Base Camp
These links open a new page.
Read about the new Base Camp land grab here:
CIA "Plan Columbia" aircraft at Base Camp
CIA Paratrooper Exercise at Base Camp
Mysterious Civilian C-130 (L-328G) at Base Camp
Base Camp is rumored to be the back-up landing strip for Area 51.This rumor
is based on the orientation of the runway being similar to that of Groom Lake.
Rather than perpetuate this rumor, consider two things. First, the runway at
Basecamp was built by the Atomic Energy Commission, which has nothing to do with
the operation near Groom Lake. Second, runways are designed to be in the
direction of prevailing winds, not aligned with an unrelated runways far
away.
Information on Base Camp and Halligan Mesa from "Special Nevada Report", SAIC. Document number DE-AC08-88NV10715
Basecamp Beacon (209kHz) AEC
Base Camp on the Terraserver
(click on image for large photo)
Base
Camp on the Acme Mapper
The cross or X on both sides of the runway indicates it is closed.
Main base on left and housing on the right. Note the images
are very old. Basecamp has much more infrasturcture these days, as
shown in this Google Earth image. The business side of the base looks
similar to the old USGS image, except for a large tank being added. The
housing is new. Not shown on the google earth image is the new "party
shack", which would be in the lower right hand corner of the
housing area.
Click here
to view an overlay of the USGS imagery over the present day Google
Earth imagery. This will show new construction on the base. You
will need to adjust the slider from clear to opaque to fade from the
old to new image.
Halligan Mesa communications site on the Terraserver
Halligan
Mesa on the Acme Mapper
Click here for a
Google Earth overlay of the USGS imagery over the Google Earth imagery.
No changes in the facility detected. You will need to adjust the slider
from clear to opaque to fade from the old to new image.
Base Camp as seen from a commercial airliner
Flights from the east to the San Francisco Bay Area routinely fly over
Basecamp or the Tonopah Test Range. The "crop circles" with a runway
nearby make it easy to spot.
Here it is with a tighter cropping. The pilots must snicker at the X marks on the runway indicating it is abandoned.
Basecamp is
located by highway 6 at roughly these coordinates: N38 18 47.2 W116 16 25.0 .
From Area 51, take the ET highway towards route 6 (Warm Springs), then turn
right until you see the Base Camp sign. The airstrip shows up on USGS topo maps,
yet the airport doesn't show up in the usual online databases such as www.airnav.com
or www.penguinair.com The sign for
Tybo Hot Creek means you are in luck. To get to Tybo Hot Creek you have to
drive right through Base Camp.
You can't have much of an airfield without some instrument navigation
electronics (either TACAN or VORTAC). Here is the Base Camp Vortac, which
operates on 113.9Mhz. . The VOR does
not run all the time. At one time, the VOR used to broadcast "AEC" in Morse
code, where. AEC dates back to the days when the Atomic Energy Commission
owned the airfield as part of Project Faultless, one of two atomic bomb explosions in Nevada that were not
performed at the Nevada Test
Site. Now (at least in May 2003), the VOR sends five pulses, either Morse
code for 5 or 0 depending on if the pulses are dashes or dots. Click here
to hear the VOR.
Tower near the east side of the runway.
Wire between these poles is used for the NDB (non-directional beacon) . The NDB is on 209Khz. A
recording can be heard here.
This image below is of the NDB from Google Earth with contrast
enhancement. The shadows of the poles produce the black marks near the
center. The white lines are due to "radials" buried in the ground to
enhance conductivity. From Google Earth., the poles are approximately
160ft apart. A wavelength of the beacon in free space is about
470ft, so the spacing is about 1/3rd of a wavelength. Due to the
velocity factor of wire, the antenna length is probably more than 1/3rd
of a wavelength. Given the length of the antenna, it is probably
somewhat directional.
The coordinates at the center on google earth are N38.317570° W116.277399.
Here are a few panoramic photos of the area. The site is so close to the
highway that they really can't put anything secret there.
Now what is this white structure? Is there a telescope in here?
This panoramic is somewhat diagonal to the base. Click on the image to get a djvu
high resolution image. The new housing in at the right of the photograph.
[Photograph October 2004]
A new "double wide" arrived in August 2003. It could be VIP
barracks, or a building assigned to some project.
A new tank was being installed near the road to Tybo. The underground line
went to the residence part of the base. Perhaps it will hold heating oil.
Party Shack
The occupants of Basecamp, being wild and crazy guys, added a party
shack in 2009.
This is a photograph (1/25/2010) of the housing area of
Basecamp when an event of some sort was taking place. Preparation for
poker night, Masonic initiation ritual, your guess is as good as mine.
Note the white vehicles, where are generally base ownered, near the
shack at the right. A few private vehicles are at the left of the
photograph.
Click here for a larger image. You can see what looks like a quad (ATV) in the back of one of the pickup trucks.
Also in July 2009, new mail boxes appeared. This is across the highway and directly in line with Tybo Road.
I suppose there are 13 residences nearby if you throw in the Hot
Creek residents, but usually the Post Office makes you provide your own
mailbox. Now further down the road towards the west at the
Five Mile Ranch, new mailboxes appeared too. You can see the mailbox
for the ranch at the edge of the photograph, chopper off a bit. Unless
they are hiding some structures, there is no way the Five Mile Ranch
needs this many boxes, so maybe the new mailboxes at Base Camp are not
related to the base itself.
Note the big HF antenna here. Is this for emergency use or normal operation?
This antenna is an inverted conical monopole, such as those made by Antenna
Products.
These photos are just close ups of some of the more interesting items around
the site. OK, maybe a cammo trailer isn't all that interesting.
I've always thought these dishes are just for satellite TV, but when you have
3 different dishes, well maybe they are used for something else...
These look like the "water buffalos" the USAF place around events
in the dessert so you can refill your canteens, water bottle, etc.
Now for the mysterious security cameras. Why as they mysterious? Well, the
showed up for a while, then went away. The cameras were set up to monitor vehicles
on the main road, the runways, and vehicles approaching from Tybo. The cameras
do not move.
Apparently the repo man showed up took the cameras out. [Photo May 2003]
One theory, ok my theory, is that the cameras were set up to document the
number of "visitors" to the base in order to justify stealing more Nye
County land. You can read about the proposal to steal more land here.
Groom Lake helicopter tail number 90-26222 at Base Camp (October 2007)
Fire truck with aircraft style "blade" antenna
Hey, is this the guy who chased Glen Campbell during his visit?
EPA information on Basecamp
This table is cut and paste from the EPA server. You can probably get the latest information by clicking here. The EPA server is often down.
| Facility Name: |
USAF COMMUNICATION SITE |
| Location Address: |
57 MI NE OF TONAPAH CITY INTER |
| Supplemental Address: |
HWY 6 AND TYBO RD |
| City Name: |
TONOPAH |
| State |
NV |
| County Name: |
NYE |
| ZIP/Postal Code: |
89049 |
| EPA Region: |
09 |
| Congressional District Number: |
02 |
| Legislative District Number: |
|
| HUC Code: |
18090202 |
| Federal Facility: |
YES |
| Federal Agency: |
U.S. AIR FORCE |
| Tribal Land : |
NO |
| Latitude: |
|
| Longitude: |
|
| Method: |
|
| Reference Point Description: |
|
| Duns Number: |
|
| Registry ID: |
110006880161 |
USAF COMMUNICATION SITE
RCRAINFO - NV0001012590
| Full Name: |
DET 1 A F E R E G |
| Affiliation Type: |
CONTACT/OWNER |
| Delivery Point: |
P O BOX 528 |
| Supplemental Address: |
|
| City Name: |
MERCURY |
| State Code: |
NV |
| State Name: |
|
| Postal Code: |
89023 |
| Country Name: |
|
FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JUNE 19, 2003 FBO #0567
SOLICITATION NOTICE
59 -- Miscellaneous Electrical Supplies
- Notice Date
- 6/17/2003
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Combat Command, 99 CONS, 5865 Swaab Blvd, Nellis AFB, NV, 89191-7063
- ZIP Code
- 89191-7063
- Solicitation Number
- F26600-03-Q-A068
- Response Due
- 6/25/2003
- Archive Date
- 7/10/2003
- Point of Contact
- Tracee Walton, Contract Specialist, Phone 702-652-6003, Fax
702-652-9570, - Willie Randolph, Chief, Services Flight, Phone
702-652-2531, Fax 702-652-2532,
- E-Mail Address
-
tracee.walton@nellis.af.mil, 99cons.lgcv@nellis.af.mil
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items
prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented
with additional information included in this notice. This announcement
constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a
written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation
F26600-03-QA068 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) in
accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. The
solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those
in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2001-04. THIS
SOLICITATION IS SET ASIDE 100% FOR SMALL BUSINESS. The Standard
Industry Classification System (SIC) for this solicitation is 5063 and
the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 421610.
The Government intends to award a fixed-price contract on or about 25
June 2003 for miscellaneous electrical supplies. Please see the
attached Excel spreadsheet for a detailed item description. ALL ITEMS
ARE TO BE DELIVERED BY 07 JULY 2003, FOB destination to Base Camp,
Tonopah, Nevada, 89049. Contractor shall submit pricing for any
delivery, shipping or freight charges. The entire solicitation,
including: Item Description (Attachment 1), Offeror Representations and
Certifications (Attachment 2), and the Past Performance Questionnaire
(Attachment 3), will be released on the Federal Government Electronic
Posting Systems (EPS) site, http://eps.gov. Amendments will be posted
on the affected solicitation page EPS site. It is the offeror?s
responsibility to monitor this site for the release of amendments (if
any). The following provisions and clauses can be viewed through
Internet access at Air Force FAR Site, http://farsite.hill.af.mil. The
following clauses and/or provisions apply to this solicitation: FAR
52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors?Commercial Items, with the following
technical description in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with
the requirements of the solicitation, the terms of any expressed
warranty, price and any discount, and delivery times; FAR 52.212-2
Evaluation?Commercial Items, Award will be made to the responsible,
responsive offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be
most advantageous and result in the best value to the Government
considering price and past performance. The provisions at 52.212-3,
Offeror Representations and Certifications?Commercial Items, 52.212-4,
Contract Terms and Conditions?Commercial Items applies to this
solicitation. The clauses from 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions
Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders?Commercial Items ?
is hereby incorporated with an ?X? placed in front of the following
clauses: 52.222-19, Child Labor Cooperation with Authorities and
Remedies, 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases,
52.225-15, Sanctioned European Union Country End Products and
52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer?Central Contractor
Registration; 52.233-3, Protest after Award; 52.222-6, Equal
Opportunity; 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Disabled Veterans of the
Vietnam Era; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for workers with
Disabilities; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled
Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.222-41 applies for this solicitation.
The provisions at 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference apply to
this solicitation. The provisions at 252.225-7000, Buy American
Act?Balance of Payments Program Certificate, 252.204-7004, Required
Central Contractor Registration, 252.212-7001, Contract Terms and
Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders
Applicable to Defense Acquisitions of Commercial Items and
252.225-7017, Prohibition on Award to Companies Owned by the People?s
Republic of China applies to this solicitation. Offerors must include
with their proposal a completed copy of the provisions at 52.212-3,
Offeror Representations and Certifications?Commercial Items, and Past
Performance Reference List (a minimum of three references), which is an
attachment to this solicitation. Offerors who fail to complete and
submit Representation and Certification and Past Performance Reference
List may be considered non-responsive. For solicitations issued after 1
Jun 98 all contractors are required to be registered in the Central
Contractors Registration (CCR). If not already registered, you should
immediately register with CCR by calling 1-888-227-2423 or via the
Internet at http://www.ccr2000.com. Contractors are required to have a
Dun & Bradstreet number (DUNS) in order to be registered in the CCR
database. Lack of registration may make an offeror ineligible for
award. A contractor can receive a DUNS number by calling Dun &
Bradstreet at (800) 333-0505. Internet registration takes approximately
72 hours. Mail-in registration takes approximately 30 days. Interested
parties must submit any questions in writing to the Contracting Officer
listed below, by fax to the number below. Quotations and amendments (if
any) must be signed, dated and submitted in writing or by fax by
10:00PM on 25 June 2003, Pacific Standard Time to the 99th Contracting
Squadron, 5865 Swaab Blvd., Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, 89191,
Attention SSgt Tracee Walton. Direct any questions concerning this
solicitation to Contracting Specialist SSgt Tracee Walton at (702)
652-6003, FAX NO. (702) 652-9570, and tracee.walton@nellis.af.mil or
Contracting Officer Willie Randolph at willie.randolph@nellis.af.mil
(702) 652-2531.
- Place of Performance
- Address: Base Camp, Attn: DOC Pleasent, HC76 Box 6040, Tonopah, NV
- Zip Code: 89049
- Country: USA
- Record
- SN00349509-W 20030619/030617213348 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JUNE 19, 2003 FBO #0567
SOLICITATION NOTICE
59 -- Miscellaneous Electrical Supplies
Notice Date
6/17/2003
Notice Type
Solicitation Notice
Contracting Office
Department of the Air Force, Air Combat Command, 99 CONS, 5865 Swaab Blvd, Nellis AFB, NV, 89191-7063
ZIP Code
89191-7063
Solicitation Number
F26600-03-Q-A068
Response Due
6/25/2003
Archive Date
7/10/2003
Point of Contactr
Tracee Walton, Contact Specialist, Phone
702-652-6003, Fax 702-652-9570, - Willie Randolph, Chief, Services
Flight, Phone 702-652-2531, Fax 702-652-2532,
E-Mail Address
tracee.walton@nellis.af.mil, 99cons.lgcv@nellis.af.mil
Small Business Set-Aside
Total Small Business
Description
This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for
commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart
12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this
notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals
are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This
solicitation F26600-03-QA068 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ)
in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. The
solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those
in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2001-04. THIS
SOLICITATION IS SET ASIDE 100% FOR SMALL BUSINESS. The Standard
Industry Classification System (SIC) for this solicitation is 5063 and
the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 421610.
The Government intends to award a fixed-price contract on or about 25
June 2003 for miscellaneous electrical supplies. Please see the
attached Excel spreadsheet for a detailed item description. ALL ITEMS
ARE TO BE DELIVERED BY 07 JULY 2003, FOB destination to Base Camp,
Tonopah, Nevada, 89049. Contractor shall submit pricing for any
delivery, shipping or freight charges. The entire solicitation,
including: Item Description (Attachment 1), Offeror Representations and
Certifications (Attachment 2), and the Past Performance Questionnaire
(Attachment 3), will be released on the Federal Government Electronic
Posting Systems (EPS) site, http://eps.gov. Amendments will be posted
on the affected solicitation page EPS site. It is the offeror’s
responsibility to monitor this site for the release of amendments (if
any). The following provisions and clauses can be viewed through
Internet access at Air Force FAR Site, http://farsite.hill.af.mil. The
following clauses and/or provisions apply to this solicitation: FAR
52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items, with the
following technical description in sufficient detail to evaluate
compliance with the requirements of the solicitation, the terms of any
expressed warranty, price and any discount, and delivery times; FAR
52.212-2 Evaluation—Commercial Items, Award will be made to the
responsible, responsive offeror whose offer conforming to the
solicitation will be most advantageous and result in the best value to
the Government considering price and past performance. The provisions
at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and
Certifications—Commercial Items, 52.212-4, Contract Terms and
Conditions—Commercial Items applies to this solicitation. The
clauses from 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to
Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Items –
is hereby incorporated with an “X” placed in front of the
following clauses: 52.222-19, Child Labor Cooperation with Authorities
and Remedies, 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases,
52.225-15, Sanctioned European Union Country End Products and
52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—Central
Contractor Registration; 52.233-3, Protest after Award; 52.222-6, Equal
Opportunity; 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Disabled Veterans of the
Vietnam Era; 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for workers with
Disabilities; 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled
Veterans of the Vietnam Era; 52.222-41 applies for this solicitation.
The provisions at 52.252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference apply to
this solicitation. The provisions at 252.225-7000, Buy American
Act—Balance of Payments Program Certificate, 252.204-7004,
Required Central Contractor Registration, 252.212-7001, Contract Terms
and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders
Applicable to Defense Acquisitions of Commercial Items and
252.225-7017, Prohibition on Award to Companies Owned by the
People’s Republic of China applies to this solicitation. Offerors
must include with their proposal a completed copy of the provisions at
52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial
Items, and Past Performance Reference List (a minimum of three
references), which is an attachment to this solicitation. Offerors who
fail to complete and submit Representation and Certification and Past
Performance Reference List may be considered non-responsive. For
solicitations issued after 1 Jun 98 all contractors are required to be
registered in the Central Contractors Registration (CCR). If not
already registered, you should immediately register with CCR by calling
1-888-227-2423 or via the Internet at http://www.ccr2000.com.
Contractors are required to have a Dun & Bradstreet number (DUNS)
in order to be registered in the CCR database. Lack of registration may
make an offeror ineligible for award. A contractor can receive a DUNS
number by calling Dun & Bradstreet at (800) 333-0505. Internet
registration takes approximately 72 hours. Mail-in registration takes
approximately 30 days. Interested parties must submit any questions in
writing to the Contracting Officer listed below, by fax to the number
below. Quotations and amendments (if any) must be signed, dated and
submitted in writing or by fax by 10:00PM on 25 June 2003, Pacific
Standard Time to the 99th Contracting Squadron, 5865 Swaab Blvd.,
Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, 89191, Attention SSgt Tracee Walton.
Direct any questions concerning this solicitation to Contracting
Specialist SSgt Tracee Walton at (702) 652-6003, FAX NO. (702)
652-9570, and tracee.walton@nellis.af.mil or Contracting Officer Willie
Randolph at willie.randolph@nellis.af.mil (702) 652-2531.
Web Link
Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/ACC/99CONS/F26600-03-Q-A068/listing.html)
Place of Performance
Address: Base Camp Attn: DOC Pleasent HC76 Box 6040 Tonopah, NV
Zip Code: 89049
Country: USA
Record
SN00350106-F 20030619/030617214320 (fbodaily.com)
Source
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JULY 20, 2003 FBO #0598
SOLICITATION NOTICE
59 -- Electrical Supplies for Uprange Waterline Project
Notice Date
7/18/2003
Notice Type
Solicitation Notice
Contracting Office
Department of the Air Force, Air Combat Command, 99 CONS, 5865 Swaab Blvd, Nellis AFB, NV, 89191-7063
ZIP Code
89191-7063
Solicitation Number
F26600-03-Q-A076
Response Due
7/24/2003
Archive Date
8/8/2003
Point of Contact
Tracee Walton, Contract Specialist, Phone
702-652-6003, Fax 702-652-9570, - Daryl Hitchcock, Contract Specialist,
Phone 702-652-9117, Fax 702-652-2532,
E-Mail Address
tracee.walton@nellis.af.mil, daryl.hitchcock@nellis.af.mil
Small Business Set-Aside
Total Small Business
Description
THIS SOLICITATION IS ALSO AN AMENDMENT TO
SOLICITATION # F26600-03-Q-A068. DUE TO THE SHORT RESPONSE TIME, MANY
CONTRACTORS DID NOT HAVE ADEQUATE TIME TO RESPOND WITH A BID.
APPROXIMATELY 30 ITEMS FROM THE PREVIOUS SOLICITATION HAVE BEEN AWARDED
DUE TO THEIR CRITICAL NEED BY THE END USER. THE ONLY CHANGE TO THIS NEW
SOLICITATION F26600-03-Q-A076 IS THE REPONSE DUE DATE AND TIME, WHICH
IS NOW THURSDAY 24 AUG 2003 AT 10:00 AM PACIFIC STANDARD TIME AND THE
DELIVERY DATE, WHICH IS NOW MONDAY, 4 AUGUST 2003. PLEASE SEE
ATTACHMENT FOR SOLICITATION # F26600-03-Q-A068.
Place of Performance
Address: BASE CAMP/ATTENTION: DOC PLEASANT, HC76, BOX 6040/TONOPAH/NEVADA
Zip Code: 89049
Country: USA
Record
SN00375086-W 20030720/030718213600 (fbodaily.com)
Source
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
TYBO
Information from http://www.nbmg.unr.edu/dox/r47/r47.pdf
, page 235
Other names: Hot Creek, Keystone, Empire, Argenta, Rattlesnake
Canyon, Milk Spring, Shenandoa, Tyboe
County: Nye
Discovered: 1865
Organized: 1866
Commodities: silver, lead, zinc, gold, antimony, copper,
barite
Comments: The Tybo district is in the Hot Creek Range,
extending from Warm Springs on the south to Hot Creek on the north. The
original district was named Empire and extended from the area of Empire Canyon
south to what was later the town of Tybo. Rattlesnake Canyon district was
south of Empire and may have been part of the Empire district. The northern
section of district, near Hot Creek, is sometimes considered to be the
separate Hot Creek district. The Territorial Enterprise (1878) used Shenandoa
name for the Hot Creek section. The Argenta and Hot Creek districts were
located by Lotz (1934) as being in T7-8N, R49-50E. Mercury mines in M & M
Canyon on the southwestern tip of the Hot Creek Range, west of Warm Springs,
were included in the Tybo district by Kral (1951) and Kleinhampl and
Ziony(1984), but are now considered to be in the separate Mercury Mountain
district. The historic Milk Spring area included Mercury Mountain as well as
the southern tip of the present Tybo district.
References: Stretch, 1867, p. 62; White, 1869, p. 73; White,
1871, p. 91; Wheeler, 1872, p. 39, map; Whitehill, 1873, p. 108; Territorial
Enterprise, May 7, 1878; Angel, 1881, p. 517, 518; Hill, 1912, p. 224;
Lincoln, 1923, p. 195; Stoddard, 1932, p. 72; Lotz, 1934, p. 22; Kral,
1951, p.189; Lawrence, 1963, p. 132; Bonham, 1976; Kleinhampl and Ziony,
1984, p. 210
