The shack is located at the very bottom of the bunker, almost 45 metres below ground. This deep, the temperature is a constant 7 degrees Celsius inside the shack, regardless of outside temperature. Being deep underground, much of the groundwater seeps into the bunker, making the air very humid. There are images of the rest of the bunker as well as a video tour.
The room next door is usually used for VHF operation when we are located inside the bunker, and the computer performs QRSS grabbing and APRS reception when the shack is unattended.
The antenna is a 160 metre doublet on the side of the bunker’s communication mast. The mast is 50 metres, with our antenna about 30 metres up as an inverted-vee. To one side, the antenna slopes away into the forest; the other side is tied to an air-raid siren held aloft on a large metal post.
From the mast, the feeders run back into the bunker radio rooms via the ventilation shaft/emergency exit tunnel. Below we see some heliax cables running to the ground surface.
Where possible, members like to operate from the surface of the bunker, and take part in special events and activities, as well as using the surface space for field days. We like to get the big toys out too!