Southern Utah Valley, from West
Mountain
West Mountain is a mountain
located southwest of Provo,
Utah
and west of Benjamin, Utah
. It is home to a radio station tower
for KTCE
, an FM
station licensed to Payson, Utah and operating on 92.1 MHz. The mountain is also home to various FM radio
translators and an observatory used by students from Brigham Young
University
. It can be accessed from a main road that
starts near Benjamin, Utah.
A small census designated place east of the
mountain is known as West Mountain
as well.
Geology
West Mountain's highest point is at . The mountain is on the
southern segment of the Wasatch Range, though it is not connected
to the main range.
The mountain is located on the southern shore
of Utah
Lake
.
Radio uses
The following are
translators and radio stations
located on the mountain (in order of frequency):
- K202CC-88.3 FM, from parent
station KAWZ-FM
- K208BZ-89.1 FM from parent station
KBYU-FM.
- KTCE-92.1-FM, a
hot adult contemporary format station licensed to Payson,
Utah.
- K252DB
-98.3 FM,
from parent station KEGH.
As well as radio stations, the mountain houses several cellular
telephone transmitters providing service for
Cingular Wireless,
Verizon Wireless and
T-Mobile. The mountain also contains towers for
local emergency services, and state and federal government
services. An older tower, once operated by
AT&T, is known more commonly as a "
Long Line" tower, and was
used for microwave communications is located on the summit. It is
the tallest tower on the mountain, is the most predominant feature.
With the invention of
fiber optics, the
use of these towers gradually declined, and other similar towers
have fallen into disrepair.
This particular "long lines" tower, is
connected to other towers in Riverton, Utah
and Levan,
Utah
. A ham radio repeater, known as WA7FFM is
located on the mountain as well.
Observatory
West
Mountain houses an observatory, known as the "West Mountain Observatory" which
is operated by nearby Brigham Young University. It was constructed for the astronomy
department of the university in
1981. Two other
telescopes were constructed during the next decade and the
observatory is still in use to this day. It is the largest and most
modern telescope in the state of Utah. A residence was built on
site, and has been vacant since 1988.
Access
West Mountain road, which leads to the summit, begins on Lincoln
Beach road, directly northeast of the summit. It is a winding road,
which may or may not be in good condition, depending on the season.
Those wishing to access the mountain are suggested to use
four wheel drive vehicles.
References
- West Mountain - Peakbagger.com
- [http://www.blm.gov/commsites/utah/salt-lake/west-mtn/index.htm
BLM - Communication Site
- AT&T Long Lines Microwave Towers Remembered
- WMO 24 inch telescope.
- West Mountain RTLI info
External links
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