The Alaskan Norad Region

The ANR (Alaskan Norad Region) was a mixture of the manual system and a computerized environment. It was really the poor man's Sage. The ANR consisted of ANRCC (Alaskan Norad Region Control Center) the ALCOP (Alternate Command Post) was located at Murphy Dome, two NCCs at Murphy Dome and King Salmon AFS, five NGCIs located at Campion, Indian Mountain, Fort Yukon, Tatalina and Cold Bay and six NSSs.(This mix changed from time to time over the years.) I will use Murphy Dome as the example to illustrate the function of the system.

The organization is as depicted in this chart. Use the "back" button at the bottom of the page  or on your browser to return to this page. This chart is as I remember it in the mid seventies. Please email any corrections to me through the link at the home page or the guest book.

The NCC at Murphy Dome had three levels on the dias. As you walked in the first level was the control level. This was home for the Battle Commander, WAO/T, SD and Control Technician (CT) and Emergency Actions. The second level was home to the SADI Operator (Semi-Automatic Data Inserter), Manual Data Inserter, ASS/AST and ID Section. The third level had the Scopes for the Weapons Controllers and the HRI scopes.

The boards consisted of the Weather Board, TMD Board (Tactical Mission Data ) and a smaller version of a vertical plotting board. These surrounded the LSVD (Large Screen Vertical Display) which was in the center.

The LSVD was nothing more than a movie screen. I was told that the Kolsmann plotting projectors were from Peterson Field where NORAD used them in their CC (Combat Center). The system was known as ICONARAMA and used to display weather data and weapons status. This is the only place in AC&W that I found that the KPs had an important maintenance function. Twice a week and more often when needed, they cleaned the glass slides in the clipper (dishwasher). The projectors each had a stylus which wrote the track information on the slides. Each slide was divided into sectors and the slide had to be changed by the ASS or AST when all sectors were filled. There was one projector for each color (see General page) of track plus one which was a blue green color for the background.

Next to the ASS/T was the MCC (Manual Message Composer). This was used to send equipment status reports, weapons status reports and messages to other units in the system. It could also be used to insert track data but the slow speed of the mechanical unit prohibited this. It was used to update track classification from time to time.

The SATDI was a standard UPA-35 scope with a keyboard and track ball which replaced the shelf. All operations personnel were required to become combat ready as a SATDI operator, enlisted or officer. When a track was detected the cursor was placed over the radar paint and initiated. Two minutes later the track was moved to the new position. The AN/YUK-1 computer computed speed and direction of movement. The operator inserted the amplifying data (flight size and height) during the update and as needed. The YUK-1 then dead reckoned the track. If the speed or direction changed the SATDI operator was required to update the position and/or direction. The Q-9 would then recompute the speed.

Weapons control was strictly manual. Each control scope had a VPL drop with Fairbanks and Anchorage ARTCC to coordinate handoff to and from control facilities. In addition to log keeping each WCT was required to compute the intercept geometry using the CPU-73A attack computer and draw a handy aid for the controller.

White Alice provided voice and data microwave communications with all facilities. The NCCs had rt (receive/transmit) units which converted the data for use by the computer using paper tapes.

The weapons dias next to the BC had a TRO (Tactical Readout) console. This allowed the battle commander to call up date on all tracks in the Q-9. There was also a TRO in the ALCOP. Next to the CT and the Emergency Actions Desk was a red telephone. This was the AUTOSEVOCOM, a secure telephone system used to discuss classified information with ANRCC.

The input to the to the NCC came from the White Alice communication system through the R/Ts which punched paper tapes. The paper tapes fed into the AN/FYQ-49. the Q-49s communicated with ANR and the other sites. The YUK-1 controlled the Kolsmann plotting projectors, and thus the LSVD; the SATDI and the MMC. The YUK-1 was connected to the Q-49 which told the data.

This section was done through the help of Radomes member US 133 who refreshed my memory. Any Errors are mine. Please email any noted errors to me so they can be corrected. Anyone providing information will be recognized on this page. My memory isn't as good as it used to be.