If you do NOT see the Table of Contents frame to the left of this page, then
Click here to open 'USArmyGermany' frameset

Hohenpeissenberg Radio Station
Wideband Germany
Looking for more information from military/civilian personnel assigned to or associated with the U.S. Army in Germany from 1945 to 1989. If you have any stories or thoughts on the subject, please contact me.

102nd Sig Bn
Robert C. Fox

 68th Sig Bn
Randy Tucker

69th Sig Bn



 
Hohenpeissenberg Radio Station
 

Hohenpeissenberg Radio Station sign, early 1970s (Randy Tucker)
 

102nd Signal Battalion
 
(Source: Email from Bob C. Fox, 102nd Sig Bn, 1957-60)

102d Sig Bn
Hohenpeissenberg

 

1. Station sign (KB)
2. Both VHF towers visible from down the road (KB)

3. Det house (KB)

4. Close up (KB)
5. The two VHF towers (KB)



68th Signal Battalion
 
(Source: STARS & STRIPES, May 20, 1968)
The Hohenpeissenberg Radio Relay Station is one of seven operated by Co B, Signal Bn 68. Co B headquarters is located in Munich. The site links Munich, Bad Toelz and Augsburg. It is considered the most important link in the communications network covering southern Germany.

The 132-foot tower - painted green (1) - holds several antennas:
Four 30-foot tropo dishes serve to link to Stuttgart (109 miles to the NE) and Nuernberg (113 miles to the north).
Two smaller dishes receive and transmit signals to Munich and Augsburg
Two fly-swatter antennas fixed near the base of the tower handle microwave transmissions to and from Munich and Bad Toelz

(1) The tower was built two years ago (1966) replacing the original two VHF towers. It was painted green - the only Army tower painted green in Germany. The locals would not give permission to the construction of the new tower unless it was painted green. The new tower was necessary to support the 30-foot tropo dishes when tropospheric transmission was added to the site.

The site house is 20 feet from the base of the tower. It houses the radio equipment on the first floor and kitchen, living room, bedroom and office on the second floor.

Three of the men stationed at the site are billeted there. The others live in Murnau or in a gasthaus in Peissenberg.
 
(Source: Email from Randy Tucker, "B" Co, 68th Sig Bn, 1971-74)

Hohenpeissenberg Links, 1970-72
 

I was stationed with B Co 68 Sig Bn @ the Hohenpeissenberg Radio Station () from June 1971 until May 1974.

HPG was a Microwave Relay Station that handled traffic between Munich (Line of Sight), Augsburg (LOS), Nuremberg (Tropo Scatter), and Stuttgart (Tropo). Most traffic went thru at Super Group or Group level but we did break out about 60 (?) channels with a patch panel. Microwave equipment was AN/GRC-66 and seems like the Multiplex was FCC-18 (1).

When I first arrived we had some 1A priority phone circuits, don't know what they supported. We also had a couple of 1D data circuits from ASA in Augsburg. Actually got a call from Washington once about an outage one of these channels. Later on most of the traffic was just basic.

The station had 10-11 GI's the first couple of years -- 3 per 24 hour shift, a site chief, and at times an assistant chief. We also had 6 Labor Service personnel -- one tech per (2 on one shift) 24 hour shift, a maintance person (generator/truck), and a Captain that worked days. By June 1974 we were down to 1-2 GI's per shift and the Labor Service tech.

B Company HQs was in Munich with 68th Signal Battalion HQ in Stuttgart. I did not realize the 68th was so spread out over Germany until I read info on USARMYGERMANY and the 102nd SIG BN websites. Married personnel lived in Munich and drove to work. Single personnel lived in local civilian housing and ate at home or in a gasthaus. Duty was pretty good as we worked 24 hours on duty and the 48 hours off duty.

As Walt G. mentioned in his Hohenstadt article, we also received movies since we were so "isolated". The single GIs stayed away from Munich as much as possible, out of sight out of mind. We did receive regular visits from Sig Bn 68 commander as he liked the area, also the Sig Gp 22 commander and even the STRATCOM Commander, a BG on one occasion.

HPG received two 'Outstanding" on DCA inspections and we were told HPG was the only relay site at that time to receive this award so the Company CO did not come out often.

26L20 was my MOS out of Fort Monmouth but worked 26V20 at HPG. I know that HPG went unmanned at some point, maybe the late 1980s, and was supported from either Augsburg or Munich. Later the site was deactivated and returned to the Germans.

If anyone has the timeframe of these two events I would appreciate the info. Ed Painter and I returned in 2001 but the tower was gone by then - But not the good memories.
Randy Tucker

(1) AN/FCC-18, Multiplexer Set - The FCC-18 multiplex equipment employs frequency division to provide 600 voice channels on a single transmission medium; it is used in the IWCS.
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Hohenpeissenberg Dishes, 1970-72
 

Again, you are correct on the direction of the dishes. The small dishes (# 3 and 4) were Line of Sight (LOS) systems where they could "see" the other station. The big dishes (#1 and 2) were Tropo Scatter systems that picked up small bits of the signal that had been transmitted into the atmosphere then amplified and relayed.

Walt G. (102nd Sig Bn Page) does much better than my explanation but the two big dishes each direction were dual diversity, looking for the best signal. All systems had two transmitters/receivers and auto switched if one had a problem.

When the major relay stations like HPG received the Tropo Scatter systems it put many of the old 102nd Signal sites out of business.
 
Hohenpeissenberg was part of B Co, 102nd Sig Bn until the mid 1960s then became B Co, 68th Sig Bn. In 1974 the 68th was deactivated and HPG was a unit of the 69th Signal Battalion. I know that from June 71 to May 74 HPG had links to MNH (LOS), RAG (LOS), NBG (TROPO), and SGT (TROPO). I believe the link to Bad Tolz (Siemens ?) was taken down in 1970 or early 1971 as it was gone when I arrived in June of 71.

Some additional information from Bob Fox and some of the 102nd Signal guys --
In the early 60s traffic from Munich did not go through Hohenpeissenberg (HPG) but went LOS from Munich to Schweitenkirchen (SKN) to Reinwarzhofen (RHN) and then to Nurenberg (NBG).

Traffic from Munich to Stuttgart went LOS from Munich to Hohenpeissenberg to Hohenstadt and then Stuttgart.

Bob said HPG only had single comm link to Augsburg during his time at HPG in the early 60s. Bob said HPG did not have the Bad Tolz link during his time and it was down by June 71 when I arrive at HPG.

By 1971 HPG had the TROPO gear and I believe SKN and RHN were deactivated as we had the NBG link. We also had the TROPO link to SGT so never had any communication with HST.

On one of the 69th Signal posts the remote MW site at Bonstetten (BST) is mentioned. This is just a guess but your DEB map shows links from Augsburg to both SGT and NBG through BST. Once BST activated and the Munich community closed, there would have been no need for Hohenpeissenberg? I have spoken with people that were at HPG before my time and after but have not been able to locate anyone that was there when the TROPO equipment and the big tower were installed or when the site was deactivated.

Hohenheissenberg
B Co, 68th Sig Bn

 

1. Hohenpeissenberg Tower (180 KB)
2. Changing safety lights (285 KB)
3. Hohenpeissenberg Tower (221 KB)

4. Hohenpeissenberg Tower (200 KB)
5. Hohenpeissenberg Tower (153 KB)
6. Unit of the Year (KB) 		 

7. Winter (KB)
8. Hohenpeissenberg gate (KB)
9. Randy Tucker (KB)		  

10. Article
11. AN/GRC-66
12. AN/GRC-66		  

Munich
B Co, 68th Sig Bn

 

1. Munich MW Tower, 1972 (123 KB)