Knowledge (XXG)

SCR-268 radar

Source 📝

223: 315: 36: 100: 331:
arrangement rotated 90 degrees in order to be sensitive in elevation and not angle. This portion was two dipoles wide and six dipoles high with corresponding reflectors. Finally in the "middle" of the cross, between the upright pedestal and the elevation antenna, was the broadcasting array which created a circular beam about 10 degrees wide.
362:
for support. Two towed the radar base and the antennas themselves, another pulled a K-34 trailer van providing power, and the fourth a van that converted the power to high voltage for the radio equipment. In total, including the trucks, the SCR-268 weighed 82,315 pounds. That the system was mobile at
354:
The radar operated at 205 MHz with a PRF of 4098 pulses per second of 6 μS (microsecond) duration, with an inter-pulse time of 240 μS. Radio waves (light) travel at about 0.093 miles/μS round-trip, so the system had a 22 miles (35 km) maximum range (240 × 0.093). It broadcast
282:
in the early 1920s. William D. Hershberger duly went to see what they had, and returned an extremely positive report. They decided to try to find a need for such a unit in order to gain funding, and eventually received a "request" by the Chief of Coast Artillery on February 1, 1936 for a gunlaying
346:
Range information was taken from the elevation array, and worked, as it did for most radars of the era, by triggering the trace on an "A-line" oscilloscope and read against a scale at the bottom. A second blip was also generated by equipment attached to the rangefinder's handwheel. By rotating the
342:
The accuracy of the antennas themselves was not very high, about 9-12 degrees, so simply rotating the antenna and looking for a maximum would not point it very accurately. To help with this the antennas were deliberately designed to have two directions of high sensitivity, or "lobes". Signals from
326:
elements arranged in three groups, each in front of a passive reflector, mounted on a large aimable cross. The cross consisted of a short upright pedestal sitting on top of a large base platform, mounting long cross-arms extending from the midpoint of the upright pedestal. The antenna system was
330:
The left side of the cross arm, as seen from the back, contained a set of dipoles that were set to be sensitive in angle, while almost insensitive to elevation. It was arranged six dipoles wide and four dipoles high, each with its own reflector. On the far right side was a similar, but smaller,
350:
The system also included two sets of "repeaters" that sent the directional information to a searchlight, and both the directional and range (as dialed in on the rangefinder's handwheel) to a gun. The accuracy was not enough for direct gunlaying, but in combination with a searchlight the gun's
286:
Gaining the support of James B. Allison, the Chief Signal Officer, they managed to gather a small amount of funding and "stole" some more from other projects. By December 1936 they had a working prototype, which they continued to work on and improve. On May 26, 1937 they were able to show the
222: 366:
The SCR-268 was combined with the Sperry M-4 gun director to create automatic radar-controlled gun laying; however, the relatively long wavelength (1.5 meters) resulted in poor accuracy. This system was eclipsed by the
338:
display. One controlled the azimuth, another the elevation, and the third measured the range. Pointing the antenna was controlled by rotating large handwheels, the range being reported by a similar wheel.
390:
of its receiving antennas as a means to aim AA (anti-aircraft) searchlight beams at aircraft. Since it did not lobe-switch its transmitted signal it would be classed as one of the first LORO (
343:
both lobes were displayed, slightly separated, on the layer's displays. By adjusting the antenna until the returns from both were equally strong, accuracies of about one degree were possible.
515: 295:, and when it was turned on the bomber was seen to be centered in the beam. It was later learned that the target had been blown off course, making the demonstration all the more impressive. 314: 263:
radars based on the "beat principle", in which an aircraft would cause two signals to interfere. Low generator efficiency and a lack of ranging capability made these efforts impractical.
520: 347:
handwheel until the reference blip overlapped the one returned from the antenna, the timing could be read from the wheel. Range accuracy was about plus or minus 200 yards.
327:
about forty feet wide and ten feet high overall. Both the pedestal and the cross-arm could be rotated around their axis for aiming, in azimuth and altitude respectively.
298:
Development of this system was slowed to some degree when a long range early-warning radar became a higher priority and parts of the prototype were salvaged for the
505: 291:
bomber where it was supposed to be, they started "hunting" for it and found it 10 miles off course. The radar fed pointing data to a team operating a
259:
detection systems (a popular idea at the time), as well as a newer generation of sound detectors, they also maintained a small program of research on
279: 226:
Three soldiers of the United States Army operate a radar used by the 90th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft, Semimobile, Colored) in Casablanca
57: 411: 192:
system. Introduced in 1940, it was developed to provide accurate aiming information for antiaircraft artillery and was also used for
236: 79: 306:
about the same time as the -270 in 1939. The radar entered service in 1940, and about 3100 were produced by the end of the war.
510: 334:
The three radar operators sat at consoles mounted on the pedestal just below the antenna cross-arm, each with their own
376: 50: 44: 500: 359: 201: 244: 61: 266:
In 1935 one of Blair's recent arrivals, Roger B. Colton, convinced him to send an engineer to investigate the
479: 239:
had been experimenting with some radar concepts as early as the late 1920s, under the direction of Colonel
318:
Oscilloscope operators with range scope at left, azimuth scope in middle, and the elevation scope at right
212:
the system was already considered out of date, having been replaced by the much smaller and more accurate
363:
all was more a testament to the US's overwhelming industrial might than any quality of the radar itself.
99: 391: 421: 185: 179: 458: 303: 275: 240: 380: 485: 355:
about 75 kW of power, which was, in theory, more than enough to offer longer range.
387: 494: 416: 299: 248: 117: 335: 209: 205: 474: 445:
Mindell, David A., "Automation's Finest Hour", IEEE Control Systems Magazine 15(6)
274:
project. The navy's system traced its development from experiments conducted by
292: 288: 197: 105: 271: 252: 193: 461:, Electronics magazine, September 1945. A detailed description of the system. 426: 372: 287:
prototype in a convincing demonstration. After failing to find their target
260: 256: 216: 480:
http://www.monmouth.army.mil/historian/photolist.php?fname=Radar%2FSCR-268
368: 267: 213: 17: 283:
system with a range of 15,000 yards through rain, mist, smoke or fog.
323: 351:
existing optical equipment could "fine tune" the radar's guidance.
302:
they were building. Nevertheless, the system entered production at
313: 221: 200:
against aircraft. The radar was widely utilized by both Army and
189: 375:
oscillator from Britain, completely automatic tracking, and the
29: 486:
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/radar-5.htm
402:
There are no known surviving examples of this array.
322:
The SCR-268 antenna system consisted of a number of
386:The SCR-268 was one of the first radar sets to use 255:. While most of the Corps' efforts revolved around 163: 155: 147: 139: 131: 123: 113: 516:Military radars of the United States Marine Corps 521:Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944 475:http://www.mobileradar.org/radar_descptn_2.html 8: 92: 204:air defense and early warning units during 98: 91: 80:Learn how and when to remove this message 43:This article includes a list of general 438: 280:United States Naval Research Laboratory 358:The radar was mobile, requiring four 7: 506:Military radars of the United States 412:List of U.S. Signal Corps Vehicles 49:it lacks sufficient corresponding 25: 34: 371:, which utilized a 3 GHz 27:U.S. Army's first radar system 1: 377:Bell Telephone Laboratories 537: 104:SCR-268 radar deployed on 464:TM 11-1106,1306,1406,1506 245:Signal Corps Laboratories 159:22.7 miles (36.5 km) 97: 278:and Leo C. Young at the 64:more precise citations. 319: 227: 196:systems and directing 114:Country of origin 317: 225: 392:lobe-on-receive-only 151:7 to 15 microseconds 511:World War II radars 94: 422:Signal Corps Radio 398:Surviving examples 320: 243:, director of the 228: 186:United States Army 180:Signal Corps Radio 501:Gun laying radars 459:The SCR-268 RADAR 208:. By the end of 171: 170: 90: 89: 82: 16:(Redirected from 528: 446: 443: 304:Western Electric 276:Albert H. Taylor 241:William R. Blair 102: 95: 85: 78: 74: 71: 65: 60:this article by 51:inline citations 38: 37: 30: 21: 536: 535: 531: 530: 529: 527: 526: 525: 491: 490: 471: 455: 450: 449: 444: 440: 435: 408: 400: 381:M9 gun director 312: 233: 219:-based system. 167:50 kW peak 109: 86: 75: 69: 66: 56:Please help to 55: 39: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 534: 532: 524: 523: 518: 513: 508: 503: 493: 492: 489: 488: 483: 477: 470: 469:External links 467: 466: 465: 462: 454: 451: 448: 447: 437: 436: 434: 431: 430: 429: 424: 419: 414: 407: 404: 399: 396: 388:lobe switching 311: 308: 232: 229: 169: 168: 165: 161: 160: 157: 153: 152: 149: 145: 144: 141: 137: 136: 133: 129: 128: 125: 121: 120: 115: 111: 110: 108:in August 1942 103: 88: 87: 42: 40: 33: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 533: 522: 519: 517: 514: 512: 509: 507: 504: 502: 499: 498: 496: 487: 484: 481: 478: 476: 473: 472: 468: 463: 460: 457: 456: 452: 442: 439: 432: 428: 425: 423: 420: 418: 417:SCR-270 radar 415: 413: 410: 409: 405: 403: 397: 395: 393: 389: 384: 382: 378: 374: 370: 364: 361: 356: 352: 348: 344: 340: 337: 332: 328: 325: 316: 309: 307: 305: 301: 296: 294: 290: 284: 281: 277: 273: 269: 264: 262: 258: 254: 250: 249:Fort Monmouth 246: 242: 238: 230: 224: 220: 218: 215: 211: 207: 203: 199: 195: 191: 187: 183: 181: 176: 166: 162: 158: 154: 150: 146: 142: 138: 135:2D air-search 134: 130: 126: 122: 119: 118:United States 116: 112: 107: 101: 96: 84: 81: 73: 63: 59: 53: 52: 46: 41: 32: 31: 19: 441: 401: 385: 365: 360:prime movers 357: 353: 349: 345: 341: 336:oscilloscope 333: 329: 321: 297: 285: 265: 237:Signal Corps 234: 210:World War II 206:World War II 202:Marine Corps 198:searchlights 178: 174: 172: 143:205 MHz 76: 67: 48: 379:electronic 310:Description 293:searchlight 289:Martin B-10 231:Development 106:Guadalcanal 70:August 2013 62:introducing 495:Categories 453:References 394:) radars. 272:CXAM radar 253:New Jersey 194:gun laying 184:) was the 148:Pulsewidth 124:Introduced 45:references 427:G-numbers 373:magnetron 261:microwave 257:infra-red 217:microwave 188:'s first 140:Frequency 406:See also 369:SCR-584 300:SCR-270 268:US Navy 214:SCR-584 182:no. 268 175:SCR-268 93:SCR-268 58:improve 18:SCR-268 324:dipole 47:, but 482:pics. 433:Notes 190:radar 177:(for 164:Power 156:Range 235:The 173:The 132:Type 127:1940 270:'s 247:at 497:: 383:. 251:, 83:) 77:( 72:) 68:( 54:. 20:)

Index

SCR-268
references
inline citations
improve
introducing
Learn how and when to remove this message

Guadalcanal
United States
Signal Corps Radio
United States Army
radar
gun laying
searchlights
Marine Corps
World War II
World War II
SCR-584
microwave

Signal Corps
William R. Blair
Signal Corps Laboratories
Fort Monmouth
New Jersey
infra-red
microwave
US Navy
CXAM radar
Albert H. Taylor

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.