Gatwick radar antenna gone
Join Date: May 2012
Location: West Sussex
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SREM5 23cm radar aerial
I worked at TEE from '79 to '87 when this aerial was installed as part of the Radar Replacement Programme; all on-route primary kit had to be out of the 50cm waveband by 1990. This system was preferred over the Marconi, I think. The actual aerials were constructed by ZMF, Zeppelin Metal Fabrik, at their factory at Friedrichshafen on the Bodensee (Lake Constance). Yes, the guys who built the Hindenburg! HSA stands for Hollandse Signall Aparatt, based at Flyssingen, Holland, who provided the electrics. There were aerials at Pease Pottage (Sussex), LHR, Debden (Essex), Isle of Tiree (Scotland), and I'm sure there was another one further north, or maybe Mount Gabriel or Bishop's Court (NI). Quite interesting times!
Join Date: May 2012
Location: West Sussex
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I'm sure Clee Hill wasn't. A photo shows two heads, one of which is housed in a small radome. Another photo shows the radome removed, as well as the aerial. Claxby is a head enclosed by a radome on a tower. The photo I saw makes me think an SREM5 aerial would be too big, but its difficult to judge scale with no references (like a person standing next to it!); so I'm going on door size to judge.
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Southern England
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The HSA sites were Pease, Heathrow, Debden, Claxby, Great Dun Fell, Tiree and TEE (Gatwick).
Claxby still has the SREM5 although the radar equipment is now Raytheon not HSA.
Claxby still has the SREM5 although the radar equipment is now Raytheon not HSA.
The reason for moving away from LHR was that BAA wanted the land that H23 stands on back to develop it and there was no alternative on offer.
