Once a year I make this off-topic post. Tonight, December 7, in
commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the beacon atop Mount
Diablo will shine tonight. It was a regular beacon used for navigation
until December 7, 1941, when it was turned off so as not to attract
attackers. It now is lit only once a year, on December 7.
I post this here because many broadcasting people are into
mountaintops, and Diablo is one of the very best.
Unfortunately, this live view doesn't seem to show the beacon, but it
shows a pretty good view of the mountain: http://www.mtdiablocam.com/
More about Diablo: http://www.ccdemo.info/MtDiablo/MtDiablo.html
Carl Nolte in the SF Chronicle mentioned that the night after the
attack, SF was put on alert that there were subs in the area. As part
of the blackout measures, all radio stations were told to go off the
air. I assume this was to prevent ships to home in on San Francisco or
the Bay Area. AM stations have been used for a long time for
direction-finding, and are still listed today on aviation and ship maps
as back-up navigation beacons.
commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the beacon atop Mount
Diablo will shine tonight. It was a regular beacon used for navigation
until December 7, 1941, when it was turned off so as not to attract
attackers. It now is lit only once a year, on December 7.
I post this here because many broadcasting people are into
mountaintops, and Diablo is one of the very best.
Unfortunately, this live view doesn't seem to show the beacon, but it
shows a pretty good view of the mountain: http://www.mtdiablocam.com/
More about Diablo: http://www.ccdemo.info/MtDiablo/MtDiablo.html
Carl Nolte in the SF Chronicle mentioned that the night after the
attack, SF was put on alert that there were subs in the area. As part
of the blackout measures, all radio stations were told to go off the
air. I assume this was to prevent ships to home in on San Francisco or
the Bay Area. AM stations have been used for a long time for
direction-finding, and are still listed today on aviation and ship maps
as back-up navigation beacons.