What is this thing? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: regalzack
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 04:56:23 am
content: Found at a local antique store, no idea what it is but it sure looks fun. Any ideas?Thanks,Zachary Herberholz

author: theatrus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 05:01:38 am
content: What does the nameplate on the bottom say?

author: regalzack
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 05:08:01 am
content: I'm not sure, it was at an antique shop, I just snapped a few pictures.

author: benjamin545
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 05:10:19 am
content: i think thats how you measure your theatons.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 05:18:44 am
content: Quote from: regalzack on June 04, 2014, 05:08:01 amPictures of the actual nameplates are typically very high on the priority list of figuring out what something is.Else we are just guessing.

author: hagster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 05:19:24 am
content: Looks like a radar. I assume thats a CRT in the top left.

author: elliott
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 05:32:52 am
content: Quote from: hagster on June 04, 2014, 05:19:24 amI'd say radar too, cavity tune knob makes me think it is for the cavity magnetron.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 10:07:00 am
content: Quote from: regalzack on June 04, 2014, 04:56:23 amLooks like a very old variant of a portable RADAR simulator. They were used for ground/flight tests of aircraft self-protection systems (RWR, jammers) by simulating a simple air defense RADAR which then triggers the aircraft equipment.These things were usually mounted on a tripod.Not sure nowadays anyone really wants to operate that thing, especially in this day and age.

author: Andy Watson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 10:18:52 am
content: It bears and uncanny resemblance and style to the early Tellurometers.Edit. It's the Master station (says so on the label) of an MRA1 Tellurometer.

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 10:50:51 am
content: The feedhorn for the dish appears to circularly polarise, by the staggered dipoles,approximating their length at 2cm, therefore wavelength 8cm ie approx 4GHz, a bit low I would have thought for radar.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 10:59:13 am
content: It definitely looks like a portable radar system. The fact it has a circular display and sends out pulses and has a cavity tuner.4GHz is the top end of S band or bottom end of C band.

author: wiss
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 01:27:49 pm
content: Quote from: jpb on June 04, 2014, 10:59:13 amBut for a radar you`d need the antenna to rotate?I`d guess it is some kind of radar test equipment, as suggested above.Could the display show intensity and polarization?

author: Andy Watson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 01:43:59 pm
content: Quote from: wiss on June 04, 2014, 01:27:49 pmAs I suggested above, it's a Tellurometer. I don't know what frequency this one operated at, but the later versions were operating at 10GHz or more and achieved centimetre accuracy.http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/distance_tools/tellurometermra1.html

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 01:54:41 pm
content: Quote from: Andy Watson on June 04, 2014, 01:43:59 pmso it is RADAR without the D and one of the A s - I guess it should be called a RAR, though you can get the direction manually by where it is pointing.

author: regalzack
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 02:24:50 pm
content: Great, thanks everyone. I was hoping it was something I needed to add to my collection, I just can't justify $200 albeit it surely is a neat little piece of history!

author: Mr Simpleton
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 02:27:28 pm
content: Quote from: Andy Watson on June 04, 2014, 01:43:59 pmI'd say you're dead on... Found this on Craigs list:https://stlouis.craigslist.org/ele/4494338781.html

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 02:59:49 pm
content: Thanks for bringing this equipment to the forums attention. I had never heard of such a device and I was a RADAR engineer. As others have stated, it isn't really a RADAR at all. The only common points are the use of microwaves and signal flight time calculation for distance. It also presumably behaves a little like a transponder or responder if it requires a similar unit at the far end point....RADAR tends to use just reflection and not re-transmission (yes there are squawk ID's, but that is not core RADAR functionality).An interesting curio and I have to wonder when such units were last manufactured. The advent of accurate GPS based systems presumably rendered such devices obsolete overnight.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 03:17:53 pm
content: http://www.fig.net/pub/fig2008/papers/hs01/hs01_03_sturman_wright_2833.pdfThese things are still in use !The Tellurometer has been developed over the years and has amazing resolution and accuracy. Very interesting to me as an Ex Radar Tech. Clever Mr Wadley.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 07:02:24 pm
content: Please rotate your photos the right way around!

author: Kilgore
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 08:34:06 pm
content: Another link:http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/distance_tools/tellurometermra1.html

author: fcb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 09:30:56 pm
content: Fascinating. Today I learnt what a tellurometer is/was.

author: Andy Watson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 11:09:29 pm
content: Quote from: Aurora on June 04, 2014, 03:17:53 pmYes, a smart cookie! Although, curiously, Dr Trevor Wadley is probably more famous for his loop.