What are the Nav or Comms aerials in this picture?
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What are the Nav or Comms aerials in this picture?
Working through my 1960s photos at Changi I began to notice the pair of aerials in the background of many of the wide shots. Over the years it has dawned on me that every RAF and RN airfield has these located nearby.
I'm referring to the ones in the distance, top left of this photo.
Would they be comms aerials and why always a pair?
The planes on the pan, apart from the usual 48 sqn Hastings, are 8 Indian Air Force Vampire T55's on a ferry flight from Indonesia, a Royal Ceylon Air Force Heron and an Aussie Canberra and C-130. A typical day I guess in March 1963!
David Taylor.
I'm referring to the ones in the distance, top left of this photo.
Would they be comms aerials and why always a pair?
The planes on the pan, apart from the usual 48 sqn Hastings, are 8 Indian Air Force Vampire T55's on a ferry flight from Indonesia, a Royal Ceylon Air Force Heron and an Aussie Canberra and C-130. A typical day I guess in March 1963!
David Taylor.
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chiglet has my vote.
Interesting to see a Hercules, Heron and Hastings sharing the same pan. These days, in Hercules, Herons and Hastings, harmony hardly ever happens!
Interesting to see a Hercules, Heron and Hastings sharing the same pan. These days, in Hercules, Herons and Hastings, harmony hardly ever happens!
Don`t knock the Herc, it`s the t/prop equivalent of the Dak/C-47,and it will probably outlast it`s Douglas cousin in 30-40 yrs time,but I wouldn`t give you good odds; it can go anywhere,do anything,as long as you can get it started,one way or another,and there are many ways,(can`t speak about`j` models),but for an `elderly aeroplane`,it can sure do the ` biz`... got 17000
engine hrs in Herks and only 1 shutdown, a bit of a `non-event` anyway....Syc
engine hrs in Herks and only 1 shutdown, a bit of a `non-event` anyway....Syc
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The Canberra looks to be A84-240. If so, this aircraft took part in the RAAF's first jet bombing mission against CT targets in the jungles of Malaya on 3 Sep 58. I believe it is currently on display at the RNZAF Museum.
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Here's another wide view of the Western dispersal at Changi in 1962. Those two aerials are visible in the distance again. I've seen them at other RAF airfields and there are a pair visible near Yeovilton that can been seen from the A303. Also I think another one, down the road near Boscombe Down.
The Comet 4C in this pic is XR395 and the Valettas are from 52 Sqn Butterworth (although wearing no markings) and FEAC far side of the pan.
48 sqn Hastings as usual.
David Taylor.
The Comet 4C in this pic is XR395 and the Valettas are from 52 Sqn Butterworth (although wearing no markings) and FEAC far side of the pan.
48 sqn Hastings as usual.
David Taylor.
Chiglet is 50% correct from my memory of my time as a baby Comms techie. The remote aerials are on the Tx site which was always off-station while the Rx site is on-station, usually on/about ATC. The idea (if my faded memory serves me right) is that, often with several frequencies in use at any time, a Tx on one frequency could break through on the Rx of another (all to do with frequency harmonics and all that!) if the Tx and Rx aerials were co-located. Thus the Tx aerials were placed well away from the Rx aerials – by several miles. One reason for the Rx aerials being on site was to do with DF - no point in providing a Homing service to a field a couple of miles away from the runway! It also reduced Radhaz on base with the Tx aerials being off-site. Anyway, please blame Postfade for unleashing the Geek in me. I do apologise and will crawl back into my cave! If it helps, even I think I'm sad!!!! 
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A very evocative picture and I've taken the liberty of forwarding them to an old colleague in Brunei who served on 48 Squadron with Hastings at about that time. They'll bring tears to his old sweat's eyes, they will. 
In my time the western dispersal was occupied by 52 Squadron with Andover C1s, FEAF Comms Flight with Andover CC2s and VASF who would have the daily VC10 service, and visiting Britannias, C130s and just about anything else, up to and including USAF B52s lined up on the far side. (Those aerials were there then as well.)
In my time the western dispersal was occupied by 52 Squadron with Andover C1s, FEAF Comms Flight with Andover CC2s and VASF who would have the daily VC10 service, and visiting Britannias, C130s and just about anything else, up to and including USAF B52s lined up on the far side. (Those aerials were there then as well.)
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A couple more for your friend (I lots of Hastings pics!)
The 48 sqn line-up at Changi in late 1961. There's one of the FEAC VIP Hastings in there as well, second away from camera.
Pity the poor despatchers, here squeezing an Army LandRover into TG569.
Better with a Beverley of course, but they were at Seletar. Then along came the Argosy's at Changi, which must have made this a whole lot easier!
David Taylor.
The 48 sqn line-up at Changi in late 1961. There's one of the FEAC VIP Hastings in there as well, second away from camera.
Pity the poor despatchers, here squeezing an Army LandRover into TG569.
Better with a Beverley of course, but they were at Seletar. Then along came the Argosy's at Changi, which must have made this a whole lot easier!
David Taylor.
Hot 'n' High
Are you saying that the DF was dependent on the position of the RX aerials? Not a discrete DF aerial?
2 s
Thus the Tx aerials were placed well away from the Rx aerials – by several miles. One reason for the Rx aerials being on site was to do with DF
2 s
They are either the Rx or Tx towers on which would be mounted the ground to air VHF/UHF aerials. The majority of the towers were 90ft high but I came across a small number of 120ft ones and a lesser number of 60ft ones. The stations standby V & U aerials were generaly mounted on the ATCs Coronet.
Are you saying that the DF was dependent on the position of the RX aerials? Not a discrete DF aerial?
At Biggin Hill in the 1950's the RX aerials were on the airfield with the TX aerials located at Titsey on the North Downs ridge a couple of miles to the SW of the airfield. The TX aerial mast was still in the Titsey area when I last passed through the area, but whether it's still used for civilian airfield use I don't know. A bit further along the ridge in the Woldingham/Warlingham area was an aerial complex which in the mid-1950's catered for RAF (Metropolitan Sector Operations Centre) communications and was co-located with Ministry of Civil Aviation TX facilities.
The DF station at Biggin in 1955 was a relatively new CR/DF (Cathode Ray Direction Finder) installation which was installed in a small white hut alongside the main runway as shown below. Almost next to it was the Biggin GCA (Ground Controlled Approach - a Gilffilin MPN4-A). This was a self-contained unit that had its own independent transmitters and receivers with aerials on the roof of the truck/trailer.
Cathode Ray DF installation. A remote repeater head was situated in the control tower. The bearing of the aircraft transmission was done automatically with the bearing seen as a trace on the screen. The circumference of the screen was marked 0 to 359, the trace pointing to the bearing of the aircraft.
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Warmtoast:
Thanks for that info. I can now identify the DF building in this pic of a Shackleton taxying in.
Is it GCA radar on the right of the picture below then, a fixed installation?
Oh ...the Canberra crew do look a little 'lost' in that photo don't they. They'd had a tyre burst and were awaiting recovery.
David T
Thanks for that info. I can now identify the DF building in this pic of a Shackleton taxying in.
Is it GCA radar on the right of the picture below then, a fixed installation?
Oh ...the Canberra crew do look a little 'lost' in that photo don't they. They'd had a tyre burst and were awaiting recovery.
David T
Is it GCA radar on the right of the picture below then, a fixed installation?
'Crude' talkdowns could be made with these radars but Prescision Approach radars such as the Decca type 424 came a little later.