Stephen,
As to the accuracy of the coordinates, it is likely they were referenced to NAD27 and Google Earth uses WGS84. That can easily account for the couple of hundred foot discrepancy you note.
As to tower climbing, volunteer or professional, they must have proper certification. King County pretty much limits climbing to a specific vendor they deal with.
Carl, N7KUW
From: PSDR <psdr-bounces@hamwan.org> On Behalf Of Stephen Kangas
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 12:23 PM
To: psdr@hamwan.org
Subject: Re: [HamWAN PSDR] Rattlesnake Mtn HamWan cell site
Oops, attachment challenged today. Now attached photos.
From: Stephen Kangas <stephen@kangas.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 12:22 PM
To: 'psdr@hamwan.org' <psdr@hamwan.org>
Subject: Rattlesnake Mtn HamWan cell site
In follow up to the Kiwi chat conversation with @EO_...
Attached are a couple photos related to two of the 7 communications site towers adjacent to each other on Rattlesnake. Four of those are clustered together in a small spot: PSE, King County, USFS, and possibly DNR. These photos were taken in July 2019, and the USFS site appears abandoned in that cluster. One of these photos shows the towers for King County and what is possibly DNR, but I don’t recall exactly which one is which, perhaps you can ID (my impression is that KC is the taller of the two). The taller of these two happened to have a sign on its shack with lat/lon coordinates on it, which is shown in the second photo. Interestingly, those coords places a Google maps marker at the edge of the forest clearing a couple hundred feet away from the entire cluster, perhaps because the coords are not precise enough. Both of these towers have a clear view of North Bend and Snoqualmie Ridge IMO, although as EO_ pointed out the HamWan link from Haystack or wherever may need to be at the very top.
I will be exploring the possibility of getting volunteer certified tower climbing help for a workparty proposal to you this coming spring/summer when the road there is passable.
On a separate note, King County supposedly also owns the tower site at I-90 exit 38 Tinkham Road that should be LOS to their Rattlesnake site, and may be a possible hop towards getting over Snoqualmie Pass and eventually eastern WA in the future? Given their involvement in WA EMD and Cascadia prep, perhaps they would be amenable. There is a tower on top of nearby Grouse Ridge (next to the Fire Training Academy, and an old now unused site on Mount Washington that could be investigated as hop sites, both accessible by roads in summer. Just a thought.
Stephen (eeeehaw)
Stephen Kangas W9SK
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North Bend Amateur Radio Emergency Services Team (NBAT) NB7AT
North Bend, WA (CN97)
425-503-9876
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