Technical History of the Beginnings of Radar
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The book sets out to explain the basic principles of radar and, where applicable, historical aspects of the evolution of these principles are dealt with. The study, while underlining the significance of the cavity magnetron, purposely restricts itself to the pre-cavity magnetron era of radar.
Inspec keywords: radar theory; history
Other keywords: radar history; emergence of radar; cavity magnetron era; analytical record; chronological order; pulse radar systems; annotated bibliography; Chester Rice experiments; British radar; chain home; early metric airborne radar sets; technical history; radio-electronic technology; microwaves; radar beginnings; resonant-cavity magnetron; Tesla
Subjects: Radar equipment, systems and applications; Radar theory
- Book DOI: 10.1049/PBHT006E
- Chapter DOI: 10.1049/PBHT006E
- ISBN: 9780863410437
- e-ISBN: 9781849194013
- Page count: 340
- Format: PDF
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Front Matter
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p.
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1 Radar etymology
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This chapter discusses the history of radar systems, staring from the concept of detecting objects using electromagnetic waves.
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2 Radar fundamentals
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The diversity of radar systems in use today, viewed either from the point of operational function or from the point of equipment design, makes it unrealistic even to attempt an overview of modern radar methodology. If one wishes to explore the breadth of modern radar technology, a study of a text such as Skolnik's 'Radar Handbook' is helpful.
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3 Precursors of radar
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In a paper 'A terrain clearance indicator' read before a Chicago meeting of the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences on 19th November, 1938, and published in the Bell System Technical Journal, the authors Lloyd Espenschied and R. C. Newhouse made what is considered a key observation. Discussing the FM type of radio altimeter and referring to early efforts in this area, they said: The evolution of this method is interesting because it illustrates how one art is built upon another, and also the familiar story of separate inventors arriving at the same answer almost simultaneously, actually somewhat in advance, of the existence of instrumentalities having the characteristics required to make the invention practically serviceable.
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4 The début of radar
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This chapter presents the development of radar systems in various countries in Europe, the USA, Russia and Japan.
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5 The British story
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This chapter present the development of radar systems in Great Britain.
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6 Significance of the magnetron
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One could say that the cavity magnetron evolved from the inventiveness of John Randall and Henry Boot, and became a working reality through the resources and experience of the GEC Laboratories at Wembley, assisted by critical information supplied by the SFR Laboratories of Paris. It could also be said that the emergence of the cavity magnetron in 1940 as an efficient generator of microwaves allowed, from that time onwards, an unrestricted growth in microwave radar technology to take place.
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7 Conclusions
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p.
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Radar was a natural, but by no means a foregone, development in any country which had an active radio industry and radio tradition. In the context of the world of modern electronics, radar today might be regarded as commonplace. Its arrival in the 1930s added a whole new dimension to electrical science and technology.
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Appendix A: Reciprocity principle
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This appendix presents the reciprocity principle of radar systems.
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Appendix B: Retarding field generators
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The historical importance of retarding field oscillators is that they were used in some of the early radar experiments and in early microwave equipment; indeed, Randall and Boot at Birmingham University in 1939 were investigating the properties of miniature Barkhausen-Kurz valves.
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Appendix C: Super-regenerative receivers
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This appendix presents super-regenerative receivers and super-regenerative detectors.
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Appendix D: Watson-Watt's two memoranda
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p.
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This appendix presents Watson-Watt's two memoranda that were critical to the emergence of radar in Britain. It also discusses aircraft detection by radio methods.
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Appendix E: Watson-Watt's memorandum to the CSS AD on the state of RDF research, 9th September 1935
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p.
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The proposals for detection and location of aircraft by radio led to the following of metal-framed aircraft to distances of 92 km, to their detection at distances over 60 km. In all cases where detection was possible, the distance of the craft from the observing station could be measured with an accuracy of the order of 1 km. The tests were mainly made in craft flying above 10,000 feet. The craft observed included land craft and marine aircraft.
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Appendix F: Method of deriving height curves for a Chain Home station
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This appendix discusses the method of deriving height curves for a Chain Home radar station.
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Appendix G: Two Maps
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This appendix contains two maps that show, respectively: (1) the proposed acoustical mirror system in the Thames Estuary (work on the construction of the system was suspended in September 1935); and (2) the Chain Home stations operating at the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939.
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Appendix H: Report issued by Telecommunications Research Establishment, 1941
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This appendix discusses the camouflaging of aircraft at centimetre wavelengths.
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Appendix I: Table of Japanese Naval Radars
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This appendix presents a table of Japanese Naval radars, as supplied by Shiryo Chosakai (Institute of Historical Research), Tokyo, which was prepared at the end of the Second World War.
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Appendix J: Military characteristics - detector for use against aircraft (heat or radio) (United States Army)
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This appendix presents the set of military characteristics for a radio detector for use against aircraft which was set up by the Chief of Coast Artillery and forwarded to the Chief Signal Officer with approval of the Adjutant General on the 29th February 1935.
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Appendix K: Mathematical analysis
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The appendix discusses the following: scattering matrix; radar range equation; electromagnetic reflection coefficient of ground; multipath effects; and pulses and their spectra.
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Back Matter
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