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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment. |
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4th Sep 2017, 8:52 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
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Gee transmitter finds new home
I'm a follower of Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre's facebook page, and transmitter buffs might like to see pics of their latest acquisition, bought from the radar museum.
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Kevin |
4th Sep 2017, 8:58 pm | #2 |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
That's splendid, I didn't realise any of the Gee ground station equipment had survived.
Andy |
4th Sep 2017, 11:14 pm | #3 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
mmmm - switch it on......
It's in very good nick! James |
4th Sep 2017, 11:19 pm | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Surrey, UK.
Posts: 4,394
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
That's fantastic that it's survived in such good condition- and surely of interest to a broader spectrum of folk than just transmitter buffs!
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5th Sep 2017, 12:28 am | #5 |
Moderator
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Would someone like to explain to the rest of us why this is interesting and significant? (Genuine question, not sarcasm).
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5th Sep 2017, 12:34 am | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Surrey, UK.
Posts: 4,394
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
A significant and notably successful early application of radio hyperbolic navigation- putting the populist hat on, the grand-daddy of GPS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gee_(navigation) Last edited by turretslug; 5th Sep 2017 at 12:40 am. |
5th Sep 2017, 7:55 am | #7 |
Moderator
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
And the daddy of Loran and the Decca Navigator.
I miss 'Jingle Bells' on top band........sigh They were fairly powerful transmitters on adventurously high frequencies - low VHF and caused discoveries of various propagation effects. Not just vintage, they are historic. David
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5th Sep 2017, 8:32 am | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Extreeeeemely important lump of stuff.
Lawrence. |
5th Sep 2017, 8:56 am | #9 |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
I believe the Gee transmitters were finally switched off in the early 1970s, so I guess this will be one of those?
Andy |
5th Sep 2017, 9:29 am | #10 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Many of us learned to love the receiving side of Gee in the 1950s and 60s. The R1355 with its associated VHF RF units - RF24, 25, 26, 27 worked well receiving VHF TV, whilst indicator unit 62A could be adapted to provide the display.
There's an informative site here from the Duxford Radio Society http://www.duxfordradiosociety.org/r...355/r1355.html . Martin
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5th Sep 2017, 9:37 am | #11 |
Octode
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Location: Carmel, Llannerchymedd, Anglesey, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
I recall the GEE station at Worth Matravers. From memory it had an ERP of around 100KW and a frequency of 30.7 Mc/s. It was a handy calibration source, but due to the pulse tx. it wiped out quite a bit of the band!
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5th Sep 2017, 10:11 am | #12 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Shetland, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
A photo of the former Gee (slave) Station on Scousburgh Hill in the Shetland Islands.
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5th Sep 2017, 10:15 am | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
There's a comprehensive write-up about Gee on Wikipedia. It's also covered in RV Jones' book 'Most Secret War' which is a must-read for anyone remotely interested in WW2 electronics.
Here's a 1946 advert for Gee. The manufacturer, Cossor boasted making 60,000 sets in the war.
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Kevin |
5th Sep 2017, 10:36 am | #14 |
Nonode
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Whilst information on the Gee receiving side is readily available on the internet (at least for Mk2), information on the transmitters is harder to find.
Having said that, a search of the Kew online catalogue shows that they have tons of documents covering the ground stations, but it would require a visit there to identify the most useful. Andy |
5th Sep 2017, 8:39 pm | #15 |
Dekatron
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Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Hi Gents, I believe there was a recent article in Radiophile by Chas Miller who worked on these during the latter stages of the war.
Ed |
6th Sep 2017, 5:36 pm | #16 |
Nonode
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Kevin, I just love looking at adverts like that from around WW2. Thank you.
I recall the Osram valve one showing a pilot with a leather helmet on. Often, "In these times" was used as an opening line. Rob, aged 65
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6th Sep 2017, 6:09 pm | #17 | |
Octode
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Quote:
It seems no-one could figure out how display and measure the small differences in time (microseconds) that is required to make the system a practical reality. I've heard mention of the Americans coming up with the same idea, but abandoning it when they were shown a GEE prototype because it was so superior to anything they had. Richard |
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6th Sep 2017, 6:13 pm | #18 | |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Quote:
Its slightly astonishing that they thought to dispose of it. Perhaps they consider it not to be "radar" - which I suppose strictly speaking it isn't - and thus outside the scope of their collection? Richard |
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6th Sep 2017, 6:47 pm | #19 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Quote:
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6th Sep 2017, 9:59 pm | #20 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
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Re: Gee transmitter finds new home
Quote:
The basic GEE system was devised by Bob Dippy of the TRE. There's a brief bio of him here: http://www.purbeckradar.org.uk/biography/dippy_bob.htm
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