The High Arctic Data Communication Systems (HADCS) of Ellesmere Island

"The HADCS is a secure data communication system between CFS Alert and Ottawa. The system is, in part, composed of a chain of six, line-of-sight microwave repeaters between CFS Alert to Eureka with a satellite link between Eureka and Ottawa." -Canadian Forces

In 1981-1982 the The High Arctic Data Communication Systems (HADCS) was built and turned on to connect CFS Alert with a communications Satellite to facilitate voice and data network communication with the rest of the Department of Defence, as well as the rest of the world.  UHF (~900Mhz) repeaters were set up across Ellesmere Island to bounce the signal from the top of the world, where no satellite was in view due to the curvature of the earth, to Eureka, the closest suitable spot where a satellite dish can "see" a geosynchronously orbiting satellite.  Interestingly, I found reference that the signal from the Satellite link terminates at the Sir Leonard Tilley building, not CFS Leitrim as I expected.

Reportedly, when the HADCS I system was upgraded to HADCS II in ~1998, the system's speed was upgraded to 6.312 Mbps (T2), and the frequencies were changed to true "Microwave", 1900~2100Mhz.

Satellite images of Ellesmere Island are scarce, but The Atlas of Canada's Topographic maps are available for further inspection.  From poking around with all available open source maps, below is a Google Map using the best guess I have for where the microwave relays are located.  Of the pictures I could find, I assume the solar panel is facing South, therefore I can guess which general direction the microwave repeaters are "repeating". 

I still haven't found out where Whiskey is located, but from the Jerry Proc Web Pages, they cite

"The repeaters are generally located on mountain tops that have a clear view to the neighbouring repeater. The separations between pairs of repeaters vary from 18 km (Black Top to Skull) to 121 km (Grant to Ida). The highest repeater site is Grant at 1256 m (4120 ft.) above sea level."

So, if you go NE from Yankee, or SW of Victor (a distance between them of ~130Km, you should find Whiskey less than 121km away at a height of less than 1256 m.   Perhaps on the Agassiz Ice Cap?

"The HADCS microwave link spans the northern half of Ellesmere Island. The repeaters are generally located on mountain tops that have a clear view to the neighbouring repeater. The separations between pairs of repeaters vary from 18 km (Black Top to Skull) to 121 km (Grant to Ida). The highest repeater site is Grant at 1256 m (4120 ft.) above sea level.  The system consists of repeaters named as follows: Grant, Ida, Victor, Whiskey, Yankee, and Black Top. Skull Point is the location of the Eureka satellite dishes. (Graphic source unknown at this time)"
Courtosey of The Web Pages Of Jerry Proc

From Skull Point to Alert, here is what the repeaters look like

No Picture Available 

SGT Skull Point
( 80.0081066,-86.3879192 )

HADCS Site Black Top (Facing SE)
( ~80.0031463,-85.4310326 )

HADCS Site Victor (Facing SE)
( ~81.3399842,-74.769984 )

HADCS Site Yankee (Facing WSW)
( ~80.7067817,-81.0173826 )

HADCS Site Ida (Facing NW)
( ~81.5777492,-69.3846524 )

View of site IDA, on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, on 10 June, during Operation NEVUS 2013.
Photo: Captain Ray Connelly, 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
Source: Flickr - Joint Task Force North

HADCS Site Whiskey (Facing SE)
(Coordinates Unknown)

A CH-146 Griffon helicopter slings a battery over the site WHISKEY on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut during Operation NEVUS 2013.
Photo credit: Captain Eli Squires, Joint Task Force (North)
Source: http://www.cfna.forces.ca/articles/2013/07/08-eng.asp

HADCS Site Whiskey (Facing NW)
(Coordinates Unknown)

A CH-146 Griffon helicopter lands at Site WHISKEY on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, on 9 June, during Operation NEVUS 2013.
Photo: Captain Ray Connelly, 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron
Source: Flickr - Joint Task Force North

HADCS Site (Facing NE)
(Unknown Location - Maybe Grant?)

FA2007-0140 16 March 2008 Ellesmere Island, Nunavut
A CH-146 Griffon helicopter landed on a High Arctic Data Communication Systems site (HADCS).
CF Photo by Sandy Flacht
Source: Flickr RCAF-ARC

 

No Picture Available

HADCS Site Grant
( 82.4912854,-65.0851054 )

References:

• (U) Investigation of a Photovoltaic/Battery Hybrid System for Powering The High Arctic Data Communications System Final Report - National Defence
  http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a218353.pdf
• http://jproc.ca/rrp/alert_power_system.html 
• http://jproc.ca/rrp/alert.html
• http://www.ve3kbr.com/articles/im_wired_cfsalert50_e.pdf
• http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/8-wing/alert.page
• Operation NEVUS: The Northern Information Highway
  http://www.cfna.forces.ca/articles/2013/07/08-eng.asp
• http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/toporama/

CFS Alert

You can file this one under "places that are almost impossible for me to go visit", but I found a few pictures and web sites that do give a good idea of what it would be like, so my curiosity is ever-so-slightly satisfied.

CFS Alert is at the top of the world, and is the Northernmost inhabited place on earth.  It reportedly performs SIGINT, some research, and acts as a weather station. 

Map courtesy of Nasittuq

Unfortunately there is pretty crummy Google satellite imagery of the area, potentially due to the orbit such a satellite would need, which is also the reason normal satellite communication is not possible from CFS Alert.  Communications need to be bounces along microwave relays to Eureka before a communications satellite into view.

UPDATE:
It seems someone HAS made very limited imagery of CFS Alert available


View Larger Map

CFS Alert

Because of the lack of satellite imagery I wasn't aware of the layout, size, shape, or anything really, about Alert; and wouldn't want to ask many questions of anyone who's been there, since most of the operations of CFS Alert, while many are performed by non-military members, are hush-hush.  Therefore, I was thrilled to find pictures from the air already on the public internet!

Photo courtesy of Nasittuq (click for larger image)

Photo courtesy of Nasittuq

Map courtesy of Nasittuq

This is the best map of the base I could find; but it doesn’t include the fresh water source or Plessey Pusher CDAA array.
Map courtesy of Nasittuq (click for larger image)

Southwest view along the runway in the direction of the fuel depot seen in the distance
Photo courtesy of Nasittuq

Since I was having a hard time finding the general layout of the antenna arrays, I resorted to making a composite image from several screenshots of atlas.gc.ca 1:15000 imagery.

composite image created with imagery from atlas.gc.ca

I was quite surprised how much about CFS Alert could be found with Google; there isn’t anything "new" above, and my favourite CFS Alert video is below (also, not new).