As you can see, this work is for the Sheriff's Department of Contra Costa County, California. That's inland from San Franciso. In fact, Contra Costa means "across from the coast".
My brother, Captain Alan Burton says about the men standing in front of the trailer, "One is me; three aren't". He's the fellow on the right.
The trailer was the sheriff's mobile command post hand built by our father, Captain George K. Burton at the time of the Watts riot in Los Angeles, California about 1965.Always the forerunner, he was generally modest.
The windmill was the first ever to power a police radio system, and was handmade using VW and Cadillac parts, with homemade blades. Alan says,"I think the photo is about 1983. Incidentally, the building is now the Captain George Burton Memorial Building. He had it built in 1950. He retired in 1966.
Always the innovator, my father, hired as a deputy in 1935, was charged with developing a new radio system to cover Contra Costa County with 734 miles of hills and valleys. Of no help was the brand new Federal Communications Commission which initially gave George enough radio power to cover the town of Martinez, about one tenth of the total county.
Burton's plan called for planning an unheard of device - something that would eventually be called the RADIO REPEATER - atop 3,849 foot Mt. Diablo near the center of the county. The repeater could receive weak signals from patrol cars throughtout Northern California and bounce them back so they could be heard plainly by the Sheriff's dispatcher in Martinez.
However, the FCC was adament in denying a permit - there was no provision in the law for such a peculier device. Eventually the FCC issued a "experimental" licence allowing Burton to install the equipment.Burton recalled "And boy did it work like a charm". The equipment took up two rooms of what everyone called "The Castle" on top of Mt. Diablo.
That same technology, although MUCH smaller, is used today in everything from ipod to communications satellites. The heart of such satelittes is called a compandor - just another name for the old radio repeater.
Back to the windmill....
You know as a populated planet it's neccessary to adjust how we USE the planet. Gaia is a finite being, or, at least in serious trouble. We humans have sullied our nest. If we work fast and wide we MAY be able to modify her reactions to us. I've known, it seems forever, population is the FIRST issue. Even if we throw our waste in the ocean, if there are only a billion people on the planet, she will be able to keep our diapers clean, like any good mother. I don't hear much about this. Anymore.There was a little hullabaloo in the 60's, maybe 70's, but, in the US now, I hear nothing. In fact the far right Religous want to ban birth control, abortion and anything attending. I think they'ed ban sex except in the service of conception if given the chance. Talk about 14 century thinking. Whew.
Windmills, we were dealing with windmills. A WONDERFUL idea along with solar power. Japan has solar panels on every roof. Why don't we? People are arguing where do these much larger than farm land wildmills of the last century GO. Too many people don't want them in THEIR back yards. Gee, I wish I had one in my FRONT yard!! I think they're BEAUTIFUL
