Telecommunications relay station. Microwave antennas (round) on masts at a telecommunications relay station. This station receives and transmits phone, telex and data communications via microwave radiation. Relay stations are needed as microwaves travel in straight lines and need a clear line of sight between stations. This relay station is at an elevation of 4,500 metres in the inter-Andean divide between Ecuador's capital city Quito and the Amazon rainforest.