Wader2
Thanks for your comments. My response was merely to the comment by a. n. other to my comment :confused: about twin Carousel........i. e. could it "find" the islands, IMHO yes.

As to the bomb run, interesting stuff, I think you know more than I do so I shall defer , but AFAIK the INS wasn't integrated to the NBS......give me time, I'll ask someone who was there on the night:D

The Carousel was not integrated with the NBS.

NBS Radar Tech Op Corporate.

Would the Mods mind if I put a link to this thread in the Tech Forum?

I've had an e-mail from Tatjana's contact man. Seems she'd be pleased to entertain any old V Force people, in Holland.

Dear 'forget',

Tatjana has strived to reconstruct the NBS system in its original form, and as it is now it is quite complete. She is open to visits from ex-NBS people, providing that they contact her first. Tatjana has told me that she would like to speak to people that were directly involved, as she has not done this in the past. She appreciates all comments, both critical and constructive.

Her web -

http://www.tatjavanvark.nl/tvve/dduck0.html

Forget, I emailed some information about the Calc 7 and that she should have a Calc 5 and not a Calc 5a as the rest of her rig is the NBS Mk 1.

No reply.

What address did you use, or more precisely what address did they reply from?

Pontius, Or anyone else with an interest, e-mail Tim Samshuijzen at tim AT rockingstone.com and he'll pass on. Apparently Ms T doesn't use e-mails, or the new fangled web thing!

Valiant navigation systems
 

I worked on Valiants at RAF Honington in Suffolk. The Ground Position Indicator in use at that time was the GPI Mk4. It was supplied with heading infor from the G4B (Sperry Gyro-magnetic Compass), and Green Satin provided groundspeed and drift angle.

Still nothing on the GPI Mk7.

Sigh.

I was explaining a spherical resolver to someone, and the look I got said I could have been explaining witchcraft for all the sense it was making to them. I was going to mention the rotating magnetic drum memory of the SNT but got the impression they wouldn't believe such a thing could exist..

(best Welsh accent)
"... but you tell that to kids of today, and they won't believe you!"

Lots of thread drift here, is there an NBS thread anywhere?
mention Calc 5 and the brain kicked in. I was Radar/NBS on Victors
and then it was the "proud boast" that the only solid state device was a thyristor in one of the power supplies. and we could still beat the B52's/F111's etc in the bombing comps.

Waits with bated breath for BEags to hip in about the solid state of the navigators' heads.

It's been years but I don't suppose anyone can help find info on the old GPI Mk7? I enjoyed all the replies and the lady who put the NBS together was amazing but I still seek the mystical GPI Mk7.

Evilroy: I seem to have missed this topic first time around, but I suspect that what you're after is this, as fitted on the RAF's VC10 C Mk 1 and Belfast aircraft on first entry to service in the mid-1960s. I was not aware of its being used elsewhere, but I stand to be corrected on that.

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/...av/file_23.jpg

As you can see, it had both TwinTrack and Lat/Long displays. On the VC10 it was fed by True Airspeed (TAS), Decca Doppler 62 and a US-made Polar Path gyro-magnetic compass system. (Sorry, the maker's name has slipped after some 40+ years, and I forget the Belfast inputs, though I'm sure it was a Smiths compass system, as part of the overall Flight system.)

I believe that the GPI7 was removed from the VC10 during later system updates, but I can vouch for its still being in use in 1978. I also seem to recall that it was said to be the single most expensive item on the flight deck - other suggestions may be available.

Including BEagle?

The earlier reference to the Valiant would have been to do with the Calc 7 that was part of the Blue Danube system and was a component sought by the lady in Holland.

Absolutely fantastic, ICM! At least I can now remember what the panel looked like. It brings back so many memories. Auto Track Plot flights with doppler, flick the 'Store' switch for a fix, note it in the log, return it to update and sit back for a while. No SAN-valid 3 minute DR alter headings.....

Many thanks!

11 years for the answer and 10 months to see it. Record?

It got there; that's the most important thing! :ok:

5 year update!
It was built by the Decca Navigator company. After they were taken over by RACAL I was the Chief Avionics Instructor for a while and was shown one on visiting the avionics maintenance unit at Heathrow, as an example of a museum piece. A year later on re-joining the RAF I was using one for real in a VC10. They were replaced by a combination of Carousel and Omega removed from EX BOAC VC10s in the mid life update in 1987/88.

Only just seen this thread but I can confirm they were fitted to the Belfast. Made my job easier as they were incredibly accurate. In fact official advice was never to adjust them but to let them run and just carry an error vector. As I recall they were normally within 20-30 miles of true position after a 12-hour trip. Only let me down once, while crossing the Bermuda Triangle, but that is another story. :)

Memory fade on my part but wasn’t it the Mk4 in the late 80s? They were well past their sell by date and, while waiting for the Draggie replacement, tried to buy some old stock from the RAF. The list price was quarter of a mil sterling for 8 sets which were never going to see the light of day anywhere else. We’re they replaced in the interim by Mk7?

A person from the SAN forum on Facebook had this image of the NAV 1 station aboard a HS748, with the GPI Mk7 in the centre. Shot is from about 1971, according to the owner.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....e1cccff7f9.jpg