Updated Google Earth imagery at Base Camp 8/30/2010

The new "party shack" is at
38°18'43.37"N 116°16'39.99"W

If you use the history feature, you can see the Non Directional Beacon (NDB) was removed from the base.
38°19'3.17"N 116°16'38.64"W
This is a photograph of the beacon:

To the casual observer, it just looks like two telephone poles. The star pattern seen on Google Earth is the artificial radio ground (counterpoise) for the beacon, which is needed due to poor conductivity of desert soil.

www.lazygranch.com...

Forgive my ignorance, but what is this Base Camp?

I was expecting some blurry images taken from Tikaboo Peak of A51, but then i saw these crystal clear images and was amazed that something that I am assuming is above top secret (pun intended)...

I am sure there are others here who might have the same questions but are too afraid to ask.

reply to post by youdidntseeme

Basecamp is located by highway 6 at roughly these coordinates: N38 18 47.2 W116 16 25.0 . From Area 51, take the ET highway towards route 6 (Warm Springs), then turn right until you see the Base Camp sign. The airstrip shows up on USGS topo maps, yet the airport doesn't show up in the usual online databases such as www.airnav.com or www.penguinair.com The sign for Tybo Hot Creek means you are in luck. To get to Tybo Hot Creek you have to drive right through Base Camp.

I don't know either but that's what it says.

Wanna take a road trip?

Nothing on any of the images that strikes me as wierd or worthy of keeping secret.
With images like that, it probably isnt secret anyway.

So.. if I am not looking at some regular military base for storage etc. then what are you trying to show me OP?

reply to post by needlenight


Did you look at the website? Special ops planes. A C-130 with a fake tail number. Cessna Caravans from a CIA front company. Groom Lake security choppers. A well armed ATV. The runways are Xd out (do not land here), but the runway is in perfect shape. The airport doesn't exist in the FAA records. Even the VOR is not listed. That doesn't interest you?

It strikes me as an intell aviation service hub.

reply to post by cavtrooper7


Base Camp is many things. They service the nearby comm sites. Special ops trains there. If there were better shots of the base, you would see a set up for little children (tot lot). Some theorize that Base Camp is a rendezvous site for Groom workers to meet with their spouse and children on the weekend rather than hang out in Vegas. It is a potential backup runway. They have a fire department, though I can't say for sure if they are set up for crashes.

If you hang out too close to the base, expect a visit. These aren't cammo dudes that avoid contact with the public. They get in your face. I don't know if they can legally enforce the no-stopping zone they have recently created. But you could take decent shots on the other side of the fence if need be.

This is a rest stop of sorts. No portapotty. They have picnic tables and trash cans. However, you can sit there and wait for planes to land at Base Camp.
38°22'9.17"N 116°13'42.08"W