The guys down at the US Coast Guard LORAN station in Hobe Sound have graciously volunteered to conduct a tour for up to two dozen people on Sunday, March 22 2009. We will have a Sign up sheet at the hamfest on Saturday.

If you have ever driven past Jonathan Dickinson State Park, you have no doubt seen the LORAN tower. We will get the opportunity to see first hand how the site is set up as well as tour the most of operational areas of the facility.

I took a peek at the site and got a preview of the tour on March 10th from Chief Chris Cannon and Justin Jemison, who will conduct the tour and give us a presentation of LORAN operation. You'll learn why LORAN complements GPS navigation and why it is considered vital to national security as a backup system. 

The 620 foot tower was originally located further south in the heart of the state park which was formerly a secret US Army Radar training school during World War II known as Camp Murphy. The camp was named in honor of one of the first radiomen to fall in the war and had as many as 6000 active personnel at its peak. Although rebuilt around 1960, the present LORAN station is one of the last vestiges of Camp Murphy.

If you've never been to the LORAN station, this may be a final opportunity to visit one as staff reductions lead to a fully automated station in the near future. I hope to see you there!