Originally Posted by
vintage ATCO
There was, god bless its valves. I held the first UK validation on an AR15 in 1974. The antenna was on a small tower but we were already over 500ft up so the antenna was angled half a degree down. Fantastic low level coverage. Great radar. We were the second airfield in the country, after Heathrow, to get SSR.
I'm no radar tech. If I'm reading this correctly, the antenna would usually be installed completely level. I'm surprised a half-degree tilt can make such a difference. Are there any downsides, such as uneven wear on the turning gear or degraded coverage elsewhere ?