Unexpectedly, while looking for a place with a great view
on northern Lanzarote, I stumbled across an antenna farm hidden
close to the 'Ermita de las Nieves', halfway between Haria and
Teguise. The antennas on the view from the west front are pointing
directly to the airport, and seem to be connected to it (VHF
/ UHF ?) - Arrecife Airport has a military terminal, too. But
the antennas on the other parts of the area seem to be a general
receiving and direction finding station, and with something that
looks like a logarithmic-periodic antenna for transmitting whatever
back to someplace in Spain. The elevation of the LP was rather
low, and it could be hardly seen from anyplace else than from
the 'Ermita de las Nieves' - just owing to hard winds, or for
better hiding...?
Outside on the wall of the area was the sign 'prohibido el paso
- zona militar', and inside, on the entrance of a building, there
was the symbol of the operating agency (I guess), but due to
the distance the text was unreadable. Maybe someone knows it
- look at it in the second row of the first picture. (rb, December
2008)
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After discussion in the UDXF-Forum,
and after some messages from outside that forum, the following
seems to be true: It is an observation station of a spanish 'electronic
war' unit, aiming at north-west africa. It is doubtful, that
there are really transmissions from that place, but at least
it is possible. Also there seems to be no connection to the airport,
just a coincidence that the antennas go that way. (rb, January
2009)
A look at the station from east (upper row), from the west (middle
row), and again from the east (lower row), with all antenna arrangements.
The picture at the end of the middle row was the sign on the
entrance within the walls. Looks like the symbol of the operating
department: an owl, always watching...
A logarithmic-periodic antenna, and a non-directional receiving
antenna in the upper row, and a closer look to the direction-finding
array in the lower row.
Relatively close to the 'Las Nieves' Installation (2.2 km / 1.4
miles north-north-east) is a big Radar Station, said to be operated
by the Spanish Airforce.
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No frequencies or call signs known