I served on 8 Sqn Shacks too and was fortunate to have 5 trips in the Gannet AEW3 (inc. XL500). I was surprised at the superior radar performance enjoyed by RN operators compared to the same kit in the Shack.
The sea return was never a show-stopper. I'd suggest that the Prob of Detection of more modern search radars is lower in that region also.
The APS-20 was designed to operate in a maritime environment but even then, overland performance was not out of the question if handled intelligently. For example, in Viet Nam the EC-121s sometimes operated offshore barriers at v low level looking inland using earth curvature to screen the land.
As goofer3 says, the Gannet had a
system for transmitting the radar picture back to 'Mother' -
<creaking of gears in memory> was it known as
'Bell Hop'? Or am I thinking of something else? (Edited to add it
was Bell Hop)
mr fish - I think the RN would have jumped at the offer of a few Gannets during the Falklands campaign. Of course, as might be expected, modern AEW platforms (E-3, E-2, SK ASaC7, Saab 2000 with Erieye
et al) offer superior levels of performance (quantity & quality). In its day though, the Gannet served the RN well.