trip to area 51

anyone have any comments? Dissapointing?

Originally posted by hiii_98

anyone have any comments? Dissapointing?

Groom Lake is old hat. People have been taking pictures of the facility for 30 years.

I think we all expected some exploration of new secret places. I certainly gave enough hints.

I've never climbed a mountain before or seen the base with my own eyes. That was an adventure i will never forget. What ruined all of my plans was that we hit the ground running once we got into Vegas, and immediatly took the rental 4x4 straight to Rachael, well 1/2 way there i forgot that the cell phones stop working immediatly off the highway and had no way of calling you (JohnL). What I'll do is head back alone in a few weeks, get a hotel in vegas first and not be so rushed this time. Would it be ok to call, i'm somewhat more familiar with the area now.

Also do you gentlemen think its at all unusual for the personel at the base to deplay a predator 20 feet above our heads at 3am on top of Tikaboo?? I also think they dropped something(s?) from it as i heard several small objects hit the mountain near us.

[edit on 19-7-2007 by hiii_98]

Originally posted by hiii_98
around 3am, almost immediatly afterwards i noticed the runway lights turn on, and about 15 minutes later what must have been a predator drone flew about 20 feet from our heads. (i even think it dropped something)

Also we noticed very unusual lighting on the mountains behind us opposite from the direction of the base, in the direction of Edwards AFB

[edit on 17-7-2007 by hiii_98]

Where are the pictures or video of this, dont tell me you missed the opportunity to catch anything on film??

Originally posted by hiii_98
Also do you gentlemen think its at all unusual for the personel at the base to deplay a predator 20 feet above our heads... I also think they dropped something(s?) from it as i heard several small objects hit the mountain near us.

Nah, it's not too strange. They may have dropped a few spyrocks to listen in on you.

I searched the ground and couldnt find anything. Also they send an UNLIGHT predator at 3am. I didnt even have my camera ready and it happened over the matter of less than 10 seconds and was gone. Also i think you may be right about the spyrocks ... i know that sounds silly, but when i searched the ground i couldnt find anything unusual (again it was dark), it definatly sounded like a few pebbles or small rocks dropping from a high altitude. My brother and I could barely make out the outline of the predator and again it all happened extremely fast and we were definatly unprepared for it (as we were looking for lights over the base, not a damn giant uav over our immediate heads). Also within 20 minutes of this happening despite the adrenaline we both fell asleep (which is unusual as I'm an insomniac and planned to stay up all night), and did not get a chance to see it return to base. I guess experience and being prepared are two key elements to collecting evidence to such activity. Next time i know what to expect and to look for, even silly rocks falling from the sky i will collect and inspect one by one (thanks for the link by the way!).

Finally if that damn predator had lights on it or if it actually made any significant sound (IT IS SUPER SUPER SUPER QUIET) rest assured i would have photographed it.





[edit on 20-7-2007 by hiii_98]

plan to return in 2 -2 1/2 weeks, going to spend more time there and search for the rocks. Anyone other that John have any recommended locations for me to stake out? I dont mind climbing mountains and camping alone for days. Also going to bring a more powerful spotting scope this time.

Originally posted by hiii_98
plan to return in 2 -2 1/2 weeks, going to spend more time there and search for the rocks. Anyone other that John have any recommended locations for me to stake out? I dont mind climbing mountains and camping alone for days. Also going to bring a more powerful spotting scope this time.

Good Luck on your next expedition I hope you get some interesting photographs, If I had the time and money Id be there with you

hey man if things change and you want to head out, i would definatly meet up. The more i go out there the more I learn and each time is a new adventure. Honestly stalking the base if by far the best vacation/adventure I have ever experienced and I have vacationed at several places throughout the world.

You might want to consider camping out near whatever staging area you have for Tikaboo. People quit driving at different spots so I can't be very clear about this. However, this save you a full hour of driving. When it is hot, the earlier you head out, the better. Of couse, the early hike means you are stuck on Tikaboo for quite some time when the viewing isn't very good. However, that is why you bring a scanner.

All that said, I really wouldn't do Tikaboo in August. It is prime lightning season. September is a much better time. That is when I plan to do my next hike.

If you have a CDMA phone, there is coverage all the way up route 93. There is no GSM along 93 until you reach Caliente. Route 95 has GSm between Vegas and Tonopah. You can use GSM as far as the Tonopah sign on highway 6.

Originally posted by gariac

If you have a CDMA phone, there is coverage all the way up route 93. There is no GSM along 93 until you reach Caliente. Route 95 has GSm between Vegas and Tonopah. You can use GSM as far as the Tonopah sign on highway 6.

My provider (AT&T) says CDMA is being discontinued as of August 12. I imagine that it will not be on that exact date but does anybody know any particulars on the de-installation/programming? I kept CDMA so I could make calls from the mine. Without CDMA there will be no comm. Tried Nextel and it doesn't work.

AT&T has been dropping TDMA over the years. I didn't know they still had service areas. Here is the short answer. AT&T will only be supporting GSM (and it's higher speed versions like GPRS, and EDGE) in the future. It's an old company and thus has the baggage of being old.

Note that in theory analog cellular will be dropped in Feb 2008. I say theory because these dates get pushed out all the time.

If you want to stay with AT&T, check this map
www.t-mobile.com...
T-mobile doesn't own any networks in Nevada, but the map stil works since it covers roaming. My recollection is along route 95 the network was Cellular One, well so they claimed. I think it is really All Tell.

GSM is good stuff. Where it works, it actually works. That is, all the features you have at home work on the road. I've had problems with CDMA phones when roaming regarding voicemail notification. With a bit of effort, you can use your GSM phone as a modem. I have hiked the hills that let you peak at the Nevada Test Site, and sent email via my Blackberry.

There is some nuance with GSM regarding distance. That is, you can't play games with amps and fancy antennas to get more range. It has to do with timing. I believe the GSM limit is about 35km from the tower.

If your mine location isn't a big secret, I can find the nearest tower on the FCC website. Or you can do this yourself, though researching the FCC databse is a bit confusing.

Originally posted by gariac

If your mine location isn't a big secret, I can find the nearest tower on the FCC website. Or you can do this yourself, though researching the FCC databse is a bit confusing.

Nope. No secret.

N 36 degrees 14'
W 114 degrees 10'

50 miles due south of Mesquite, NV

Your closest cell tower is located at N36 9 35.9 W114 16 6.9. About 12 miles.
It is owned by Southwestco Wireless LP with callsign KNKA368. Going up the corporate ladder, it looks like Verizon owns the tower.

So your best bet would be to contact Verizon and tell them your plans. The trouble is it is really hard to contact anyone with technical knowledge in these telcos. You phone any technology company, and there is a sales staff and tech support. Phone a telco, and all you find are flavors of the sales staff. FWIW, I don't like Verizon. It has terrible customer service, but your options are limited.

About 20 miles out, there is a Cingular cell site. It is at N36 26 37.9 W114 21 30.9. This means you might be able to stay with AT&T. My guess is the cell site doesn't have TDMA, so you would have to get a new phone. Then again, you would have to get a new phone anyway since nobody will support TDMA. I think you get 4x the number of users on GSM versus TDMA, so it costs the telco money to support TDMA.

The easiet thing to do would be to drive near the Cingular tower and see if your phone works. That would be the first step. If it does work, you find where it works near your mine. Hikers often climb hills for phone service. There are other games you can play once you have a spot where the phone works.

Planning on heading with antoher member on this forum to Skinwalker Ranch mid August (2 weeks from now). This time i plan to take pictures of everything and sleep with my finger on the camera's trigger. I believe we are going to be camping for 3 nights on the ridge and might have access to the property itself. I'll keep you posted. After that its onto Dulce NM, and then a revisit of Area51 and surrounding areas of interest.

On a side note, anyone know what the survalliance devices are on the road leading to Tikaboo Peak? Giant solar panels powering some sort of detection device next to it..right on the side of the road, i think its some sort of metal detector...

[edit on 2-8-2007 by hiii_98]

so of all the area 51 self proclaimed experts on here no one knows what that odd looking solar survalliance device is on the dirt road to Tikaboo? I'm surprised... maybe i should have taken a picture and been the first to point it out.

The solar cells just showed up this summer, so I doubt they have anything to do with a road sensor. Also, I think the base would try to be just a tad more clever in hiding the sensor. Lastly, the area is way too early in the route. That is, there are ranchers that go by that location, as well as people who camp in the area.

www.lazygranch.com...
for photos of the sensors

It is probably one of many seismic detectors in the area.

www.lazygranch.com...
www.lazygranch.com...
www.lazygranch.com...
from
www.lazygranch.com...

www.lazygranch.com...
www.lazygranch.com...
(not on a webpage, but I have photos of all the gear on that hill if anyone wants more)

There is also a seismic sensor in the Railroad Valley if you take the forrest service road over Quinn Mountain.

"There is also a seismic sensor in the Railroad Valley if you take the forrest service road over Quinn Mountain."

THANKS! Definatly will check that out.

thanks for the links as well. reading up on them now.

The forest service road over Quin Mountain is a very scenic ride. Nothing spook related, but very nice. You end up in Garden Valley, which is a different state of mind from Rachel. Garden Valley is (don't laugh) the place where rich people in Alamo go to get away from it all. I should point out that the Garden Valley residents think of the area as their kingdom. You need to stand your ground when people challenge your presence on public land. Having the BLM maps that indicate deeded property can come in handy.

N38.21663 W115.599618 (google earth) is a spot on the road over Quinn Mountain. It is marked NF-410. This road should generally be passable. If you take side rodes, you may find the road blocked by a downed tree. I think that was the case when I tried NF-411

I think N38.264720 W115.619707 is where the sensor is located. This is from memory of the terrain, not from a waypoint I logged.

Wow, great thread and read. We really should start a "My trip to Area 51" thread.

I should be out in Vegas for a few days in december for a school "trip". I was considering renting a car and driving to a few sites around the base.

John, about that station, what is its significance relating to Area 51?

Eventually I am going to get a few locals to take a week long trip to the base one of these days, really do it right, during the right time with all the right equipment.

I think eventually before I pass I will have to take the risk and go for it. It sounds very stupid and selfish, but you only live once.

Just think if you took a retired Baja 1000 truck 70mph through those warning signs, you could possibly make it to the base....

In addtion to that, have a live broadcast to a server setup off site in some remote non US afiliated country.

Ok, I've already said too much