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

Coltano Signal Station
Wideband Italy
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.

History

56th Sig Co

59th Sig Co

AUTODIN

AUTOVON

Related Links

 
Coltano Signal Station
 

Coltano Signal Station - Site 13/9L, c. 1970 (Robert Harris)
(Source: Official 509th Signal Battalion website - http://www.509sigbn.army.mil/)
COLTANO HISTORY

1945 Three POW camps were established in April on the Coltano estate. They were known collectively as The Disciplinary Training Center and individually as PWE 336, 337, and 338. The camps housed German Nazi and Italians sympathetic to Mussolini. Famous poet Ezra Pound was interned here briefly before being extradited to the U.S.

1951 In June, Camp Darby was formally dedicated in memory of BG William O. Darby. Camp Darby was created as a line of communications and supply through Italy in support of U.S. troops in Austria.

1955 Coltano was used by the U.S. Air Force. They had a radio site designated as Site 13/9L located about one kilometer east from where the site is today. It is the fenced-in concrete area with the fuel tank at the end of the road east of the present day site.

1962 The present site was constructed. The Army installed a 1KW Tropo system linking SETAF and USAREUR. At roughly the same time, the Air force moved their assets from their site to be co-located at the new Coltano site with the Army. The Air Force installed what was called the Germany-Italy Microwave System (GIMS) using Seimens-Halske sidebank radios. The Air Force also moved in a 10KW Tropo system to link Coltano to Spain, Greece, and Turkey.

1965 22 Signal Group, U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command (USASTRATCOM) assumed command at Coltano. Its mission was to provide strategic and tactical communication for SETAF and EUCOM. Part of its mission involved providing secure intelligence communications from the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet to Army Switch Coltano (ASC) to Germany; Ft. Detrick, Maryland, U.S.A.; and Okinawa, Japan.

1966 The Commanding General, USASTRATCOM-EUR, signed General Orders No. 21 dated 7 March 1966. The General Orders No. 21 implemented the formation and activation of STRATCOM-EUR Mediterranean Region Headquarters to command signal units in Italy, Iran, Ethiopia, and Turkey from Camp Darby.

1968 On 12 February, Region Headquarters deactivated and the unit became Signal Group Mediterranean.

1971 On 17 November, Signal Group Mediterranean was re-designated as Signal Operations Battalion Mediterranean.

1972 The unit became Signal Support Agency Mediterranean.

1973 Under the direction of the project officer LT Russell, the Marconi Monument was mined from the marble quarries of Carrara and transported to its present location. Ambassador John Volpi and Colonel Vincent Russo dedicated the monument.

1976 On 1 December, 509th Signal Battalion establishes headquarters at Camp Darby. The 509th Signal Battalion assumed the communication responsibilities of the Signal Support Agency Mediterranean (USASTRATCOM). The GIMS was replaced by the Digital European Backbone System (DEB) utilizing Rockwell 518 (AN/FRC-162/5) radios. The Air Force installed an Automatic Voice Network (AUTOVON) switch.

1978 Construction for the satellite earth terminal (AN/GSC-39) began.

1980 Mobile satellite terminals were berthed here (AN/TSC-54 and AN/TSC-86) in support of worldwide tactical missions.

1984 The 509th Signal Battalion received European Theater maintenance award for three years consecutively: 1984, 1985, and 1986.

1990 In the early nineties, the DEB was upgraded to incorporate more modern digital radios and multiplexers (AN/FRC-171 radios with AN/FCC-98 and AN/FCC-99 multiplexers). The Digital Switch Network (DSN) replaced the AUTOVON switch. The Commercial leased Digital Mediterranean Improvement Program (DMIP) was put in place to furnish the required connectivity to Spain, Greece, and Turkey.

1991 The 509th Signal Battalion Headquarters was moved to Vicenza.

1992 The Army 1KW Tropo AN/GRC-66 system was deactivated.

1993 The Air Force 10KW Tropo EMT MARK system was deactivated.

1998 On 25 April, short-wave radio enthusiast celebrated International Marconi Day at the original ratio building. Using a 50 meter tower and transmitting on a 20 meter SSB of the Radio spectrum, a special event radio station operated beside the original radio building with the call signs IY5 PIS.

2000 The 509th Signal Battalion was notified to de-install the terminal and the military presence is ended at Coltano. All communications at the site was transferred to civilians.
 
If you have more information on the history or organization of the 509th Signal Battalion, please contact me.

Recent Google Maps image of the Coltano Signal Station (link)
 
1970
(Source: Email from Robert Harris)
Looking at the Google Maps image, you have the guard house (main gate) and the AUTODIN building ("D") and the antenna bases labeled correctly.

The actual site name for the link using the 30 ft. dishes was Site 046, located up in the hills above Finale Liguria (not Savona), and from there across Switzerland to Feldberg in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) in southern Germany. That link gave a lot of problems in the winter because of the distance, the Alps, and the snow. It was tropo but not all that powerful.

The 60 ft billboards shot down to an Air Force Site 4C on Mt Limbara. And the tower at the corner of the building was the link to Mt. Cimone. They later added a repeater on a hill outside of Pisa (Mt. Serra?) to improve the quality of that link.

The Mt. Limbara and the microwave to Mt. Cimone were actually US Air Force links and when I reported to Coltano (Site 13/9L) in May of 1969 there were US Air Force tech controllers standing watch with the Army tech controllers. They were gone shortly thereafter??

Building "C" was the generator building. There were 8 LARGE generators, I mean BIG. Also 2 smaller diesel V8's in a "no break" configuration for the most critical loads.

The Fuel Storage area was the fuel storage for the generator building.

Building "A" was for the satellite dish and was not there back in the 1970's. Also, the perimeter road was not there in 1972, added later.

I was in the AUTODIN building only about 4 or 5 times the whole time I was there... they thought they had all the secrets... hahaha.

Let's talk about Building "B" - that was my domain. Look closely and you will see 4 distinct sections to the building. The smallest ("3") being the southernmost housed the heat exchangers for the high power transmitters for the shot to Limbara. These transmitters had water cooled Klystrons... make that the mother of all microwave ovens. The longest section of this "B" building was the equipment area for all the microwave, multiplex, tech control, Console Remote equipment, main distribution frame, supply room, front office. There has been something added to the west end of the building ("2") that wasn't there in 1972. The shorter section of "B" was the AUTOVON switch. That went active while I was there 1969-72. I used to go over there during slack times and patch calls thru to the States for the guys from all over Europe. There is a smaller section ("1") that appears to be taller at the end of the AUTOVON that was not there in 1972. Not a clue about that.

I was sent to Rhine-Main AB (USAF) to school on the Siemens-Halskie microwave radio that was used on the Mt. Cimone link, and also to the Console Remote Equipment school at Mannheim (Army). On some spring and fall days I used to climb that tower and you could easily see the Leaning Tower from there. Coltano was't the biggest site by far in Europe, but we linked the 3 major systems to a single point. We had quiet a lot of high priority circuits running thru the house and we had a one of a kind piece of gear, it was called the "Conditioning Bay". The 3 different systems did not have the same impedance and this was designed so circuits could enter on one system and leave on another. It had 2 power supplies and a mouse got in the back of it one nite and took us off the air.

In the bottom right of the aerial picture there are some features in the field. These were the bases and guy wire anchors for Marconi's shortwave antennas... some history there. If you look at the actual Google Earth you can see many of them.

I hope this is of some help to you. Oh, when I was there we were USA STRATCOM Signal Group Mediterranean... never heard of the 59th (Sig Co) while I was there.

(Webmaster note: the signal station has been closed and returned to the Italian government. There is a debate - and some protests - going on right now in the Pisa area about Italian government plans to use the former base as a refugee camp for immigrants from Africa.)
 

Google Maps image of building containing AUTOVON Switch and radio equipment (link)
(Sections marked by 1, 2 & 3 not yet identified)
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
After looking at the picture some more and exercising my rusty old memory, I am not so sure the the heat exchanger area (originally ID as "3") actually was sticking out of the side of the building like that. The front door was in the center of the building and when you entered there was the admin office to the right and rest room to left. Down the hall a bit, Supply was on the right and heat exchanger room to left. I am not so sure now that it actually was a large enough area to protrude that much... that might have been a remod/addition at some later date.

After shaking the memories some more I remember that the area where the REL transmitters (Limbara) sat did protrude some from the side of the building, so maybe this was that location but it still seems too big even for that.

There are a lot of 1980's and 1990's folks on the Facebook group maybe one of them could shed some light on this area.

No idea about the 4 small features outside the front/side of the building or the features next to the north wall of the UTOVON area. The small spots leading to the 046 tower bases were pads for the poles that supported the waveguide runs to the dishes. The spots behind the billboard bases were smaller pads to anchor the antenna support frames. From what I can see you are creating a great site.

Thanks so much for asking for my rusty old memories about a place that I enjoyed working at so much.
 

Coltano Signal Station, maybe early 1980s
 
(Source: ECHO, Sept 1986)
Marconi haunts Coltano

by Larry McCaskill

An important site since the beginning of radio communication, the Coltano area in Italy is the hub of the 509th Signal Battalion's far flung strategic communications mission.

According to research, the Coltano area was first utilized as a signal site by Guglielmo Marconi, the pioneering communicator, in the early 1900s. After numerous successful experiments in the wireless radio field in England, Marconi was able to convince the Italian Minister of Telegraph and Post Office to construct a radio station in the Coltano area.

After surveying different areas, Marconi decided on Coltano because of its location, the surrounding terrain and its ability to easily receive and transmit radio signals.

With his radio antennas and nets firmly in place, Marconi transmitted signals to Canada and Ireland. Days later, Marconi sent out a series of messages to New York through a radio station in Canada. One message said, "Best regards from Italy to America by wireless telegraph. Gughelmo Marconi."

Modern beginning
After sending messages to various friends, Marconi then contacted the Italian colony of Massara, Eritrea, (what is now known as Ethiopia). The message read: "To the Governor of Eritrea. Happy that from today radiotelegraph can serve to connect this colony with Italy in sending respectful homage, Guglielmo Marconi."

The success of Marconi's' experimentation was the beginning of the development of modern day radio communications. Because of his work in wireless radio communication, Marconi received numerous honors and honorary degrees to include the Noble Prize for Physics.
 
During World War II the Coltano area switched from being an experiment in radio communication to being a strategic military site.

With smaller antennas than those used by Marconi, the German Army came in and used the area as its central communication center for the Mediterranean theater.

Realizing the importance of the area, Germans set-up a complicated line of defense. Mines and booby traps lined the surrounding area and other areas of security were beefed up as well. As the allied army moved in, the area and ports were swept for mines. Amidst the bombings, air raids and fighting, the Coltano area was heavily damaged and evacuated.

Today the Coltano Signal Station houses the heart of communications for the 509th Signal Battalion.

A natural antenna
"The Coltano area is just a natural antenna. With mountains on three sides and the sea to the west, we form the shape of a bowl or a dish similar to our satellite antennas," says CW2 Dale Ellenbarger, officer in charge at the Coltano Automatic Switching Center (ASC).

According to Efenbarger, the shape of the area enables the signals to bounce off the mountains and down to the antennas.

"Marconi recognized that fact when he first built his station. The terrain features helped him in transmitting signals to the continents of North America, Africa and Europe via radio signals. When Marconi first began his experiments at Coltano, radio communication was in its infancy so it proved to be the test bed for the entire world of radio communication," says Ellenbarger.

According to Elltenbarger, the Coltano ASC was completed in 1968 and was manned by the Philco-Ford Corporation. In 1969 the Army accepted the responsibility of providing manpower for the station.

Three phases
According to Ellenbarger, the Coltano complex was built in three phases. First, the 13/9L terminal was built, where a 250 line AUTOVON network switching center is maintained and operated. It also houses the associated technical control center facility. Next, the ASC was constructed, followed by the AN/GSC 39 satellite earth terminal.

Because of its mission and high visibility, Coltano is visited by many dignitaries.

"We have had visits by Secretary of the Army, John O. Marsh, Jr.; former Army Chief of Staff, General Edward C. Meyer; Commander in Chief Europe Gen. Glenn K. Otis and Maj. Gen. Leo M. Childs, former commanding general of the 5th Signal Command," says Ellenbarger. "This is a high visibility job. All the people who work out here enjoy that. They get an extra sense of pride knowing that their work is being noticed. We maintain a high standard of operating procedures so that we always shine."

In honor of Marconi, the U.S. Army erected a monument at the Coltano site in memory of his achievements.

A plaque on the monument reads. . . "In memory of Guglielmo Marconi: who near this site on 21 November 1911 linked the continents of Europe, North America and Africa by mean's of wireless communications, thus establishing Coltano as a focal point in the development of worldwide communications."
Related Links:
  59th Signal Company - 1988-1991 - Facebook Page for former members of the 59th Signal Company who served at Coltano near Pisa, Italy. Anyone who served at nearby Camp Darby is also welcome.