LORAN still being operational is BS. The claim that "one LORSTA is kept operational" is silly, because LORAN requires multiple master/slave stations to work! Argh... LORSTA Diamond Beach wasn't kept in-service, it just wasn't completely demolished. It was a eLORAN test site operated & paid for by some corporations hoping to eventually get the contract to build an eLORAN network.
https://www.presso...-1343edc2e90b.html Here's the semi-reality, but remember, it'll take years before anything like this might be operational -- new environmental impact studies, new 'Not In My Back Yard!" protests, etc. *and* the consumer equipment needs to be created, bought & deployed:
https://arstechnic...kup-because-cyber/ No one will/should tell you "Yeah, go-ahead & trespass!"
BUT...
Look at the padlocks on the gate. All should have some sort of labeling as to the padlock owner, which gives you clues as to who currently has access to the property -- USCG, BLM, etc.
The antenna & guy wires still being extant indicates the site is not truly abandoned & somewhat forgotten about *yet* as the tall antenna & guy wires are a liability. The tower should have lights on it at night, per FAA rules, which means there should be electricity running to the site, big fines if the tower lights fail, etc. so it's surprising the tower isn't downed yet, as it is an ongoing cost & concern.
Get some walkie-talkies and a friend. Have the friend sit in your car about 2 miles up the access road after dropping you (ideally with a mountain bike) off by the gate & ensure you've got decent comms. Slowly walk/ride your bike to the site, looking for any signs of life. If BLM or anyone else turn onto the access road, your friend in the car can alert you & you can take appropriate action like hide in-place or try to get off the property, or at-least away from any US PROPERTY - NO TRESPASSING signs, & if it turns out to be BLM that sees/stops you away from any signage, tell them you're looking for fossils, a reported geocache, aircraft crash site from the 1950s, etc. If you're cool with them, they'll probably just issue you a verbal warning, if that. The reality with BLM is that they have very few LE Rangers, and those Rangers are assigned a very big area to patrol. Out here in the Las Vegas area on a Memorial Day weekend, the BLM LE Rangers on-duty are likely to be patrolling & responding to incidents at the popular recreation areas -- where the people are -- and not an old LORSTA several miles down a dirt road in a rather desolate area. Another tact that has worked for me if discovered on the site or asking permission to visit a site is to say I have an elderly relative who was once assigned there, and asked me to stop by and take photos -- it's a good psychological ploy.
If the gate is open & it seems like some sort of activity is taking place on the property,
I would probably drive on in, find a supervisor & explain my interest & desire to document the site before it is gone. I suspect the worst that'd happen is they would tell you to leave. But in my case, it helps that I'm an older dude. If you're a teenager or in your 20s, their first-thought is probably going to be that you're looking for a fresh canvas to tag, or looking for a remote place to turn into a dope den/keg party spot.
If you have access to the UER DB, look at my Searchlight, Nevada LORSTA posting. At least for this site, when it was deactivated, it was locked-up, and then it took USCG a couple years before the antennas were downed, valuable electronic gear was removed, etc. The day I did explore & document the site, another vehicle did drive down the long, dirt access roads out in the middle of nowhere! I was parked on-site, so I made contact with them. Turns out they were also there to see what was left of the site!
If you're really nervous about the nearby plant & someone there spotting you as you explore the former LORSTA:
Don't visit the LORSTA --
discretion is the better part of valor.
Contact your local print media & see if they'd be interested in having you do an article about the site -- it's history, current condition, and future plans. They'll probably say to do it, then show them what you've got. Then contact BLM or USCG & tell them you're a reporter wanting to visit the site for a local news story. Getting in-touch with the right person may be difficult, and then getting permission may be tough too -- they probably don't want the public to know that such an attractive nuisance is sitting out there, semi-abandoned, cuz it means scrappers, taggers, curious public, etc. are going to show up. So you run the risk of them giving you a hard No. But on the other hand, USCG & BLM don't want to annoy the media. If they say No! but don't give you any decent reasons, send a letter to the USCG DIstrict Historian and the Senators or House Representative that covers the LORSTA (& hopefully your) area and ask them to help get you permission. Play it-up by staying there are many veterans of the site who would love to know what it looks like now, and deserve to have that happen, especially since you'd do it for free, etc. In fact, you should contact veterans of that LORSTA
or...
At a time when the plant gate shouldn't be too busy with coming & going vehicles, drive up to the gate, tell the security person that you're interested in the adjacent old LORSTA. You could embellish the story with the "My grandpa was assigned there a long time ago, and asked me to see what's going on there now" or "I'm doing a research paper on old LORAN stations..." & it also always helps to be very respectful, calling the guard "Officer ____," etc. Hopefully the security guy is a bored, older person that'll take the time to talk with you. You may be able to learn more about the status of the property & how often someone is there, etc. but the main thing you're kinda feeling-out is whether the security dude cares if you go poke around the old LORAN Station or not. Depending on the type of factory, that guard shack at the front gate may also be the security control center for the plant (meaning they monitor CCTV & other physical security sensors) & the guard may say "OK yeah, I'm not gonna do anything if you go there" or he may say "We have an agreement with USCG/BLM to report any trespassers on that land, sorry!" but either way, you'll get a feel for their concern about the place, and perhaps some hard intel that will help you.
I don't like taking risk for risk's sake (I'm an old dog now...), but I take manageable risk in-order to document a site that sooner or later, may otherwise be lost to history. USCG Historians will cover the official site decommissioning ceremony, but they don't make any effort to document the sites, before or after closure, so unless the site gets a HAER, it's up to people like us to explore, document, and share the info.
This web site can help you get in-touch with alumni of that LORSTA:
http://www.loran-history.info/ they can tell you about anything of particular significance/interest to look for on the property, and then if you go get "aboard" the old site, they'll help you with photo captions, etc.
/-/ooligan