Plessey Watchman primary radar
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: On the wireless...
Posts: 1,901
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
aceatco, retired
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: one airshow or another
Posts: 1,431
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
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.
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.
The AR1 soldiered on until it was replaced by a Watchman in 1991 (when they had adjusted the tilt of the aerial sufficiently) on the same tower, but when TAG took over the airfield, this radar tower was on Qinetiq property so the radar was replaced by a (in my opinion) somewhat inferior Raytheon ASR10 wef 23 Nov 2002 when we made the move to the new control tower.
The RAF recovered their Watchman for use as a spare but all the radar consoles were left in situ in the old control tower (the RAF having switched to raster scan consoles and thus having no use for them) and they were demolished with the old control tower in early 2003; what a waste; surely they could have been sold elsewhere even if only for spare parts use.
Thread Starter
Wasteful indeed, chevron. Like when NATS started replacing the Astrolite headsets with the Jetlite about twenty years ago. No technical advantage as both headsets used identical components. I wonder how many perfectly serviceable and almost new (and expensive) Astrolites ended up in a skip ??
I hope there is space in a museum, or outside one, for a Watchman and S511 head, when the last one finally stops turning.
I hope there is space in a museum, or outside one, for a Watchman and S511 head, when the last one finally stops turning.
Thread Starter
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.
We had to have a special mounting plate installed for the Watchman at Farnborough; actually 2 were made because the first one had the tilt wrong!
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Starring at an Airfield Near you
Posts: 371
Received 15 Likes
on
7 Posts
Mooncrest: As an ex-radar calibrator I can confirm that surveillance radars are installed and commissioned with various Ae tilt angles to optimise their performance for specific sites and/or roles depending on the unit's Operational Requirement. Agreed, most Watchmans were commissioned with 0 degree tilt but many were +/- 1/2 degree up to 2 degrees either way.
Thread Starter
Leeds Bradford is higher still, at about 680 feet. If and when the LBA Watchman is replaced, I wonder if this will have to be accounted for. Perhaps the new Raytheon and Thales machines can overcome aerodrome elevation issues in other ways.
I understand what you''re saying but I'm talking about height above airfield level, not amsl.
Thread Starter
The Watchman must be a good machine to have such longevity. The one at LBA is approaching its 30th anniversary and has had the necessary modifications to guard against 4G interference. I wonder if there would be more of them still operational if this mod hadn't been necessary ?
'Plymouth Mil' radar still operates I believe using radar heads at Plymouth and Portland to provide LARS and DACS; don't know whether they're still Watchman or its successor though.
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Sometimes north, sometimes south
Posts: 1,809
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes
on
1 Post
Still Watchman, and will be for the foreseeable since they're not being replaced by Thales STAR PSRs under Project Marshall.
I'm out of place posting here but fascinated to read your memories nonetheless.
Very sad to read the names of once great British companies - Marconi, Plessey, Cossor, Decca - that no longer exist.
Very sad to read the names of once great British companies - Marconi, Plessey, Cossor, Decca - that no longer exist.
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: New Milton
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was leading the Watchman engineering team at Cowes when we went through the the processes of selling it to NATS. We offered our standard tower, that was in service around the world, exceeded all the requirements and looked the part. NATS rejected it and insisted on the 'scaffolding look alike' version. We hated it but the customer is always right etc etc.