The Alarmstange , at 545.2 m above sea level (NHN) , is the highest point in the Montabaur Heights , a hill ride on the southwestern edge of the Westerwald . It lies near Horressen in the county of Westerwaldkreis in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate . Together with the Köppel and the Lippersberg, the Alarmstange forms the centre of the ridge, on which is the largest contiguous woodland area in the Westerwald.
26-538: The Alarmstange owes its name to the fact that in 1809 French soldiers built an optical signal station there. In 1853, a post was erected that acted as a trigonometric point for the surveying of the Rhineland which was begun by Jean-Joseph Tranchot and continued by Friedrich Carl Ferdinand von Müffling . From 1894 it was used for the Prussian state survey. The post was moved in 1969 by around five metres and, in its place,
52-418: A trigonometrical point , and sometimes informally as a trig , is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The station is usually set up by a government with known coordinates and elevation published. Numerous stations are installed on summits for purposes of visibility and prominance. A graven metal plate on the top of a pillar may provide
78-477: A "spider": it is used to mount and centre a theodolite used to take angular measurements to neighbouring trig points. A benchmark is usually set on the side, marked with the letters "O S B M" (Ordnance Survey Bench Mark) and the reference number of the trig point on a plaque called a "flush plate". Within and below the visible trig point, there are concealed reference marks whose National Grid References are precisely known. The standard trig point design
104-556: A 4,000 m peak is that it has a prominence of 30 metres (98 ft) or more; it is a mountain summit if it has a prominence of at least 300 metres (980 ft). Otherwise, it is a subpeak. In many parts of the Western United States , the term summit can also be used for the highest point along a road, highway, or railroad, more commonly referred to as a pass . For example, the highest point along Interstate 80 in California
130-579: A black band. In Japan, there are five classes of triangulation stations ( 三角点 , sankakuten , lit. 'three corner points') : As of August 2023 there are 5,765 trig stations in New Zealand . They are placed on top of hills and are usually black and white. South Africa has a network of approximately 28,000 trig beacons, established by the Chief Directorate: National Geo-spatial Information (historically known as
156-432: A few metres above sea level and one is even at −1 m (near Little Ouse, Cambridgeshire , TL61718 89787). When all the trig points were in place, it was possible in clear weather to see at least two other trig points from any one trig point, but subsequent vegetation growth means that this is not necessarily still the case. Careful measurements of the angles between the lines-of-sight of the other trig points then allowed
182-469: A granite post was erected. The Alarmstange stands within the Nassau Nature Park . The boundary of the borough of Montabaur , whose town lies 7 km ENE of the summit, with the municipality of Hillscheid , whose village is 3.5 km SW, runs from northwest via west to southwest around the summit region which belongs to the borough of Montabaur. To the east-northeast the countryside transitions to
208-450: A line, trail, or route. The highest summit in the world is Mount Everest with a height of 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) above sea level . The first official ascent was made by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary . They reached the mountain's peak in 1953. Whether a highest point is classified as a summit, a sub peak or a separate mountain is subjective. The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation 's definition of
234-625: A metallic label with the warning: "The destruction of this sign is punishable by law." In the United Kingdom, trig points are typically concrete pillars and were erected by the Ordnance Survey . The process of placing trig points on top of prominent hills and mountains began in 1935 to assist in the accurate retriangulation of Great Britain . The Ordnance Survey 's first trig point was erected on 18 April 1936 near Cold Ashby , Northamptonshire. In low-lying or flat areas some trig points are only
260-417: A mountain is not considered a summit. Summits near a higher peak, with some prominence or isolation , but not reaching a certain cutoff value for the quantities, are often considered subsummits (or subpeaks ) of the higher peak, and are considered part of the same mountain. A pyramidal peak is an exaggerated form produced by ice erosion of a mountain top. Summit may also refer to the highest point along
286-523: A mounting point for a theodolite or reflector, often using some form of kinematic coupling to ensure reproducible positioning. Trigonometrical stations form networks of triangulation . Positions of all land boundaries, roads, railways, bridges and other infrastructure can be accurately located by the network, a task essential to the construction of modern infrastructure. Apart from the known stations set up by government, some temporary trigonometrical stations are set up near construction sites for monitoring
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#1733085330083312-413: A point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme , apex , peak ( mountain peak ), and zenith are synonymous . The term top ( mountain top ) is generally used only for a mountain peak that is located at some distance from the nearest point of higher elevation. For example, a big, massive rock next to the main summit of
338-639: Is credited to Brigadier Martin Hotine (1898–1968), head of the Trigonometrical and Levelling Division of the Ordnance Survey. Many of them are now disappearing from the countryside as their function has largely been superseded by aerial photography and digital mapping using lasers and GPS . To quote from a page at the OS site: "Like an iceberg, there is more of trig pillar below the surface than above it." From
364-773: Is the air quality survey station of Neuhäusel , which is part of the ZIMEN network of the State Office for the Environment, Water and Trade. About 20 metres west of the summit is another telecommunication tower. The Landesstraße 309 and German Limes Road run over the southern slopes of the Montabaur Heights and the Alarmstange between Hillscheid and the Bundesstraße ;49 , roughly from west to east. it runs near
390-835: The Köppel , which is around 1.5 km away. Two streams rise on the hill's north flank, the Vorderste Bach and the Hinterste Bach, both headstreams of the Brexbach . On the southern slopes is the source of the Biebrichsbach, a headstream of the Stadtbach. To the south the Wolfsborn is the sources of the little Wolfsgraben, which discharges into the Kalterbach, as does the little Alsbach, which rises to
416-763: The Lower Westerwald (324) and in the subunit of the Montabaur Heights (324.1). The Alarmstange is 545.2 m. Roughly 150 metres southwest of the summit on topographical maps is a spot height of 542.5 m. Atlases and larger maps give its height as 545 m or 546 m. About 130 metres southwest of the summit of the Alarmstange stands the99-metre-high Hillscheid-Alarmstange Tower built in 1971 ( 50°25′27.8″N 7°43′55.5″E / 50.424389°N 7.732083°E / 50.424389; 7.732083 ( Fernmeldeturm Hillscheid-Alarmstange ) ) belonging to Deutsche Funkturm with its amateur radio relay repeater. 150 metres west of this tower
442-606: The Trigonometrical Survey). These beacons are typically white-painted concrete pillars supporting black metal plates in a cross shape, installed on mountains, hills or tall buildings. In Spain there are 11,000 triangulation stations, concrete structures which typically consist of a cylinder 120 cm high and 30 cm in diameter over a concrete cubic base. They were erected by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional , usually painted in white, and can be marked with
468-686: The United Kingdom, trig pillars in Ireland, trig stations or trig points in Australia and New Zealand, and trig beacons in South Africa. In the 1820s, much of New South Wales was unsurveyed territory to the European arrivals. To aid the mapping of the country, the science of trigonometic surveying was introduced by Major Thomas Mitchell who had been brought out to the colony as Assistant Surveyor General of New South Wales. The freestanding peak of Mount Jellore
494-631: The Wolfsgraben at about 420 m and meets the B 49 at 424.3 m. The E1 European long distance path runs over the Montabaur Heights and the Köppel east of the Alarmstange. On the western hillside of the Alarmstange, next to a forest track and hiking trail fork (499.2 m) is the refuge hut of Thielshütte built in 1967. Trigonometric point A triangulation station , also known as
520-446: The construction of a system of triangles which could then be referenced back to a single baseline to construct a highly accurate measurement system that covered the entire country. In most of the UK, trig points are truncated square concrete (occasionally stone) pyramids or obelisks tapering towards the top. On the top a brass plate with three arms and a central depression is fixed, known as
546-580: The database that makes up the NSRS. Information about marks is available to the public online. The number of points in the NSRS is over 1,500,000. The image is the spire of the Fair Haven, Vermont First Baptist Church, a horizontal survey mark (triangulation station), and is described in the NGS National Spatial Reference System under the permanent ID OD1373 . Summit A summit is
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#1733085330083572-399: The early 1970s in Australia has left a legacy of trig stations, many consisting of a ground mark with a black quadripod (pyramid frame) supporting a visible disc above the ground mark. Many trigonometrical stations were placed on hilltops around Hong Kong. They strongly resemble those used in other former British colonial territories such as Australia, consisting of a white column topped with
598-725: The precision and progress of construction. Some trigonometrical stations use the Global Positioning System for convenience. Its accuracy factors in ionospheric and tropospheric propagation delay errors. Although stations are no longer required for many modern surveying purposes, they remain useful to hikers and even aviators as navigational aids. Particular small triangles on maps mark summits, for example. The nomenclature for triangulation stations varies regionally: they are generally known as trigonometrical stations or triangulation stations in North America, trig points in
624-729: The same source: "Today the receivers that make up the OS Net network are coordinated to an accuracy of just 3 mm over the entire length of Great Britain." The United States National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and predecessor agencies manages the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), which includes permanent survey marks for horizontal position (latitude and longitude), height, or gravity. Some marks have information for both horizontal position and height. Some marks were established by NGS. Others were established by other organizations, such as state highway departments, but are included in
650-574: The southwest. On the western hillside is the source of the Feisternachtbach (Kühlbach) . On the summit region and southern flank of the Alarmstange are parts of a Special Area of Conservation , the Montabauer Heights ( Montabaurer Höhe , FFH no. 5512-301; 28.11 km ). The Alarmstange lies within the natural region major unit group of the Westerwald (no. 32), in the major of
676-411: Was selected as the first trigonometric summit for his triangulation survey of the countryside. In 1828 Mitchell headed south from Sydney with a small party and camped at the base of the basalt, making daily excursions to the top. While his convict crew cleared the summit of trees, Mitchell plotted and measured distant peaks and sketched the skyline. A national geodetic survey and adjustment carried out in
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