page_title: Ronald Hugh Barker
section_title: Early career
hierarchical_section_title: Ronald Hugh Barker / Early career
caption_attribution_description: English: Early telemetry test missile
context_page_description: Ronald Hugh Barker FIEE was an Irish physicist and inventor of Barker code for digital synchronisation. He was a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology for 70 years. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Barker had an erratic education but excelled in mathematics, becoming keen on electronics. He is best known for his ground-breaking work on synchronising digital communication systems and framing of received data, using digital codes. These digital codes are known as Barker code. The method was initially researched at SRDE Royal Signals Research Establishment, just after World War II for use in radar, rocket telemetry and digital speech. In 1952, Barker found 7 Barker sequences up to a length of 13 useful for correlation. These sequences are widely used in most data transmissions today. Examples of applications are radar, mobile phone technology, telemetry, digital speech, ultrasound imaging and testing, GPS and WiFi...
context_section_description: Barker is recognised for his invention of Barker code or Barker sequence, a means of checking the synchronisation and framing of received data. This is used in most forms of data transmissions within (and out of) our world today as the use of a Barker code is needed for accurate reception of the data. Quote "A sequence of binary digits has very little meaning unless the significance of the individual digits is known".
  In 1941, Barker joined Standard Telephones and Cables (STC) North Woolwich, England in their thermionic valve department, designing dental X-Ray tubes and equipment. After a bombing raid over Woolwich, Roy cycled back to Heath and Reach where he met his wife to be, Wendy Emily Hunt (1917–1998). Barker resigned from STC, as he felt his work on X-ray tubes was unrelated to the war effort.
  He took up a new post as a temporary experimental officer at the Signals Experimental Establishment (SEE), initially on Woolwich Common, but soon moved to Warnham Court, Horsham, England. There, he assisted with the design of Wireless Set No.19, a standard wireless set used in many tanks in World War II.  From there, Barker went on to design portable two way radio sets for jungle use.
  The S.E.E was subsequently renamed Signals Research and Development Establishment (SRDE) and brought within the Ministry of Supply. Staff were moved to Christchurch, Dorset, England, in the summer of 1943. The UK guided weapons program came into being in 1944. The first experimental system was named LOPGAP, acronym of Liquid Oxygen Propelled Guided Anti-aircraft Projectile. Barker was given responsibility for the telemetry equipment. This project had top priority so it was easy to make rapid progress. Initial firings were at Ynyslas in Wales prior to construction of special guided weapons range at the Royal Aerospace Establishment RAE Aberporth, Wales.  In 1946 R H Barker read a paper describing his system at an international conference on telemetry at Princeton University, US.
caption: Telemetry trials at Ynyslas, Wales, 1945
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