BC Tel- Aiyansh Radio Site

AIYANSH RADIO SITE

Aerial View of Aiyansh Radio site ca 1970's

Prior to living quarters moving up the hill. This view is looking north toward Tchitin Passive (pronounced “Sheet-in”)
Aiyansh was accessed via ~3500 ft road, up the hill from the Nass road, between New Aiyansh access and Irene Meadows.
The Old Aiyansh Co was at the start of this access road.

The site originally ran from 2 BMC Diesels, 1 on stand-by, and later a power line was placed, when Stewart got their powerline, and Aiyansh, and Nass Camp were fed off that line.
It originally had a small radio and diesel room identical to Brown Bear and Meziadin Radio Sites, equipped with Lenkurt 71 radios, at first, then changed to 74 radios later in late 60's.
(the original building has the peaked roof in aerial picture above)
When Kitsault was added, Lenkurt 76 radios were installed for that leg.
With the addition of local service and the CO, a new radio room was added. (building visible on left foreground)
The first on site living quarter building was a trailer placed behind the old CO. This trailer was moved to the side of the new radio room.
Later in the early 80’s an old radio room was added to the trailer for a living room.
We even had an off-air satellite TV signal from New Aiyansh, one of the first in northern BC.
Today (2000) a new CO sits on Sand Lake Rd. with the radio site still on top of the hill, for the time being!
The small building on the right was a radio transmitter building initially installed by Columbia Cellulose for their logging channel.

INSIDE VIEW OF AIYANSH LIVING QUARTERS

We had a small electric fridge, propane stove, and a pressurized water system, with a water storage tank under one of the bunk beds.
This trailer was the only one in the whole system, that had running water, and a shower.
We had to haul water, or depend on rain water accumulating from the eaves trough system, to fill the holding tank.
It was a treat to have a shower at any radio site!

It was without a doubt my most hated site, and working here for months in 1982 was the main reason I quit the crew.
One of the reasons was you usually worked here alone, and the other was you felt so close to home, but couldn't be there.
Hard to explain, but just wasn't my favourite.

Original Radio Room and Diesel Room on right
then new radio room was added on left, and after that the living quarters from the CO location down the hill at the Nass road, was moved up and put next to the new radio room
ca 1980

Okanagan Helicopter landing at Aiyansh
Photo by Brian Wolfe

AIYANSH RADIO SITE 2000
Living Quarters building, White Trailer on left
New Diesel room, White Trailer on right
Picture by Glen Olver

Aiyansh Passive

More Aiyansh Photos

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