalia showed signage similar to that found on the Slater and other sites' base station doors. Members of the Long Lines Facebook Group have verified this, saying the owner of these sites owns a Motorola (two-way/land mobile radio) shop in Sedalia — Central Communications.

As for the Slater site, information on it is extremely limited. There is no Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) registration for this tower, or at least to my knowledge. (Typically the ASR must be posted outside the site per law.) Because this is a shorter tower (it doesn't even have obstruction lighting), it might be exempt from registration with the FCC.

The last FCC registration for the Slater site, according to Maprad.io, is for "Wireless Investments LLC," who operated a citizens' broadband band wireless internet service (WISP) repeater at the site. The license was active Oct. 5, 2016, and expired Oct. 12, 2021.

Before "Sedalia Smiles" took ownership of the Slater site, American Tower briefly owned it after AT&T began a mass divestiture of its Long Lines microwave relay sites at the turn of the millennium.

Personally, this site was what piqued my interest in the Long Lines system, and likely microwave sites in general. As a child, my parents always drove by the site on our way into Slater or Marshall, so I saw it often. The tower still had its five KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas, which always grabbed my attention. I also remember wondering why the tower didn't have obstruction lighting like most other towers. Furthermore, my dad remembered seeing AT&T and Southwestern Bell (the local "Baby Bell,") vehicles parked outside the facility as they worked on it. Click here to read my connection with the Long Lines system (in a new browser tab).

Unfortunately, the site has long fallen into disrepair since the days of my childhood. The horn antennas were removed in the early 2010s, shortly after we moved. The site has since become mostly overgrown by vegetation, which appears to be a common trait with all "Sedalia Smiles" sites.

Photos: June 22, 2024

Click on a photo to view a higher-resolution version in a new browser tab.

Slater, MO, AT&T Long Lines site

The bare-looking former AT&T Long Lines microwave relay site near Slater. There are some antennas on top, including smaller parabolic antennas lower on the tower. It's a stark contrast to when I was a child, and the tower still had five KS-15676 "Hogg" horn-reflector antennas and two massive shrouded parabolic antennas for its three microwave relay routes.

Slater, MO, AT&T Long Lines site signs

Signs for the current owner of the former Slater, Missouri, AT&T Long Lines site — "Sedalia Smiles." The original AT&T "death star" globe logo sign has long been removed, leaving behind a bare portion of the concrete blocks right of the door.

Slater, MO, AT&T Long Lines site east wall

East wall of the base station.

Slater, MO, AT&T Long Lines site north wall

North wall

Slater, MO, AT&T Long Lines tower base from southwest

Looking at the tower base from the southwest

Slater, MO, AT&T Long Lines waveguide rack

Waveguide rack for the tower. Writing on some of the racks are still legibile, including "Slate(r)" on a diagonal brace and call signs.

Slater, MO, AT&T Long Lines tower from southwest

Looking up the tower from the southwest.

Slater, MO, AT&T Long Lines tower from southeast

Looking up the tower from the southeast.

July 16, 2018

Slater, MO, site Slater, MO, base station

Front of base station

Slater, MO, base station east wall

East wall of the base station, with ventilation air intakes, generator exhaust (upper right) and generator air intake (lower right, below generator exhaust).

Slater, MO, rear of base station

Rear of base station

Slater, MO, base station door

Door for base station main entrance, including sign for "Sedalia Smiles" and a warning about the hazardous voltages inside.

Slater, MO, base station west wall

Southwestern view of the base station.

Slater, MO, tower

Relatively short Type "H" tower

Slater, MO, cable marker Slater, MO, site outhouse

Outhouse found at the Slater site, east of the base station. While sites that were commonly manned, such as underground sites or central offices, had "fancy" indoor restrooms, this luxury wasn't afforded to the unmanned remote sites. At remote sites, like Prairie Home, small exterior outhouses were commonplace.

A Southwestern Bell cable marker found on a telephone pole outside the site

Slater, MO, cable marker

A newer AT&T cable marker found west of the site near the driveway to the Orearville elementary school, with the Slater microwave relay site in the distance.

Slater, MO, site distant view

Distant zoomed view of the Slater relay site from the Orearville elementary school parking lot.

Google Street View

Google Street View imagery from August 2009 reveals what the tower looked like during my childhood with its five KS-15676 horn-reflector antennas and two shrouded parabolic antennas still installed.

Slater, Missouri, Google Street View imagery screenshot

Map


Missouri AT&T Long Lines sites

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


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