[MRCA] USAAF Watch Station Controllers Desk

Sun Apr 12 05:30:31 EDT 2020

Thanks Mike for the information on the Airfield Mimic Panel that is on the extreme right hand side of the Thurleigh picture.  A couple of questions - do you have access to an original to see how it's made?  I am now guessing that the board itself was translucent, and had light bulbs mounted in the various land light patterns underneath the board that were used depending on what runway was in use.  I'm guessing that the electronic controls below this chart probably turned the light patterns on the board on and off, and controlled the brightness of the lights in each pattern on the board .  These control knobs would more than likely be rheostats, and reproducing this board should be pretty straight forward.
73Mark D.WW2RDO

We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."  -  George Orwell
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In a message dated 4/12/2020 5:08:49 AM Eastern Standard Time, mrca at mailman.qth.net writes:

The main Airfield radio was the SCR-644 ( BC-639-A Receiver and BC-640 transmitter ) and were located away from the Watch Station and each other, and remoted into the tower by field phone.  But GI's being GI's, and if the need arose, additional communications gear was added.  There are not only pictures of the BC-348 in this Watch Station at Thurleigh, but another picture at another watch station in England of an SCR-274-A set up, powered by a makeshift battery power supply. 

What is somewhat maddening is trying to identify not only the main pieces of communications gear, but also the controls used at the Watch Station Controllers desk.  In the picture of Thurleigh, the BC-348 and the three LS-3 speakers stand out, but what is the board the T-17 mic is plugged into in the Thurleigh picture?  Also, what is the piece of gear on the extreme right had side of the photo of Thurleigh?  I have been able to decipher that the chart above the electronics gear in the extreme right of the Thurleigh photo shows the airfield approach patterns used depending on what runway at the field was in service, but have no idea what the purpose of the electronics is.  Also, what is up with the airfield chart above the switchboard?  It seems to show various locations around the field, but to what purpose?  The switchboard couldn't possibly be connected directly to all those locations - the switchboard isn't big enough.  The two dial type meters mounted in the controller's desk are most certainly wind speed and wind direction indicators.
73Mark D.WW2RDO

"He who dares, wins."  -  Motto of the British Special Air Service
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In a message dated 4/11/2020 11:00:58 PM Eastern Standard Time, timsamm at gmail.com writes:

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.
TimN6CC
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
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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...

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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
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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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