If all other communications systems failed, there was still radio. Military radio is usually point-to-point, not necessarily broadcast, unless it was connected to a transmitter. A buried cable connected the Bunker to a transmitter in Perth, Ontario, some 60 kilometers away. Operators here could use both the Low Frequency and Very High Frequency radio equipment to connect with the rest of the world—whatever was left of it.

As Canadian Forces Station Carp, military signallers stationed here used radio to connect to other bases in Canada, and across the world. Brian Jeffrey, a former Civilian Electronics Technician contracted to the Canadian military, shares the importance of radio communication from his radar station across Canada during the Cold War:

“Each of the 58 DEW Line stations that stretched across the Arctic were all connected to one another by radio. Without these point-to-point radio systems, the DEW Line would have been […] totally unable to fulfill its job of providing the warning required to alert people of an enemy attack from over the North Pole. That’s how critical radio communications was.”

Once you’re ready, return to the welcome desk and descend the “A” level stairwell next to the freight elevator. If you need to use the elevator, please ask a staff member to assist you. Go down one floor to the 300 Level, where the Emergency Government of Canada would have conducted their nuclear war. It’s also where you’ll find the most top-secret room in the building...