On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 06:05:51 GMT, Guy Alcala
wrote:

As noted below, this was the WWIII fit, and they were just starting procurement.
The question was whether they'd confirm
procurement of the APR-26 or go with the HRB-Singer set. Almost no sets of either
type had yet been fitted to trials a/c, and only a few of the APR-25/-26/IR-133 to
the F-100F WWs.

HRB-Singer set test Apr 66
F-105 weasel test flying Jan 66 Deployed May-Jun 66
F-4 weasel flying sometime before June 66
Didn't find out APR-26 might be faulty until after Jun 66..

Ok. They took a chance with the APR-26 since it was flying and ended
up being wrong..

It might have also been a maintenance thing keeping the 26 over the
Singer. Simple transistors against (maybe) multi-layer ic type boards
that would require extensive tech rep or depot support.

H'mm that seems a bit off. Normally, fire control sets search at a lower PRF, then
track at a higher one. FWIW, the first available site I could find credits Fan
Song C/E with the following PRFs:

PRF 828-1440 Search. 1656-2880 Trk.

Makes me wonder now. Did they "flip a switch" and double the prf? Or
did the prf double because the aircraft was in the box and two beams
at the same prf were hitting?

"The Fan Song was one of the first electronic scanning radars--it directed its
energy without having to move its antenna. "The way the Soviets built the Fan Song

Tech school memory - Lewis scanner. English name for soviet radar
scanning? English name for U.S. developed radar technique in late
40's-50's. Not further developed by U.S. because it was inefficient
use of power.

Thanks. BTW, in the case of say a two-ringer growing to a three, did the strobe
extend in from the periphery, or out from the center? I've always assumed it was
the latter (looking similar to a PPI display), but I've never seen a source I trust
which says which it was.

Center going out as you got closer to source.If I remember right on
the APR-25 a really strong signal would cause the signal to go to the
outer edge of the scope and curl back in a loop. Lots of strong
signals - lots of loops..

Factory schools on equipment were interesting. Fresh off the drawing
boards and the solder still cooling.G
APR-36/37
Student - What does that circuit do?
Instructor - I don't know.
Student - What does the engineer that designed it say?
Instructor - He can't remember..