TOWERS
Worldwide Installation and Maintenance Expertise
Long Wave provides military communication and engineering services with customers including the United States Navy (USN), the United States Air Force (USAF), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Homeland Security. Long Wave’s highly qualified and diversified team of professional engineers, project managers, technicians, and support specialists establish us as a premier organization providing services to the United States Government as well as commercial customers.
Long Wave has extensive experience in handling complex installation and maintenance efforts by providing innovative solutions that are both agile and rapidly deployable in order to meet customers’ needs. This includes complete turn-key site installations of 76 antennas at more than 25 sites worldwide for Government agencies, including the USAF, USN, Customs & Border Protection (CBP), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These installations include heavy equipment operation, foundation preparation, concrete pours, and final site grading. Long Wave has extensive experience installing High Frequency (HF) antennas, monopole towers, self-supporting towers, generator pads, bollards, concrete masonry unit walls, and access roads at locations worldwide. These capabilities allow Long Wave to provide turn-key site development to customers within budget and on time. Long Wave’s current bonding capacity exceeds $10MM per project and $20MM in aggregate.
For more than 20 years, Long Wave has provided engineering, technical, and programmatic services in support of strategic, shore-based Very Low Frequency/Low Frequency/High Frequency (VLF/LF/HF) communication facilities and equipment. We provide antenna maintenance for the entire Fixed Submarine Broadcast System (FSBS) at Navy facilities around the world. Long Wave is the In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA) support contractor providing technical support to the Navy’s entire high-powered VLF/LF submarine broadcast transmitting system/equipment and associated antenna systems. Long Wave executes all engineering services; new installations; de-installations; depot-level maintenance and repair; Grounding, Bonding, Shielding, and Lightning Protection (GBSLP); power evaluation and design; and repair of existing systems worldwide.
High Frequency Communication
Long Wave is a world leader in High Frequency (HF) communication, engineering, installation, and repair. Over the last decade, Long Wave has installed more HF antenna systems in more locations than any other company. No HF installation company can match Long Wave’s worldwide capability, experience, or ability to operate in remote harsh conditions. Long Wave’s logistics capabilities enables our teams to deploy rapidly and operate in any region of the world.
Our engineering staff is nationally recognized as experts in the HF community. The team has extensive expertise in HF system engineering, HF antennas, HF theory, Radio Frequency Electro Magnetic Interference isolation and mitigation, complete spectrum circuit design (Very High Frequency – Super High Frequency), TV and video circuit and system design, wireless network design, Design for Manufacturing/Design for Test (DFM/DFT), test development, propagation analysis, research, and development.
Installations
Long Wave has constructed several tower and antenna compounds. The construction of these compounds includes the installation of foundations, generators, fuel tanks, solar arrays and their frames, towers, FAA-STD-19e compliant grounding, electrical runs, and access roads to the compounds. Because of varying soil conditions, drilling for the tower foundations can be necessary and in some instances may require slurring. Many of these sites are in remote locations that can prove to be a logistical challenge. Long Wave can accommodate any challenge based on proven experience working in locations of varying degrees of accessibility. Long Wave is able to provide the necessary infrastructure support to execute any customer’s mission.
- Terrain preparation
- Foundations
- Fence installation
- Tower assembly
- Tower erection
- Laying coaxial cable
- Experience with both air-dielectric and foam filled types in varying sizes
- Connecting coax cable to operating equipment and respective matrixes within control buildings
- GBSLP installation specific to antenna
- GBSLP installation inside facilities to protect operating equipment
- GBSLP to provide lightening protection to personnel and equipment
Long Wave has a long history of providing smart and efficient engineering solutions to complex problems. Our capabilities include design, development and manufacturing of test simulators, hardware training simulators, virtualized training simulators, messaging communication systems, High Frequency (HF) broadcast receive systems, and HF data modems. With strong engineering practices that produce smart engineering designs, repairs or preventive measures in a methodical and efficient manner, Long Wave is able to deliver cost savings to both our Government and commercial customers.
Long Wave engineers have designed Grounding, Bonding, Shielding, and Lightning Protection (GBSLP) plans for towers and shelters that meet or exceed the Mil-HDBK-419A standard. In addition to GBSLP plans, these engineers design surge arrestor assemblies, proprietary to Long Wave, that have been proven to prevent lightning from traveling across transmission lines.
Long Wave is the industry leader in performing detailed propagation analysis using our proprietary ACE-HF software. Our study included various locations, different antenna configurations/types, heights, and take off angles. Our ACE-HF system has been modified specifically for High Frequency Global Communications System (HFGCS) to perform propagation analysis on Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) systems, just like HFGCS.
Inspections
Tower inspections are vital for a safe work environment and lifecycle sustainment. Over time, corrosion and weather can deteriorate key structural elements of a tower to the point of catastrophic failure that can cause loss of life.
When it comes to tower inspections, safety is Long Wave’s top priority. Our comprehensive tower inspections are performed by certified and experienced teams that examine every aspect of a tower. From Radio Frequency (RF) performance to structural integrity, nothing goes untouched. Our team produces detailed technical reports documenting required repairs and maintenance needed to extend the lifecycle of each tower.
During the inspection, our team examines structural components such as anchor rods, foundations, climbing systems, and corrosion on all members and base plates. We perform structural tests such as guy wire tensioning and vertical alignment using the industry’s most up-to-date methods and equipment.
Long Wave also provides in depth tower inspections from the ground. Using the latest in drone technology, our team of experts provides 3D mapping detailing any discrepancies and deformities. During the inspection, drone pilots scan, photograph, and video record the tower and antenna. This information is reviewed by Long Wave’s engineering team to determine the repairs necessary to increase the lifecycle of the antenna. This type of inspection is ideal for towers that have been neglected, experienced a recent significant weather event, or been deemed unsafe to climb.
Long Wave routinely completes tower inspections and maintenance assessments for the United States Air Force (USAF), the United States Navy (USN), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and commercial customers.
Site Surveys
Each project starts with a well-thought-out plan. Long Wave deploys teams of experts to locations around the world to design turn-key solutions that fit customer needs. No obstacle is too big and no destination too rugged. Some projects have been completed in the world’s most remote regions, with unforgiving terrain and several logistics challenges.
Each site survey is a unique and integral part of any project. Specific information must be captured to provide an executable plan. This starts with an accurate topographical land survey of the site, capturing the undulation of the landscape as well as soil samples. Once compaction ratings are gathered, Long Wave’s survey team tests the resistivity of the soil to design a Grounding, Bonding, Shielding and Lightning Protection (GBSLP) plan. Long Wave GBSLP designs meet or exceed all local and national standards.
From the ground up, Long Wave looks at local surroundings from a Radio Frequency (RF) perspective to ensure the antennas will operate properly on the designated frequency and notate all possible forms of interference. The team provides the results of this RF landscape analysis for the installation site chosen with a plan on how best to maximize antenna efficiency. Once a tower design is chosen, the Long Wave engineering team can design fencing including Radiation Hazard fences to keep the site safe and secure.
While on site, Long Wave’s team can inspect the local shelter and/or facility to ensure it meets all local and national building standards. For turn-key projects, the team will locate utilities, check with the local municipality for permitting, plan for a road if needed, and design a shelter to meet specific customer needs.
Long Wave routinely completes site surveys for antenna installations for the United States Air Force (USAF), the United States Navy (USN), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and commercial customers.