Non-motoring > Radar Museum - Ping Zero Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bromptonaut Replies: 5
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New Fri 17 Aug 18 17:51 
 Radar Museum - Ping Zero - Bromptonaut
Mrs B and I currently on short trip to Normandy - two nights each in Arromanche and Le Treport.

Did the Pegasus Bridge Museum on Wednesday morning and then onto the Musee Radar Franco Allemand at Douvres le Deliverand:

musee-radar.fr/

Absolutely fascinating. We were very fortunate in being only participants in a guided tour in English. Our guide turned out to be a retired French Air Traffic Controller who was both fluent and hugely well informed on what was obviously a subject close to his heart. Explained the three different German Radars which were on site pre D-Day and how the place was eventually taken after holding out for 10 days. Even with its radars off line it still had value as an observation post from which Allied movements to the south, nearer to Caen, could be observed.

Highly recommended. IIRC Zero has an interest in this stuff hence the 'ping'.

One exhibit looked at the development of radar and the various parties back to pre WW1 who developed idea of radio detection. Contrary to what was taken as history in my childhood it wasn't a something that appeared fully formed in the UK in 1938-40

I will see if I can join 'les Amis' and will also provide them with some pictures of the site close to home where Robert Watson-Watt did his famous experiment using the Empire Service transmitters at Daventry.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Fri 17 Aug 18 at 17:52
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New Fri 17 Aug 18 18:05 
 Radar Museum - Ping Zero - Zero
The history of Radar, radio and radio/radar navigation on both sides during WW2 is fascinating, long and varied.

Did the tour/museum go into the raid on Bruneval where British commandos stole the Würzburg radar and the German technical operator!
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New Fri 17 Aug 18 21:29 
 Radar Museum - Ping Zero - Bromptonaut
>> Did the tour/museum go into the raid on Bruneval where British commandos stole the Würzburg
>> radar and the German technical operator!

Biting? Yes covered in detail.
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New Fri 17 Aug 18 18:11 
 Radar Museum - Ping Zero - No FM2R
Fascinating place Daventry.

5XX at Borough Hill started broadcasting in the 20s, and the Empire [now World] Service was in the early 30s. The radar was mid 30s I think?

My favourite place to mooch about was always the crypts (the cellars under the main building) and the Empire building. The last time I was there, 10 years ago now, the Empire Building was in quite ropey shape, thought it still has it's plaque outside. A lot of the main building was still in use.

I swear the crypt still had stuff in it from the early days. It's all quite the remnant of the past, even the huge social club is still there, but unused. You can just imagine how it was in it's heyday.

There's also a fascinating nuclear bunker out the back. Complete with its radio and log. That's quite a scary place if you think about what it was for. Food stores and bunk beds and plans for a long stay..
Last edited by: No FM2R on Fri 17 Aug 18 at 18:12
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New Fri 17 Aug 18 20:26 
 Radar Museum - Ping Zero - Old Navy
It's a very small world, I was visiting the marine memorial and U995 at Laboe near Keil recently.

deutscher-marinebund.de/marine-ehrenmal-u-995/technisches-museum-u-995/

While there I met the guy who runs this museum about ten miles from my house which I did not know of.

mocft.co.uk

He is an ex Royal corps of Signals serviceman and while we were in the U995 we met an ex German submarine radio operator. They chattered about technical stuff while I poked around the boat which was remarkably similar to my first submarine, (ours were the copies). The U995 is part of a huge memorial site and museum.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 17 Aug 18 at 20:27
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New Fri 17 Aug 18 21:42 
 Radar Museum - Ping Zero - Bromptonaut
>> Fascinating place Daventry.
>>
>> 5XX at Borough Hill started broadcasting in the 20s, and the Empire [now World] Service
>> was in the early 30s. The radar was mid 30s I think?

Daft thing is I'm interested in radio stuff but I've lived a short drive from Borough Hill for all but thirty years and never explored the site. When we moved here the thirties lattice towers were still extant. I've read somewhere of how stubble burning, prevalent until nineties, created conditions that caused multiple failures of the transmitting equipment.

The towers were felled c1993 but were subsequently replaced by a guyed mast used for digital radio experiments. Still in service today providing infill for area at extremity of Sutton Coldfield's coverage.
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