Ground Air Transmit Receive

Ground Air Transmit Receive (GATR) "control sites"^[1] were the radio stations of a Cold War communications network in the Burroughs 416L SAGE Defense System deployed to automate ground-controlled interception using manned interceptors. Generally located near or, in some cases, on an Aerospace Defense Command radar station, a GATR site was used for the Ground to Air Data Link Subsystem to communicate command guidance via "HF/VHF/UHF voice & TDDL"^[2] to vector F-106 Delta Dart and other equipped aircraft^[3] that had been dispatched by teams in Weapons Direction rooms of SAGE Direction Centers. GATR maintenance was by the 304x4 Ground Radio Maintenance career field^[4] with initial radio training at Keesler Air Force Base,^[5] and GATR sites included the RCA AN/GKA-5 Time Division Data Link (TDDL) equipment [1] providing output to an AN/FRT-49 Electronic Guidance Signals Transmitting Set [2] with Varian klystron [3] and 20 kilowatt output (or earlier 100 watt, single-channel AN/GRT-3).[4] The aircraft receivers were either Hughes AN/ARR-60 or SLI AN/ARR-61^[6] "Airborne Radio Receivers" of the Hughes MA-1 Fire Control System.^[7]

Most "GATR/SAGE sites" are now Formerly Used Defense Sites such as the 6-acre (2.4 ha) site supported by Oakdale Air Force Station, Pennsylvania, and that were designated for closure by the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.^[8]

Sites

USAF Ground Air Transmit Receive sites
Sector^[3] DC	GATR # Coordinates	Support AFS, etc.	ST
Washington DC-04	R-16 34°45′33″N 076°51′20″W / 34.75917°N 76.85556°W / 34.75917; -76.85556^{[citation needed]}	Z-117 (Roanoke Rapids)	VA
Bangor DC-05	R-25	Z-15 (Topsham)^[3]	ME
Detroit DC-06	^[specify] 42°37′41″N 82°50′44″W / 42.62806°N 82.84556°W / 42.62806; -82.84556^[9]	Z-20 (Selfridge AFB)	MI
Montgomery DC-09	R-tbd 30°14′47″N 88°04′56″W / 30.24639°N 88.08222°W / 30.24639; -88.08222^{[citation needed]}	Z-249 (Dauphin Island)	AL
Duluth DC-10	47°30′40″N 097°54′05″W / 47.51111°N 97.90139°W / 47.51111; -97.90139^{[citation needed]}	Z-29 (Finley)	ND
Seattle DC-12		Z-tbd (Makah)	WA
Sault Sainte Marie DC-14	46°27′00.26″N 84°24′11″W / 46.4500722°N 84.40306°W / 46.4500722; -84.40306	Z-66 (Sault Sainte Marie)	MI
Los Angeles DC-17	R-22 34°33′07″N 120°30′08″W / 34.55194°N 120.50222°W / 34.55194; -120.50222^{[citation needed]}	Z-15 (Lompoc)	CA
Los Angeles DC-17	R-tbd 37°02′08″N 120°01′54″W / 37.03556°N 120.03167°W / 37.03556; -120.03167^[10]	Z-74 (Madera)	CA
Los Angeles DC-17	R-tbd 35°07′31″N 117°36′23.4″W / 35.12528°N 117.606500°W / 35.12528; -117.606500^[11]	Z-59 (Boron)	CA
San Francisco *NCC-18	R-19 39°05′45″N 121°24′18″W / 39.09583°N 121.40500°W / 39.09583; -121.40500^{[citation needed]}	Z-38 (Mill Valley)	CA
San Francisco NCC-18	37°9′49″N 121°55′09″W / 37.16361°N 121.91917°W / 37.16361; -121.91917^[12]	Z-96 (Almaden)	CA
Minot NCC-19	48°26′04″N 101°20′43″W / 48.43444°N 101.34528°W / 48.43444; -101.34528^[13]	n/a (Minot AFB)	ND
Great Falls DC-20	R-27 48°53′05″N 103°53′03″W / 48.88472°N 103.88417°W / 48.88472; -103.88417^{[citation needed]}	Z-27 (Fortuna)	ND
Great Falls DC-20	46°56′07″N 102°43′54″W / 46.93528°N 102.73167°W / 46.93528; -102.73167^{[citation needed]}	Z-177 (Dickinson)	MT
Phoenix DC-21	32°26′31″N 112°56′56″W / 32.44194°N 112.94889°W / 32.44194; -112.94889^{[citation needed]}	Z-181 (Ajo)	AZ
Patrick DC-09	28°13′14″N 80°36′38″W / 28.22056°N 80.61056°W / 28.22056; -80.61056^{[citation needed]}	Z-211	FL
Z-tbd (Cut Bank)	MO
Sioux City DC-22		Z-133 (Hastings)	NE

References

Differing from Manual Air Defense Control Centers that networked Permanent System radar stations, NORAD Control Centers had simpler C³ equipment (e.g., for the "austere SAGE area" in the Zone of the Interior) than the Direction Centers' AN/FSQ-7s such as the General Electric AN/GPA-37 Course Directing Group with AN/GPA-67 Time Division Data Link equipment through transmitters to the AN/ARR-39 "SAGE Datalink Receivers" used in the F-86L Sabre Interceptor, which was the SAGE variant^[6]—an F-86D Sabre Dog with equipment for day/night/all weather operations.[5] For example, by 1965, "Hamilton AFB and Richards-Gebaur AFB…operated as Remote Combat Centers (Hamilton had remote input from Reno Sector and Richards-Gebaur from Sioux City Sector)".^[14]

^ http://www.epa.gov/reg3hscd/npl/PA5210022344.htm
^ ^[specify], Tim (September 21, 2007). "Re: Speaking of AUTOVON" (coldwarcomms message). Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-02-18. A previously referenced AT&T training manual on SAGE/BUIC/AUTOVON phone systems does list all the AUTOVON/SAGE Switching Centers & includes their General Purpose (AUTOVON) NNX, their SAGE NNX, and … For example, Delta, Utah had 890 for AUTOVON, 764 for SAGE {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c "Topsham AFS". Cold War Relics. copyright 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2013-02-19. the SAGE block house was bulldozed in 1985. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link) (image of entrance sign with arrow: "Bangor North American Air Defense Sector")
^ http://www.radomes.org/museum/showroster.php?site=Minot+GATR,+ND
^ Blackburn, Charles A (2012-06-23). "[anecdote posting]" (PDF). AFdasf.org. Retrieved 2014-02-24. Keesler for 304x4 training; GATR sites in Cut Bank, MO and Hastings, NE…last assignment to Andrews AFB GAR site at Brandywine, MD
^ ^a ^b http://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/jetds/an-arq2ary.html
^ http://www.f-106deltadart.com/sage_system.htm
^ http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1998-05-12/pdf/98-12569.pdf
^ http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=58236http://www.radomes.org/museum/recent/SelfridgeAFBMI.html
^ http://wikimapia.org/5186065/Ground-Air-Transmitter-and-Receiver-GATR-Site
^ http://wikimapia.org/5186065/Ground-Air-Transmitter-and-Receiver-GATR-Site
^ http://wikimapia.org/5013155/GATR-site
^ http://www.radomes.org/museum/showsite.php?site=Minot+GATR,+ND
^ NORAD/CONAD Historical Summary, 1965B

[1] ttp://www.epa.gov/reg3hscd/npl/PA5210022344.htm

[Tim-2] [specify], Tim (September 21, 2007). "Re: Speaking of AUTOVON" (coldwarcomms message). Yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-02-18. A previously referenced AT&T training manual on SAGE/BUIC/AUTOVON phone systems does list all the AUTOVON/SAGE Switching Centers & includes their General Purpose (AUTOVON) NNX, their SAGE NNX, and … For example, Delta, Utah had 890 for AUTOVON, 764 for SAGE {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[ColdWarRelics-3] "Topsham AFS". Cold War Relics. copyright 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2013-02-19. the SAGE block house was bulldozed in 1985. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link) (image of entrance sign with arrow: "Bangor North American Air Defense Sector")

[4] ttp://www.radomes.org/museum/showroster.php?site=Minot+GATR,+ND

[Blackburn-5] Blackburn, Charles A (2012-06-23). "[anecdote posting]" (PDF). AFdasf.org. Retrieved 2014-02-24. Keesler for 304x4 training; GATR sites in Cut Bank, MO and Hastings, NE…last assignment to Andrews AFB GAR site at Brandywine, MD

[Des-Sys-6] ttp://www.designation-systems.net/usmilav/jetds/an-arq2ary.html

[7] ttp://www.f-106deltadart.com/sage_system.htm

[8] ttp://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1998-05-12/pdf/98-12569.pdf

[9] ttp://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=58236http://www.radomes.org/museum/recent/SelfridgeAFBMI.html

[10] ttp://wikimapia.org/5186065/Ground-Air-Transmitter-and-Receiver-GATR-Site

[11] ttp://wikimapia.org/5186065/Ground-Air-Transmitter-and-Receiver-GATR-Site

[12] ttp://wikimapia.org/5013155/GATR-site

[13] ttp://www.radomes.org/museum/showsite.php?site=Minot+GATR,+ND

[14] NORAD/CONAD Historical Summary, 1965B

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