Armstrong Tower
Encyclopedia
Lattice tower
A lattice tower or truss tower is a freestanding framework tower. They can be used as electricity pylons especially for voltages above 100 kilovolts, as a radio tower or as an observation tower....
built and used by Edwin Armstrong
Edwin Armstrong
Edwin Howard Armstrong was an American electrical engineer and inventor. Armstrong was the inventor of modern frequency modulation radio....
in 1938 at Alpine, New Jersey
Alpine, New Jersey
Alpine is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located northwest of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,849....
, United States, at 40°57'39.0" N and 73°55'21.0" W (40.9607 -73.9225) for his transmission experiments that led to modern FM radio. The original transmissions occurred at 42.8 MHz. The tower is owned by Alpine Tower Company and is managed by CSC Management, LLC, both owned by Charles E. Sackermann, Jr.
The Armstrong Tower looks like a huge pylon
Electricity pylon
A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes...
with three crossbars and is now used for directional radio services (including as a cell site
Cell site
A cell site is a term used to describe a site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed, usually on a radio mast, tower or other high place, to create a cell in a cellular network...
). It was also used as a temporary transmitter site for some of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's television stations and FM stations after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
and the collapse of the World Trade Center
Collapse of the World Trade Center
The twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001, as a result of al-Qaeda's September 11 attacks, in which terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners, flying one into the North Tower and another into the South Tower...
, including its transmitting antenna.
The tower still stands today, still in use, and is clearly visible from across the Hudson River.
At the base of the tower is a building originally used by Armstrong for research. It now serves as a museum and contains artifacts from the development of FM radio technology. The building still has the call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
of the original station written above the entrance, W2XMN.
The tower is used as a position point by aircraft flying the New York City Special Flight Rules Area
Special Flight Rules Area
In United States aviation, a Special Flight Rules Area is a region in which the normal regulations of flight do not apply in whole or in part, especially regulations concerning airspace classification, altitude, course, and speed restrictions, and the like.Examples of SFRAs include those...
.
External links
- TV Corner
- Google Maps view of Armstrong Tower
- Special Event Station W2A - Armstrong Tower - includes museum photos