Radar Recollections - A Bournemouth University / CHiDE / HLF project

 
 
 

The Magnetron Part Three

Inside the Magnetron

The dramatic increase in power output achieved with the cavity Magnetron meant that work on the 10 cm radar could progress rapidly at Worth Matravers. The core team consisted of four talented scientists;

H.W.B.Skinner
P.I.Dee
Bernard Lovell (from Bowen's AI group)
Alan Hodgkin ( " )

Inside the Magnetron...
(Schematic)
Inside the Magnetron Inside the Magnetron (schematic)
   
The use of the magnetron in the transmitters also meant that more advanced receivers had to be developed to complement them.

By 12th August 1940 the group had succeeded in bouncing a 10 cm echo off of the ancient Norman chapel nearby on St Aldhelm's Head. Eleven months later the first 10 cm operational systems were in use with the Navy.
Airborne interception (AI) work continued apace and meanwhile, on 18th October 1940, the first true ground controlled interceptions (GCI) took place at Durrington and a further 5 units were installed by Christmas. Whilst the system showed great promise, there were teething problems with it and it was not until the spring of 1941 that the system began to improve the detection (and subsequent enemy destruction) rates.

There was yet another invention which coincided with these developments at Worth Matravers….the Plan Position Indicator or 'PPI'.

   
Mr H. G. Hinkley
Dr G. L. Hutchinson
 
   
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