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My tour at Red Cliff began in October 1959 and lasted through May 7,
1961 when I left to be discharged from the USAF after serving 4
years. Red Cliff, 642nd AC&W radar site was
about 6-8 miles north of Pepperrell AFB and St. John's,
Newfoundland, situated on a cliff about 600 feet above the North
Atlantic ocean. Winters could get really cold especially when
the ice pack closed in on the North Atlantic and the wind was coming
off it at about 30-40 knots. Although I did not want to leave
Florida, this turned out to be my most enjoyable tour.
Some equipment at the 642nd was the
AN/CPS-6B 
Search/HF, AN/FPS-502
Search radar systems, 
OA-99 PPI , 
UPA-35 PPI, AN/GPS-T2, and 15-J-1C Target
Simulator. When I first arrived there was also a AN/TPS-502
height finder.
And for all those who write backwards, the manual plotting board
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Some equipment used in communications, were the 
GRC27-R278 UHF receiver and T217
transmitter, teletype 
model 19 plus others, all handle by
the communications group.
Associated with the 642th, was the 642nd Detachment 1 Gap
Filler radar site at
Elliston Ridge NFLD, which had an 
AN/FPS-14 medium-range search radar.
My first introduction to ham radio was at the MARS station.
John Haaseth, K8MOD/VO1, ran several phone
patches back to NC for me in early 1960. After John left in the
spring of 1960 and Dick Hanneman, K0DKI/VO1 arrived at the 642nd
AC&W, he ran the MARS station.
Some transmitting equipment was a 
BC-610 transmitter, a 
Johnson Viking Pacemaker
transmitter driving a 
Johnson Viking Thunderbolt
amplifier. Receivers were a 
Hammarlund SP-600 and a 
Collins 75A4. I finally got my Ham
license (WB4BXW) in 1966.
The monument pictured on the right is located near the old main
gate of what once was (Fort
Pepperrell) Pepperrell Air Force Base, now known as
Pleasantville. It was provided by Albert J Wheat.
His website with more information about Pepperrell Air Force Base
and pictures taken in and around Pepperrell AFB and St. John's
Nfld. in 1957-1958, can be found at http://ajwheat2002.us/index.html.
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Many Thanks to PAUL WINTERSON and
LANNIS HUCKABEE
for putting together a reunion of the
108/642nd AC&W Radar Squadron that
was located at
Red Cliff, from 1952 through October 1961..
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By Don Couch
Links to pictures of Red Cliff by others and to some Newfoundland
Websites with information or more pictures. Select a link from one
of the drop down boxes, then click the go button for that box. Some
links will open another page on this website. For these pages, use
the back button to return here. For the links that open a new
browser window, close the new browser window to return here.
Clicking on any below picture will open a new window with a larger
view of that picture. You can then page to the next picture or page
back to the previous picture. Some pictures with people are without
names. If you can help with any names please send to wsetzer@hotmail.com. In
order to help with names, I have added all the special orders I
found from my Red Cliff tour. To view these orders, click here
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This page last revised: 06/12/2009 10:50:35 PM
The tiny url for this page is
http://tinyurl.com/dfca7v