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RAF Neatishead - R12

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Question re RAF Neatishead R12

I am interested in finding out the position of the individual cabinets of the Radar Office, Display and Backup equipment, as installed in the Receiver Hall of RAF Neatishead R12 any help would gratefully be appreciated. 

As an aside, if the location of the T85 AEI receiver and data processing cabinets could also be included I would also be grateful.

 

 

Responses from MOGS Members

 

Steve

RAF Neatishead R12 Technical Block - See

https://www.thetimechamber.co.uk/beta/sites/military/rotor-radar-stations/raf-neatishead-r3-and-r12-gci-rotor-sector-operations-centre-norfolk/raf-neatishead-r12-building

 

Mike

Saw the video of this some time ago. It is mostly about the part of the R12 that was the home of the then MPBW civilian site personnel. It mostly supplied cooling (air and water), high power electrical mains and control of 4 360 KvA sets on the site

 

Philip

The Air Defence Museum will probably be able to answer all the questions. 

https://www.radarmuseum.co.uk/

There is a room dedicated to RAF Neatishead and they have a range of experts, many of whom served at the UK ADGE centres during the Cold War.

 

Steve

On the Rotor sites the ops room was underground in the R3 building but following a fire that at Neatished was installed in the R30 building. The R12 was the T85 equipment building with the antenna on the roof.

 

Mike

There was Rotor type equipment in the R12 that provided for the control and monitoring equipment in Room 27 plus the 2 ops console 64 displays in a lashed up room within Room 22

 

Don

The R12 block was known to me as the H block and contained on the upper floor , amongst other things, all the PD equipment.

 

Mike

I was an ex R12 dweller for a number of years (Staxton Wold 1971, Boulmer 1972, Neatishead 1972- 1974 and 1976 -1981). I principally worked in Room 27 as a Systems Management engineer but dashed out of the location when there was a more unusual problem to be sorted out.

Important things to note (NB see Fig r12.pdf).

The first floor equipment was contained in Room 22 (not really known as the Receiver Hall to my knowledge). As a result all the racks should have had location reference along the lines "22 a n". The letter (a) was a row locator looking at the layout and started at the top of the diagram. I can most remember this because the PD rf racks were 22Axx.

The R12 DBU equipment was located at the bottom right of the diagram along with the No Break Triggers (NBT) and T84 Signal Processing. Can't quite remember how many rows there were but NBT (PRF B) was at 22L, T84 Signal Processing at 22M and NBT (PRF A) at 22N. From what I can remember the DBU equipment occupied either 2 or 3 rows.

The DBU equipment was Phase 1A equipment and had to supply 11 console T64 (fixed coil) both in Room 22 and Room 27. Bulk supplies were key aim of the displays in an effort to keep local heat minimised in some very contained operating locations. Room 27 also had 2 x Marconi S3000 type displays for the PD control plus Plessey Autonomous Display 5 for the height finders.

Some of the T85 equipment required further bulk dc supplies (like 450v, 625v etc) which were supplied from power racks on the ground floor in the Tx hall.

I am amazed that I can remember that much about the set up. I have some doubts of where I have placed the T85 Basic Oscillator and Timing Racks, if anyone else can remember that far back (can be certain that they were there though) please correct me. Other things (like the L1 data terminal) might not be in quite the correct place but it is close.

 

John

Mike, I was quite astounded by your recollection of the positioning of the racks on the upper floor of the R12. The one amendment I would make concerns the 'Wendy Cabin' at Staxton, which had four Console 64s.

 

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