[MRCA] USAAF Watch Station Controllers Desk

Sun Apr 12 13:21:50 EDT 2020

The equipment in the center of the Thurleigh picture may not be a switchboard after all.  There is no evidence of any patch cords attached to that equipment, patch cords that a telephone switchboard needs to function as designed.  So what is the darn thing?  It could be a radio remote/amplifier combination.  We know that the base radio was not located in the tower - that it and it's antennae were located at least a mile away and remoted into the tower via telephone landline.  That signal would more than likely need to be amplified to be audible in any headset/speaker at the Watch Station desk ( hence the amplifier).  We also know that many radio remotes, especially military radio remotes had a built in telephone feature, which would explain the presence of a hand crank to operate the ringer on the other end of the phone line. and the presence of the telephone handset.  Also note the lack of EE-8 field telephones in the picture of Thurleigh.  The headsets/T-17 microphones at the watch desk would eliminate the need for the EE-8s as far as radio communication was concerned if whatever the headsets/mics were plugged into worked through the remote/amplifier combination. and the presence of the telephone on the duty desk in the center of the photo would mean that any airfield  switchboard would not need to be or even desired to be located in the room with the watch desk, or even in the Watch Station in order to provide landline communication to and from the Watch Station. 

Mark D.WW2RDO
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
Sent from  AOL Desktop

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
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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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