Return to Radar & Battery Control Area

SF-88 IFC Area, top of Wolf Ridge

Visits, September 2013 and July 2019

by Greg Brown < gregorio_cafe @ comcast . net >

Every few years, National Park Service people and volunteers haul paint up the hill to paint over the accumulated graffiti.
The most recent trip was in ?2017?.

Table of Contents
    - Paired Pictures, 2013 vs. 2019 trips
    - "Extra" pictures of 2019 trip

Paired Pictures, 2013 vs. 2019 trips
From September 2013 From July 2019
Picture
Title
& Narration

Picture
and Greg's title
Marin Headlands map
"On September 28 2013, I hiked from the Marin Headlands Visitors Center to the Miwok trail and left on the Wolf Ridge trail to Hill 88, About 2.5 Miles." This was the Integrated Fire Control Area (IFC) for Nike Site SF-88. There were many hikers and mountain bikers. It was a beautiful Saturday morning.
Site entrance SF-88 IFC
Entrance to Site from Wolf Ridge trail. The fences are in good condition
Site entrance west view
View from Guard Shack looking west to the Pacific. Note the many hikers.

Free Tour Kids
Guard Shack
Guard Shack. Note the Golf ball radar on the ridge in the distance. This was the Air Force Radar Station at Mt. Tamalpias that was part of the Nike radar network. (Mill Valley AFS)

Guard Shack
SF-88 Unit sign
"Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM) insignia on left, 51st. ADA Artillery emblem on right. At this time, graffiti vandals have not defaced this sign."

Unit sign and insignia
Radar antenna pedestals
Radar Pedestals for Tracking and Lopar Acquisition Radars.
Hi Par Bldg.
"Front of Hi Par Bldg. This was the long range radar, made by G.E. 200 mile range, L band 26 KW into a 34.8 DB gain antenna. This system was difficult to Jam."
Hi Par bldg east side
East Side View of Hi Par bldg.

HIPAR Bldg
Conduit ducts for radar
Conduit ducts for power and control cables to radar antennas. These go between the van building and the antennas
Radar Van bldg
"Radar pad in the foreground, Van building that housed the Battery Control van and the Radar Control Vans. "

IFC_Van Bldg
Missile tracking radar pad
Located on the south edge of the IFC site. This antenna needed an unobstructed view of the missiles at both launch areas.
Generator Building
"This building housed 3 separate 150 KW diesel generators. Combat operations were always on generator power, as commercial power is not reliable."

Generator Bldg
Generator Bldg interior
Interior of generator building note cable ducts on floor now filled with dirt.

Gen Bldg e
Generator Bldg rear
Rear of generator building. This is the exhaust area for the diesel generators.
Crew Ready Room
Located behind the generator building to the east. This building housed the crew during breaks and meals. R.F. test set mast is behind the building and just to the right in the distance is the peak of Mt. Diablo.

Ready Room a
Crew Ready Room
Ready Room view looking west towards the generator building.

Ready room L
Crew Ready Room front
Ready Room front view.

Ready Room b
Crew Ready Room inside
Interior of Ready Room.

Ready Room c
Ready Room Latrine
"Ready Room Latrine. Commode on left, shower on right."
Ready Room G.G. view
"View from Ready Room Window, mouth of S.F. Bay with Golden Gate Bridge tower."
Ready Room Ocean Beach
"View from Ready Room Window, with view of Ocean Beach S.F. and Santa Cruz Peninsula. "
RF Test Set view of site
"View looking west of SF-88 IFC. Generator Bldg. on left, Van Bldg. in middle, Hi Par Bldg on right. Ready Room in front. "
RF Test Set Mast
The RF Test Set was used to align the tracking radars.

Test Set
Hi Par Bldg and Radar Pads
View west from the Generator Bldg. Guard Shack is in the distance.

IFC_HIPAR
Radar Pedestal Hi Par Bldg.
Radar Pedestal and Hi Par Bldg on left. Golf Ball on Distant Ridge is Mt. Tamalpias. The Former Mill Valley AFS site and Army Air Defense Command Post is now an active FAA site.
Hi Par Tower Base Pad
Concrete footing for the Hi Par Tower Base.
SF-88 Launcher from IFC
"View of SF-88 Launcher Area taken two miles away from the SF-88 IFC area, Through an 18x zoom lens."
SF view from SF-88 IFC
View of San Francisco from SF-88 IFC area with 18x lens. City view and Golden Gate.

"Extra" pictures of 2019 trip

Gen Bldg B

Gen Bldg d

Gen Bldg f

IFC Van Bldg East

IFC Van Bldg

IFC West View

IFC

Ready Room d

Ready room e

Ready room f

Ready room g

Ready room h

Ready Room I

Ready Room J

Ready Room k

SF-88 IFC Sign