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This page is for those bits and pieces that either don't fit exactly into any other section or spread over several or are just curiosities.
RDF or Radar?
To start with there is the background to these two nomenclatures. There are several claimants for the coining of RDF but the one thar seems to have the best provenance is to be found in "Britain's Shield RADAR" by David Zimmerman on page 132 - quote:
On 23 August (1935) Wing Commander J.O.Andrews, a staff officer at the Air Ministry, reported to Wimperis (Director of Scientific Research at the Air Ministry) that the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff had requested 'a name for this system of detection which [did] not immediately indicate its method of operation'. Andrews suggested that they use the term 'R.D.F. (a compression of R.D and D/F) to serve as verb, noun or adjective as required.' If Wimperis agreed this term would be used in all further official documents. On 17 September Wimperis concurred with Andrews' recommendation and British radar became know as RDF. This is confirmed by the earliest document which refers to the term. This document is a paper written by Wimperis on 24 September titled 'Notes on proposed methods of plotting information received from R.D.F. stations'.
RDF remained the term used in Britain until Radar, standing for 'Radio Detection and Ranging', the official derivation used by the Americans as their cover for the secret work at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington with ranging meaning distance and direction measurement, became the generic nomenclature in 1943.
GEC History 1
GEC Archives
GEC Computers
United Kingdom Aerospace and Weapons Projects
RADAR EQUIPMENT - SITES & SPECIFICATIONS - references to Rotor
Marconi Conference Centre
RAF Yatesbury
Royal Air Force Museum
The Radar War
Informal Radar Conference 1946
CH Radar
This is a blog consisting mainly of critiques of books about radar by various authors with
some fascinating comments
Making Vision Into Power
The other side of the story 1, 2
The National Valve Museum
Another private venture recording electronic history
People
Figures in the story of radar other than those connected with Marconi.
Arnold "Skip" Wilkins
Sir Robert Watson-Watt
Sir Edward Fennessy - an interesting comment
Dr E H Putley
Early Radar memories
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