The Air Staff and AEW: Royal Air Force Airborne Early Warning

PaulMM (Overscan) said:
One thing I did note was something I had difficulty with in my own attempts to research radar technology was the nomenclature used to describe those radars which lie between the reasonably well understood simple pulse radar at one end and the coherent pulse-doppler radar at the other. In the middle are a range of hybrid radars such as pulse with AMTI, "quasi-coherent", "coherent-on-recieve", or the British favoured FMICW. Such hybrid designs are sometimes described in brochures as "pulse-doppler" or "coherent" when they might not fully qualify for it according to strict definitions, but this is most likely due to the manufacturer being somewhat disingenuous. FMICW seems to be an end-limit case (or specialised class) of high-PRF pulse doppler radar rather than a separate technology, but perhaps the specifics are eluding me as a layman.
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FMICW is related more to continuous wave radars than to pulse-doppler. Pulse-doppler uses a single transmission frequency, while FMCW radars (including FMICW) broadcast a frequency sweep.
 
If you look into how high prf pulse Doppler radars work, they appear to be basically the same. Successive pulses are modulated in frequency so you can tell whether the returned signal is from the last pulse you sent or an earlier one which is vital when using a high prf as the time between pulses is very short. The modulated pulse-Doppler signal thus appears rather like an interrupted continuous wave.
 
Thanks Paul, glad you like it.

Comparison with Bazelgette's masterpiece is appreciated.

I must admit to a spot of arse/elbow recognition trouble with the radars. Oddly enough, the documents on NASR.6166 from Blackburn/HSA Brough refer to the radar as FMICW throughout whereas the BAC paperwork from Weybridge always called it pulse-Doppler. Same radar different names in different places.

Ferranti/Marconi? I live nearer to Edinburgh than Borehamwood. Nuff said!

Thanks to all who have bought a copy, Feed back so far has been very positive. Amazon are being glacial in their efforts to list it as available, but Waterstones have it on their site. As ever, you'll get it and teh other Project Tech Profiles quicker direct from me.

Thanks

Chris
 
Morning all,

I'll be at The National Archives at Kew all this week having a rummage in its drawers. If anyone is kicking about and fancies a brew and a blah, PM me and we can sort something out.

Thanks

Chris
 
Chris is this book still available any where I'd love to have a copy to go with your RN AEW book I already own.


Cheers.
 
Tyles,

pm me with your details and I'll sort you out.

Chris
 
Received my copy this week: another must have from Mr Gibson. Brilliant!
 
Note that the Aviation Bookshop have some copies of this at Telford today. Buy a copy if you don't have it!
 

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