The Vermilion Beam Station

During the Second World War, quick communication nationwide was of paramount importance. There also needed to be a way for the many aircraft around the nation to make their destinations safely.

For all of that, radio was the most important technology and that meant a lot of radio towers being built across Canada.

In September 1944, a radio loop network was being built from Winnipeg to Edmonton and that meant the building of a radio beam station at Vermilion.

Located about five kilometres south of town, four towers were being erected with a building that would house the equipment. It was a similar case across the country, where the same type of towers were being constructed.

The plan was to have the station under the direction under the federal department of transport. The radio range station, along with five others built between Edmonton and Winnipeg, would provide radio beams so that aircraft could fly safely between two points.

The station would be a standard non-simultaneous type Adcock range of 400 watts power. Control of the radio equipment and towers would be done remotely by telephone lines that ran from an office in a building at the Vermilion airport.

Along with the stations running from Edmonton to Winnipeg, another 75 were built across the country. Each station was about 140 kilometres apart.

Vermilion’s station would have a staff of four people who kept a 24-hour watch when the airway was in operation. The federal department of transportation did have plans to build two houses for operators at the station.

It was expected that the Vermilion Beam Station would be up and running by October 1944.

It was just one of the things being done in the area because of the war that was raging around the world.

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