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Introduction
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 known 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.
Marconi experimenting with radio location in 1935
A compendium of Marconi facts and figures
Marconi House in London
Marconi Employees Manual - those were the days
Marconi Centenary 1997
This is the only reference I can find to what should have been a considerable event. There were a considerable number of events in 2001 to celebrate the first wireless transmission across the Atlantic.
The Beginning of someone else's History
Pre-History!
Ian's selection of acoustic detectors
MRSL Mementoes
GEC History 1
GEC Archives
GEC Computers
United Kingdom Aerospace and Weapons Projects
RADAR EQUIPMENT - SITES & SPECIFICATIONS - references to Rotor
Diversions of a radio telescope
Marconi Conference Centre
The Marconi Society
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
A fascinating article referencing a variety of electronic warfare systems
Alexandra Palace at War
A definite oddity - Bruce Neale was involved (followup on /BTNeale2.htm and /BTNeale3.htm)
Daventry Anniversary
Online Air Defence Radar Museum
A Computer Curiosity
Radar Basics - an interesting if somewhat skewed educational site
Inforapid Knowledge Portal - a very idiosyncratic compendium
Radar on the silver screen
At the end of the Second World War, the Air Ministry was eager to publicise the discovery of a technology that played a crucial role in assisting British forces in defending the nation against German attack: radar. A young private in the army's cinema unit, Peter Ustinov, was attached to the RAF in order to write the script and direct the film, the first of what turned out to be a substantial collection. The film was 'School for Secrets'
People
Figures in the story of radar other than those connected with Marconi.
Arnold "Skip" Wilkins
Sir Robert Watson-Watt
For an interesting commentary on his claim to fame see Chapter 9 "The first casualty of war" in "leaps in the dark" by John Waller - 2004 - OUP
Sir Edward Fennessy - an interesting comment
Dr E H Putley
Early Radar memories
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