VERLORT Radar
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| [[Image:muc-verlort.jpg|right|thumbnail|190px|The VERLORT radar at Muchea:<BR>''Photo - ???'']] | [[Image:muc-verlort.jpg|right|thumbnail|190px|The VERLORT radar at Muchea:<BR>''Photo - ???'']] | ||
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| + | The '''VER'''y '''LO'''ng '''R'''ange '''T'''racking (VERLORT) S-band radar (2700 t0 2900 MHz) was an extended-range version of the '''SCR-584''' - often credited as ''"'''the radar that won WW II'''"''. | ||
| - | The '''VER'''y '''LO'''ng '''R'''ange '''T'''racking (VERLORT) S-band radar (2700 t0 2900 MHz) was an extended-range version of the '''SCR-584''' - often credited as "the radar that won WW II". | + | For space missions, its range was increased from 650 Km to 4000 Km and the dish diameter from 1.8 m to 3 m; it was given a long name befitting its new space-tracking capabilities. The Red Lake (Woomera) Mercury tracking station used the more accurate AN/FPS-16 radar installed at Woomera for previous space activities. |
| - | For Mercury, the radar range was increased from 650 Km to 4000 Km; the dish diameter from 1.8 m to 3 m and it was given a long name befitting its new space-tracking capabilities. The Red Lake (Woomera) Mercury tracking station used the more accurate AN/FPS-16 radar installed at Woomera for previous space activities. | + | [[Image:cro-verlort.jpg|left|thumbnail|180px|The VERLORT radar reinstalled at Carnarvon nearby the AcqAid antennas:<BR>''Photo - Alan Gilham'']] |
| - | [[Image:cro-verlort.jpg|left|thumbnail|180px|The VERLORT radar reinstalled at Carnarvon just beside the AcqAid antennas:<BR>''Photo - Alan Gilham'']] | + | The Verlort performed reliably for the six Mercury orbital missions at Muchea. It was then relocated to the new Gemini tracking station at Carnarvon as an acquisition aid and back-up for the even more accurate FPQ-6 radar to be installed there. |
| - | The Verlort radar performed reliably for the six Mercury orbital missions at Muchea. It was then relocated to the new Gemini tracking station at Carnarvon as an acquisition aid and back-up for the even more accurate FPQ-6 radar to be installed there. | + | Although the Verlort was kept operational at Carnarvon for the first few missions it was soon taken off the operational list once the FPQ-6 proved its reliability and other acquisition methods also proved sufficient. |
| - | Although the Verlort was kept operational at Carnarvon for the first few missions it was soon operationally delisted once the FPQ-6 proved its reliablility and other acquisition methods also proved sufficient. | + | The SCR radars, developed at the MIT laboratories, were remarkable for MIT’s innovative mechanical solutions to radar operations that are now met by electronic methods in modern radars: see [[SCR-584 Technical Description|Technical Details]] |
| - | ==Some technical descriptions== | + | ---- |
| - | [[Image:Helical scan.jpg|right|thumbnail|150px|Helical scan mechanism: ''Image – ‘Electronics’; Fig 2, Dec ’45, p.104'']] | + | The '''SCR-584''' pedestals and angle-control mechanisms were widely used by NASA as the basis of other antenna systems; for example, the VHF Acquisition Aid and Telemetry Antennas for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects. |
| - | + | ||
| - | The SCR family of radars, developed at the MIT laboratories, was remarkable for the innovative MIT solutions to radar operations that are now met in modern radars by electronic methods. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | The '''Verlort Plan Position Indicator (PPI)''' was driven by a '''mechanical''' computer. Once target acquisition occurred, the radar operator needed to keep a ‘hairline’ indicator manually centred on the target’s echo to maintain track. | + | |
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| - | Even more intriguing were the target acquisition techniques. | + | |
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| - | For targets where only crude position information was available, a '''helical scan''' was used to acquire the target. The dish was swung in a circle at 6 rpm along the expected path with the reflector tilted to and fro about 4° per dish revolution to create a '''helical spiral''' about 20° wide along the expected track path - see 'Helical scan mechanism' diagram on right. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Where there was more certainty about the target path, a '''nutating scan''' mode was used where the slightly offset dipole feed was rotated rapidly to produce off-axis radiation to increase the effective beam width from 2.5° to about 5.5° . The nutation was switched off when the target was acquired. See ‘conical scan beam’ diagram below left and ‘nutating antenna dipole feed’ below right. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | [[Image:Conical beam.jpg|left|thumbnail|250px|A conical scan beam:<BR> ''Image – ‘Electronics’; Fig 1, Nov ’45, p.104'']] | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | [[Image:offset dipole.jpg|right|thumbnail|290px|Nutating antenna dipole feed:<BR>''Image – ‘Electronics’; Fig 5, Dec ’45, p.107'']] | + | |
| - | <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> | + | |
| ---- | ---- | ||
| - | For a detailed technical description of the SCR-584 radar see the '''November & December 1945''' issues of '''‘Electronics’''' magazine at http://www.hamhud.net/darts/scr584.html. | + | See http://www.hamhud.net/darts/scr584.html for a 'memorial' to the '''SCR-584''' radar. Note the overall technical description contained in the '''November & December 1945''' issues of '''‘Electronics’''' magazine at that site. |
Current revision
SCR-584 Technical Details
SCR-584 Operator Instructions
Back to Muchea
Back to Carnarvon
Photo - ???
The VERy LOng Range Tracking (VERLORT) S-band radar (2700 t0 2900 MHz) was an extended-range version of the SCR-584 - often credited as "the radar that won WW II".
For space missions, its range was increased from 650 Km to 4000 Km and the dish diameter from 1.8 m to 3 m; it was given a long name befitting its new space-tracking capabilities. The Red Lake (Woomera) Mercury tracking station used the more accurate AN/FPS-16 radar installed at Woomera for previous space activities.
Photo - Alan Gilham
The Verlort performed reliably for the six Mercury orbital missions at Muchea. It was then relocated to the new Gemini tracking station at Carnarvon as an acquisition aid and back-up for the even more accurate FPQ-6 radar to be installed there.
Although the Verlort was kept operational at Carnarvon for the first few missions it was soon taken off the operational list once the FPQ-6 proved its reliability and other acquisition methods also proved sufficient.
The SCR radars, developed at the MIT laboratories, were remarkable for MIT’s innovative mechanical solutions to radar operations that are now met by electronic methods in modern radars: see Technical Details
The SCR-584 pedestals and angle-control mechanisms were widely used by NASA as the basis of other antenna systems; for example, the VHF Acquisition Aid and Telemetry Antennas for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects.
See http://www.hamhud.net/darts/scr584.html for a 'memorial' to the SCR-584 radar. Note the overall technical description contained in the November & December 1945 issues of ‘Electronics’ magazine at that site.
