Armstrong Tower facts for kids
The Armstrong Tower, also known as the Alpine Tower, is a very tall and unique structure in Alpine, New Jersey. It stands 129.5 meters (425 feet) high and has three big cross-arms, making it easy to spot. It's located on top of the Palisades cliffs, which overlook the Hudson River, just a short distance north of New York City. This tower is owned by the Alpine Tower Company.
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The Amazing Armstrong Tower
This special tower is a lattice tower, which means it's built from a framework of crisscrossing metal bars, making it strong and stable. It's a key site for several important radio services.
What is the Tower For?
The Armstrong Tower is a permanent home for two radio stations:
- WA2XMN: This is an experimental radio station that tests new technologies.
- WFDU: This is an educational FM radio station run by Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Besides these, the tower also helps with many other radio services, including being a cell site for mobile phones. This means it helps your phone connect to the network!
The tower is so tall and easy to see that pilots flying small planes use it as a landmark. It helps them navigate within the busy New York City Special flight rules area, which is a special zone for air traffic.
A Bit of History
The Armstrong Tower was built in 1938 by a famous inventor named Edwin Howard Armstrong. He was a genius who developed modern FM radio. The tower was crucial for his experiments. The very first FM broadcasts from this tower (under the call sign W2XMN) happened at 42.8 MHz.
At the bottom of the tower, there's a building that Armstrong originally used for his research. You can still see the W2XMN call sign carved above its main entrance. Today, this building is called the Armstrong Field Laboratory. It also serves as a museum, where you can see old equipment and learn about how FM radio was invented.
Helping Out in a Crisis
The tower also played an important role after the sad events of September 11, 2001. When the World Trade Center towers collapsed, many New York City television stations lost their main antennas. The Armstrong Tower was used temporarily to help some of these TV stations get back on the air, so people could still watch their favorite shows and get important news.
