Radar/Radio thingys ??

Peter, all

One thing that I have never managed to unpick with reference to limited info in PNs, and from other limited available references. is the role and function of the additional ‘scope’ sat almost as an afterthought on top of the AI Mk17 CRT 100 Indicator. Pic highlghts this. At first I imagined it might be a copy of the Pilot’s Collimator display, but wonder if it is FIS-related?

And finally, the iris-dimmable Warning Lamp towards the bottom of the CRT 100 – is this perhaps a component of the FIS or purely AI-related?

JEK

[ATTACH=CONFIG]244197[/ATTACH]

Well, make him an offer for the parts you want, JEK!

Anon.

What an amazing set of finds! Never thought I’d see pics of some of this stuff. Very nice.
JK

More items

Here are more items from ‘the shed’ A couple are TR 1998 units but I have no idea what they were used on. All these items need to be disposed of

http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/files_index.htm

might be useful

http://www.vmars.org.uk/home

Yes Ian White covers the subject pretty fully. AI Mk10 was a version of SCR720 modded for the RAF developed from the initial radar put together by the American industry using the cavity magneto which Bowen had taken to USA with the Tizard commission, and with Bowens input on screen design. It was a very practical set with a very practical display, because of Bowens previous experience on AI. Our boffins produced AI Mk 9 concurrently but made such a lash up that it took years to develop, eventually morphing into AI Mk17 which was the abortion foisted on the Javelin. When the 3 centimetre magnetron was developed the RAF adopted an American set designated here as AI Mk21 and used in the Meteor 12/14 and the Venom. Better range and discrimination but a poorer display. If only we had had the common sense to graft the newer magnetron onto AI Mk 10 we would have had a much more practical set.

All in my humble opinion of course, but I only spent over 5 years bungling interceptions with these things.

Indicator CRT Type 100 – AI Mk17 a-la Javelin and Sea Venom. One of the very few things I’m missing from my Javelin bits collection!
JK

Anon, if you want to learn a bit more about AI radar, read ‘The History of Air Intercept Radar & the British Nightfighter’ by Ian White, ISBN 978-1-84415-532-3

Britain was well ahead of the US in the development of radar in the early part of the war.

My interest is more in H2S than in AI, my ambition is to assemble a Mk IIB H2S and get it working to the extent feasible and safe, but it’s a long-term project!

Andy

Hi

If you have more like this then you have some historic items, they should be preserved (as an electronics engineer I’d like to see them restored and working again as they should but – heigh-ho). Each item of such equipment would have a dedicated A.P. I can let you have the ones I have if you are interested. The RAF Museum would have more I suspect.

They would sell for a fair amount too.

UK Vintage Radio is a good site for more in-depth elctronics expertise I would suggest.

Lucky You.

James

That’s a fascinating link and history, AndyY. I had always thought the British AI radars were just re-boxed American-produced SCR-720 sets. That set lasted far longer than it should in service in spite, it seems, of parallel production of effective UK designs.

Thanks,

Anon.

E K Cole were most certainly involved in all sorts of military radio and radar work during WW2 – see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EKCO

I’m struggling to find a reference to that Indicator CRT 100, but I’d say definitely post-war from the style of knobs, used on much cold-war era equipment.

Andy

Not sure E K Cole (EKCO) made AI radars, smirky. They got into the weather radar business in quite a big way though, in the sixties.

Before that it was TV’s and radios.

Anon.

3&4 is a British AI radar? display made by EK Cole

Radio altimeter in picture five were used on wartime B29 s for sure….

Does this mean that they are Post WWII ?

And LORAN was an American development of the British GEE system, working on the same principles.

Andy

LORAN is long range navigation used in ships (initially?) and aircraft.
Cees

The Indicator in picture 5 is a Radar Altimeter Display.

Andy