Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
24 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
24 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
24 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
24 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Liberia Paynesville Paynesville Omega Tower
Paynesville Omega Tower is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Paynesville Omega Tower

The dead gigantic radio tower of Liberia.

Paynesville, Liberia

Added By
Alpha
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://alieninliberia.files.wordpress.com/...
  http://alieninliberia.files.wordpress.com/...
  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

For the implementation of the VLF or Very Low Frequency-Navigation System "OMEGA" in 1976, the US Coast Guard erected a 417 meter tall radio tower, which is taller than any man-made object existing today in the European Union!

Built near Paynesville in Liberia, it served together with seven other stations as part of a worldwide navigation system, and which could be used to communicate with submerged submarines. While VLF has a very low data transmission rate, one of the advantages of VLF is that, unlike higher frequencies, of say VHF or UHF, it can deeply penetrate seawater to reach submarines. (Frequencies such as VLF and ELF, extremely low frequency, have been cited as the casue behind disoriented and injured whales who communicate using the same wavelengths) However by the 1990s, the global satellite system and GPS made OMEGA obsolete and so OMEGA was shut-off on September 30th, 1997 and the station was given back to the government of Liberia.

Unfortunately during this period the government of Liberia was involved in a bloody civil war and had no use for the transmitter and the huge mast, which though it survived the civil war until today, continues to go unused. As there is no access restriction to the mast, it is theoretically possible it could be used for skydiving, powerful transmission experiments and Tesla experiments.

For those Tesla experiments however, one ought not forget, that Liberia is a country with a very unreliable electric power supply, so one should come with their own, very large, power generator.

Update: The Paynesville tower was demolished in 2011.

Related Tags

Electrical Oddities Towers

Community Contributors

Added By

Alpha

Edited By

racheldoyle, Molly McBride Jacobson, mbison

  • racheldoyle
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • mbison

Published

January 22, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OMEGA_Navigation_System#Paynesville_Omega_Transmitter
Paynesville Omega Tower
Paynesville
Liberia
6.305562, -10.662225

Nearby Places

Liberian National Museum

Monrovia, Liberia

miles away

Abandoned Ducor Hotel

Monrovia, Liberia

miles away

Libassa Ecolodge

Marshall, Liberia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Liberia

Liberia

Africa

Places 7
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Liberian National Museum

Monrovia, Liberia

miles away

Abandoned Ducor Hotel

Monrovia, Liberia

miles away

Libassa Ecolodge

Marshall, Liberia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Liberia

Liberia

Africa

Places 7
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Udachny, Russia

    Shukhov Tower on the Oka River

    An unused hyberbolic electricity pylon kept as architectural monument.

  • Westerholt E-66 Observation Wind Turbine. (Wolfgang Janssen)

    Schweindorf, Germany

    Westerholt E-66 Observation Wind Turbine

    Giant wind turbine with observation deck at the very top.

  • A Moonlight Tower at night

    Austin, Texas

    Austin Moonlight Towers

    Turning night into day in Victorian-era Austin to thwart a serial killer.

  • Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda, Princess of Éboli, was imprisoned for six months in the tower.

    Pinto, Spain

    Torreón de Pinto (Tower of Pinto)

    A mid-14th-century tower that served as a prison for Spanish nobles.

  • Gampola, Sri Lanka

    Ambuluwawa Tower

    An asymmetrically spiraling tower perched on top of a protected mountain.

  • New Delhi, India

    Alai Minar

    On the grounds of the famous Qutab Minar lies another unfinished tower meant to be twice as tall.

  • The last surviving semaphore tower.

    Cobham, England

    Chatley Heath Semaphore Tower

    This five-story sentinel is the sole surviving semaphore tower in Britain.

  • Though the dam crest is long gone, the tower still stands.

    Nyborg, Denmark

    Den Hvide Jomfru (The White Maiden)

    Legend speaks of a banished noblewoman allegedly walled inside this little tower.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.