What radars
In my recollection, Dunsfold never had a 430. They had a Cossor 787 10cm radar up to about early '90s( superb clear picture compared with the AR1; really sharp small blips but no MTI) , initially in the middle of the airfield then on top of the tower VCR when the new one was built. When the RAF re-equipped with Watchman, the Brize AR15 was purchased, but there was some controversy about that as apparently (so I was informed at the time) there were parts missing when it arrived at Dunsfold which had definitely been in the packing cases when it had left Brize.
Farnborough had an AR1 plus an S232 with an SLA1 PAR. The prototype AR15 called an AR1b was trialled for about 6 months in early 1975, but proved unsuitable for the Farnborough radar tower; it was so high above ground that ground reflections bounced up and tended to cancel high cover! New consoles in about '81 brought SSR feeds from either Heathrow or Pease Pottage(had to be switched by tels rather than on the console).The PAR was replaced by the CR62 when the AR1/S232 were replaced by a single Watchman mounted on the aforementioned tower backed up by the same two SSR sources which were switchable from the console. This was replaced in late '02 by the present Raytheon ASR10 primary radar.
Farnborough had an AR1 plus an S232 with an SLA1 PAR. The prototype AR15 called an AR1b was trialled for about 6 months in early 1975, but proved unsuitable for the Farnborough radar tower; it was so high above ground that ground reflections bounced up and tended to cancel high cover! New consoles in about '81 brought SSR feeds from either Heathrow or Pease Pottage(had to be switched by tels rather than on the console).The PAR was replaced by the CR62 when the AR1/S232 were replaced by a single Watchman mounted on the aforementioned tower backed up by the same two SSR sources which were switchable from the console. This was replaced in late '02 by the present Raytheon ASR10 primary radar.
). It came originally from RAF Sopley (where my Dad worked on it!).
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Northern Radar, Lindholme.
The radar equipment consisted of a locally sighted Type 82 ten centimetre primary radar with active-decoding secondary radar. Coverage was supplemented by a Type 84 radar remoted in from Staxton Wold in North Yorkshire originally by a broad-band (hilltop to hilltop) link and later by narrow band (land-line) link.
Clint.
The radar equipment consisted of a locally sighted Type 82 ten centimetre primary radar with active-decoding secondary radar. Coverage was supplemented by a Type 84 radar remoted in from Staxton Wold in North Yorkshire originally by a broad-band (hilltop to hilltop) link and later by narrow band (land-line) link.
Clint.
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The Marconi 264 A/H was at Aberdeen.With great low level coverage to the east,it was used en-route for the helis,and approach for the airport.Also SRAs were fun with the large blip.
HD: don't recall a mega powerful radar at Farnborough but there was one at Wisley; Cossor ASR1 or ASR3 (don't remember which) . If it was for TSR2, then it's logical as I believe it was planned to operate TSR2 test flights from Wisley. It was 23 cm and BEA apparently used to work Wisley for air tests as the coverage was far better than Farnborough or Bsoscombe.
Boscombe did have a similar radar in '72, so maybe this was the one which was at Wisley which I believe closed about this time. One of my colleagues on my cadet course (he did ADC endorsement at Boscombe) told me he'd gone to the CI in a Cherokee; on the way back he was able to be tracked on the radar from Boscombe from just north of 50N (ORTAC to you youngsters) at 2000ft, so it had phenomenal low cover!
Second thoughts, was it Decca; I seem to recall 'DASR-1' as a radar type, and Jack Wheeler(last SATCO Wisley) got a job with Decca/Plessey at Addlestone/Cowes when Wisley closed.
Boscombe did have a similar radar in '72, so maybe this was the one which was at Wisley which I believe closed about this time. One of my colleagues on my cadet course (he did ADC endorsement at Boscombe) told me he'd gone to the CI in a Cherokee; on the way back he was able to be tracked on the radar from Boscombe from just north of 50N (ORTAC to you youngsters) at 2000ft, so it had phenomenal low cover!
Second thoughts, was it Decca; I seem to recall 'DASR-1' as a radar type, and Jack Wheeler(last SATCO Wisley) got a job with Decca/Plessey at Addlestone/Cowes when Wisley closed.
. Been away for too long!
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Don't know about Boscombe but Llanbedr had a DASR1 when I was a cadet there. Not a huge range as I recall but it had 2 aerials back to back, one high and one low beam. It bust a gearbox whilst I was there and we "borrowed" a gun laying radar from Manorbier, an AA4 Mk7. Sadly my cadet unit endorsement only covered the DASR1, I would have liked documentary evidence that I controlled traffic on an artillery radar.
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Who remembers the Gilfillan MPN11/CPN4? You sat in a darkened truck in the middle of the airfield surrounded by whining magnetrons and oscillators, chinagraph in one hand, screwdriver in the other for adjusting cursors, MTI gain etc. Magic atmosphere.
And Bomber Command's CPN 18 in the '60's. Had a 40 mile normal range, but you could select '40D' (40 miles plus delay) which gave you a picture from 13 to 53 miles. The first 13 miles was sucked down the hole in the middle, so to speak, which left some weird distortions inside about 30 miles.
The Type 80, with pinhead-sized blips you could hardly see. You could go for a roundabout ride in the signal processing cabin, which was suspended directly underneath the radar head and rotated with it at 4 rpm.
Someone has already mentioned the ex-Bloodhound missile control radars converted for ATC use at Northern, Eastern and Midland Radars. Lovely piece of kit, with its built-in height finder and target tracking system, but very labour-intensive, needing a tracker and height finder for each console. Pity Midland Radar had such a large overhead they couldn't see anything.
Hatfield used to have a Marconi 232 and a 430. When the 232 died they arranged a microwave feed from West Drayton. One of the engineers (who was permanently out of his brains) devised a system for superimposing the 430 onto the WD picture, so we had a digital 430!
And Bomber Command's CPN 18 in the '60's. Had a 40 mile normal range, but you could select '40D' (40 miles plus delay) which gave you a picture from 13 to 53 miles. The first 13 miles was sucked down the hole in the middle, so to speak, which left some weird distortions inside about 30 miles.
The Type 80, with pinhead-sized blips you could hardly see. You could go for a roundabout ride in the signal processing cabin, which was suspended directly underneath the radar head and rotated with it at 4 rpm.
Someone has already mentioned the ex-Bloodhound missile control radars converted for ATC use at Northern, Eastern and Midland Radars. Lovely piece of kit, with its built-in height finder and target tracking system, but very labour-intensive, needing a tracker and height finder for each console. Pity Midland Radar had such a large overhead they couldn't see anything.
Hatfield used to have a Marconi 232 and a 430. When the 232 died they arranged a microwave feed from West Drayton. One of the engineers (who was permanently out of his brains) devised a system for superimposing the 430 onto the WD picture, so we had a digital 430!
I was at Lindholme for unit endorsement in '73. The T 82 was a superb radar with passive decoding on the SSR ie you had to designate which aircraft by placing a 'strobe' on it with a little joystick, and the code came up on a small panel next to the screen. It had no MTI hence the picture at short range was 'gated' out leading to the 'Midland Radar Overhead' jokes.
When I was there, initially the Patrington T80 was remoted in, being supplanted in mid '73 by the T84 and/or T85 from Staxton Wold. These were mainly used to pick up traffic which had just crossed from Danish airspace (UR37 airway?), whilst traffic from Dutch airspace could clearly be seen on the T82 crossing the dutch coast.
When I did ATC Camp at Manston in '88, there were some Air Defence guys there just re-opening the Ash radar station which had previously just been used as a remote radar for LATCC. Presumably this closed again with the thawing of the cold war, but what happened to it? Is the radar still spinning? It would be ideal for Farnborough LARS East sector.
When I was there, initially the Patrington T80 was remoted in, being supplanted in mid '73 by the T84 and/or T85 from Staxton Wold. These were mainly used to pick up traffic which had just crossed from Danish airspace (UR37 airway?), whilst traffic from Dutch airspace could clearly be seen on the T82 crossing the dutch coast.
When I did ATC Camp at Manston in '88, there were some Air Defence guys there just re-opening the Ash radar station which had previously just been used as a remote radar for LATCC. Presumably this closed again with the thawing of the cold war, but what happened to it? Is the radar still spinning? It would be ideal for Farnborough LARS East sector.
This link explains the many and varied uses of the Ash radar site over the years -
RSG: Sites: RAF Ash ('YTM') ROTOR 'R3' GCI, Kent
NN
RSG: Sites: RAF Ash ('YTM') ROTOR 'R3' GCI, Kent
NN
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HD - I think the radar you have in mind is the Cossor 901. It was in use at Boscombe Down when I was there in 1972 doing my approach radar cadet training, although it was u/s a lot of the time as I recall.
It was positioned on top of a tall concrete tower and in this clip, which seems to be part actual film and part computer game, it realistically appears 30 seconds in.
YouTube - BAC TSR2 RAF/MoD BOSCOMBE DOWN UK TEST FLIGHT XR219
It was positioned on top of a tall concrete tower and in this clip, which seems to be part actual film and part computer game, it realistically appears 30 seconds in.
YouTube - BAC TSR2 RAF/MoD BOSCOMBE DOWN UK TEST FLIGHT XR219
Last edited by vapourer; 3rd Oct 2009 at 15:57.
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Vapourer... yes, Cossor 901; that's it. I'm sure it was at Farnborough for a while, atop a concrete tower somewhere in the NW part of the airfield as it could be seen from the road from Fleet past the old gas turbine place. It sure was poky as they could see traffic landing at the Paris Airports! If my brain is playing up, I apologise.
Only time I visited Boscombe was in 1971 when the Dove I was aboard as a "safety" pilot during SRA training had to div to Boscombe due to fog at Hurn. Maybe that's when I saw the Cossor????
Only time I visited Boscombe was in 1971 when the Dove I was aboard as a "safety" pilot during SRA training had to div to Boscombe due to fog at Hurn. Maybe that's when I saw the Cossor????
Love radar scanners. Great things. Plessey ACR 430 at EGNM from about 1970 until 1996 or so, concurrent with a Watchman from 1989 until the present day. From one orange PPI indicator at the back of the VCR in the old days to big bright colour displays now, downstairs from the VCR. Plus a remote SSR feed.
It seems a lot of airfields have had more than one radar scanner going at once. EGCC had a Marconi 264 at the 24 end with a Cossor ACR6 at the 06 end, if I remember correctly. Now just the stripey Watchman on it's enormous tower.
Did Church Fenton have the ACR 430 as well ? Seem to remember it did.
It seems a lot of airfields have had more than one radar scanner going at once. EGCC had a Marconi 264 at the 24 end with a Cossor ACR6 at the 06 end, if I remember correctly. Now just the stripey Watchman on it's enormous tower.
Did Church Fenton have the ACR 430 as well ? Seem to remember it did.
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Ulster Rad certainly had a Type 80 in 1970, with height-finders located close by on the airfield - all now long gone. For those interested, the Gailes Type 14, latterly removed to the Museum of Flight at East Fortune, has been scrapped; but at least they have kept the valve cabinets.
Happy Days !
Happy Days !
I would be very interested to know what primary and secondary radars are currently in use at the UK's airports and how long they've been in use. EGNM has a Watchman primary with SSR wired in from Claxby. Been going for nearly twenty years now.
All replies, plus pics if possible, gratefully read.
MC
All replies, plus pics if possible, gratefully read.
MC