[MRCA] USAAF Watch Station Controllers Desk

Sat Apr 11 22:59:50 EDT 2020

Hi Ray - It might be an SCR-624 setup?.  Basically an SCR-522 VHF radio in
a chest configured for expeditionary airfields.  Remotely controllable with
an EE-8 field phone/wire.  Might make sense for an airfield tower....remote
the radio..just have the EE-8 at the controller station.

Tim
N6CC

On Sat, Apr 11, 2020 at 6:41 PM Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu> wrote:

> Think with a lot of the research back last year or so discovered that most
> of the radio equipment was located away from the tower and remote back to
> the tower by phone lines.
>
> Both the older LF/HF and later VHF and it was much later that radios
> migrated back to the tower. Remember that WW2 VHF base radios were huge
> rack mounted systems and would be in the way at a ATC center. Perhaps
> training fields were there would only be one or two frequencies in use they
> would stuff a radio in the tower?
>
> But would expect not to see too many radios except like in the picture
> were you see the one BC-348 under the table for the times you need to check
> some non regular frequency.
>
>
>
> Ray F/KA3EKH
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net <mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on
> behalf of Captain D. via MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net>
> *Sent:* Saturday, April 11, 2020 9:09 PM
> *To:* k4ncgva at gmail.com <k4ncgva at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* MRCA at mailman.qth.net <MRCA at mailman.qth.net>; mhpotterone at gmail.com <
> mhpotterone at gmail.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [MRCA] USAAF Watch Station Controllers Desk
>
> I was able to magnify the picture some, and the equipment in the center of
> the picture does have a hand crank, so whoever called telephone switchboard
> is correct.  But it doesn't look like anything I've seen before.  It is
> certainly not a BD-71 or BD-72  I wonder way this switchboard is near an
> airfield diagram..  The board on the far right in the picture with
> equipment underneath it has approach paths in degrees written on it.  I
> wonder what that is about.  The knobs are in the wrong places on the
> equipment to aid in the turning of what would have been a very sizable DF
> loop antenna.  Perhaps this gear is not of US army origin.  can the folks
> at the US Air Force museum in Dayton be of any help.
>
> Mark D.
> WW2RDO
>
>
> "Clothes make the man.  Naked people have little or no influence on
> society." - Mark Twain
>
> Sent from AOL Desktop
> <https://discover.aol.com/products-and-services/aol-desktop-for-windows>
>
>
> In a message dated 4/10/2020 2:32:20 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> k4ncgva at gmail.com writes:
>
> Looks like three LS-3 speakers are mounted in the desktop console too...
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Apr 9, 2020, at 11:08 PM, Captain D. via MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net>
> wrote:
>
>
> I got this letter from Mike Potter, who is Director Emeritus for the
> Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, VA.  Please take a look at the
> picture of the USAAF Control Station in Thurleigh, England.  we are looking
> to identify the electronics in the picture.  and get ideas as to the
> nomenclature of the radios and what I think is an aircraft radio remote
> built into the controllers desk.  MAM Virginia Beach is looking to
> replicate this control room with it's equipment.  Please contact Mike
> Potter directly at mhpotter at gmail.com with all replies.  Thanks in
> advance for all your help.
>
> 73
>
> Mark D.
> WW2RDO
>
>
> "Clothes make the man.  Naked people have little or no influence on
> society." - Mark Twain
>
> Sent from AOL Desktop
> <https://discover.aol.com/products-and-services/aol-desktop-for-windows>
>
> ------------------------------
> From: mhpotterone at gmail.com
> To: mkdorney at aol.com
> Sent: 4/9/2020 5:29:06 PM Eastern Standard Time
> Subject: Hope you're doing OK?
>
>
> HI, Mark ...
>
> Hope this CV mess finds you well?  What a mess.
>
> I wanted to show you something that I found in one of the files on the
> purchase of the Goxhill Watch Office.
>
> Back in 2003, when Mr. Yagen bought the tower, and well before he was even
> thinking of restoring it, an article on the tower being brought over from
> the UK appeared in an aviation history magazine, and it asked anyone with
> specific info or photos of WWII US control towers in England to share their
> info.
>
> One gentleman responded by mail to Jerry after reading it, saying that he
> had been based at Thurleigh, which was also a USAAF base that happened to
> have exactly the same design of Watch Office as Goxhill.  Photos were sent,
> and one photo (attached) is the control desk.
>
> The contrast is not great, but some detail is clear.  Embedded in the
> vertical riser are three spaced US-speakers (I forget the designation, but
> we have those)  Also a mic or two, and switches that are a bit similar to
> some we have.
>
> What I was really curious about are the read-out dials and bits on the
> lower left rear of the desk down near the floor.  Looks like that was
> basically the electric panel for the control desk?  Any chance you can
> identify any of that for us?
>
> If you have not heard, obviously Warbirds Over the Beach is off for May,
> but we will hold it in October on the same date that we normally use for
> our WWI show.
>
> If you can make it, please let me know, and I'll make sure a free ticket
> is waiting for you ...
>
> Cheers,
>
> Mike Potter
>
> <Thurleigh pano.JPG>
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