Photography

Bo Zarts

(25,713 posts) Tue Oct 24, 2023, 12:16 PM Oct 2023

Anatomy of a wilderness fire lookout post

1. Solar panels (State Fish & Game radio repeater)
2. Cedar shake roof
3. Solar panels (US Forest Service radio repeater)
4. Cab/Cabin (Living and working space)
5. Smoke in the drainages
6. East Peak
7. Solar panel rack (personal gear)
8. Pulley hoist system
9. Solar panels (US Forest Service lookout interior batteries)
10. Very heavy, lockable trap door (top of steps on catwalk deck)
11. Steep steps
12. HF radio antenna (personal - inverted V for 20 meters)
13. Generator (on bare rocks for fire restriction compliance)
14. Lower steps
15. Gasoline for generator
16. Water “cubies” (5 gallons/ea .. 40#/ea)
17. Storage and radio repeater equipment
18. Catwalk .. 360° around lookout
19. Solar panel (Portable personal 200-watt panel)
20. USFS VHF radio antenna
21. Guy wire support
22. Guy wire
23. Road/turnaround/parking
24. Tripod
25. Fire ring (public use off season)
26. Drone operations pad
27. Outhouse (60 yards)

Bitterroot Range - Idaho Panhandle/Montana
©2023 Bo Zarts Studio

9 replies

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Highlight:

Anatomy of a wilderness fire lookout post (Original Post) Bo Zarts Oct 2023 OP

Very cool. underpants Oct 2023 #1

This is interesting, thanks. yonder Oct 2023 #2

No, those are the only repeaters .. thankfully. Bo Zarts Oct 2023 #3

Way cool. Oh to be young and indestructable again! marble falls Oct 2023 #4

I'm neither young nor indestructable anymore .. Bo Zarts Oct 2023 #5

Wow! Quite the operations. Callalily Oct 2023 #6

# 27 reminds me of the old best selling book MichaelSoE Oct 2023 #7

Very nice! IrishAfricanAmerican Oct 2023 #8

The outhouse distance.. Old Crank Oct 2023 #9

underpants

(187,417 posts)

1. Very cool.

Reply to Bo Zarts (Original post)

Tue Oct 24, 2023, 12:38 PM

Oct 2023

yonder

(10,008 posts)

2. This is interesting, thanks.

Reply to Bo Zarts (Original post)

Tue Oct 24, 2023, 12:41 PM

Oct 2023

It makes sense having the repeater stations up there. Are there any more other than the USFS and IF&G?

Bo Zarts

(25,713 posts)

3. No, those are the only repeaters .. thankfully.

Reply to yonder (Reply #2)

Tue Oct 24, 2023, 01:06 PM

Oct 2023

Some lookout tower environments have so many various repeaters that RF exposure is a big issue. Bigelow Mountain lookout in south Arizona, for example, was closed down because of RF levels too high for safe staffing.