A new thing to worry about
in [Repair]
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From: Stormin Mormon on 13 Dec 2009 08:31 Even the outside of the building looks sinister. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "The Daring Dufas" <the-daring-dufas(a)peckerhead.net> wrote in message news:hg1nkr$fu7$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... NO EXCREMENT?! I was out in the Marshall Islands 20 years ago and got to explore the old phased array radar installation on Meck island at the Kwajalein Atoll. I think it had two power supplies at one time but there was one left in what was called the Frankenstein room, an incredible contraption that looked like the set of a monster movie. I wish I still had pictures, darn. There were Jesus sticks hanging all over that place. You did notice that I wrote "stray current"? You probably got into the field after the advent of Affirmative Action when dangerous items had to be hidden away from quota hires because of the death and destruction they were capable of. "Hey, what's this big red thing for?" Here's a picture of the outside of the building, I wish I had a picture of the interior. http://www.smdc.army.mil/smdcphoto_gallery/Kwaj/Img19_MeckIsland.jpg TDD
From: Stormin Mormon on 13 Dec 2009 08:34 Michael A. Terrell wrote: > The Daring Dufas wrote: >> Michael A. Terrell wrote: >>> The Daring Dufas wrote: >>>> David Brodbeck wrote: >>>>> Stormin Mormon wrote: [presents]
From: Michael A. Terrell on 13 Dec 2009 15:56 The Daring Dufas wrote: > > Michael A. Terrell wrote: > > > > TWT on VHF? VHF is 30 to 300 MHz and TWT are typically built for 300 > > MHz up which would put it in the 300 to 3000 MHz UHF range. > > > > My bad, that ALTAIR installation is a wide band radar with what I assume > are multiple feeds. I really wish I knew more about it and had been able > to get in and see the operation. It's been 20 years and I remember the > fellow I spoke with telling me of the enormous power of the darn thing. > I do specifically remember being told that it used VHF frequencies in > some modes. There is a story of it being aimed at a Russian trawler that > hung around the islands. The tale speaks of the power being ramped up > until smoke came out of the boat which made a quick exit from the area. That would be hard to do at HF or VHF since you can't focus the RF into a tight beam at those frequencies, compared to a couple degrees or less at microwave frequencies. :) > > Have you seen the big dishes used by NOAA for their LEO wearther > > satellites? I worked on the turnkey upgrade for their Wallops Island > > installation that was built by Microdyne. It replaced a 20 year old > > Harris microowave system and had to control their 100 foot dishes. > > > > <http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/brs/spind10.htm has a few pictures.> > > > > We also built the pair of tracking stations for the European Space > > Agency. One fixed site, and the other mobile. > > > > > > You obviously have had more experience with neater and higher power > stuff than I've had. Is it OK if I envy you? *snicker* If you must, but I just like to trade war stories about equipment that would make newbie techs retch or fill their drawers when they see the size and the hazards involved. The sheer look of terror on their faces is priceless! Like me standing on the HV power supply inside a VHF high band TV transmitter so I can adjust the interstage coupling while the station is on the air. The end of the cabinet was removed, since it didn't have any interlocks, and i was standing on one of the transformers. It was either do it that way, or spend days removing the rear door, making a small adjustment, replacing the rear door then firing it up to find it still had too much ripple in the video bandwidth, shutting it down and starting over. :) -- Offworld checks no longer accepted!
From: The Daring Dufas on 13 Dec 2009 17:30 Michael A. Terrell wrote: > The Daring Dufas wrote: >> Michael A. Terrell wrote: >>> TWT on VHF? VHF is 30 to 300 MHz and TWT are typically built for 300 >>> MHz up which would put it in the 300 to 3000 MHz UHF range. >>> >> My bad, that ALTAIR installation is a wide band radar with what I assume >> are multiple feeds. I really wish I knew more about it and had been able >> to get in and see the operation. It's been 20 years and I remember the >> fellow I spoke with telling me of the enormous power of the darn thing. >> I do specifically remember being told that it used VHF frequencies in >> some modes. There is a story of it being aimed at a Russian trawler that >> hung around the islands. The tale speaks of the power being ramped up >> until smoke came out of the boat which made a quick exit from the area. > > > That would be hard to do at HF or VHF since you can't focus the RF > into a tight beam at those frequencies, compared to a couple degrees or > less at microwave frequencies. :) > > >>> Have you seen the big dishes used by NOAA for their LEO wearther >>> satellites? I worked on the turnkey upgrade for their Wallops Island >>> installation that was built by Microdyne. It replaced a 20 year old >>> Harris microowave system and had to control their 100 foot dishes. >>> >>> <http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/brs/spind10.htm has a few pictures.> >>> >>> We also built the pair of tracking stations for the European Space >>> Agency. One fixed site, and the other mobile. >>> >>> >> You obviously have had more experience with neater and higher power >> stuff than I've had. Is it OK if I envy you? *snicker* > > > If you must, but I just like to trade war stories about equipment > that would make newbie techs retch or fill their drawers when they see > the size and the hazards involved. The sheer look of terror on their > faces is priceless! Like me standing on the HV power supply inside a > VHF high band TV transmitter so I can adjust the interstage coupling > while the station is on the air. The end of the cabinet was removed, > since it didn't have any interlocks, and i was standing on one of the > transformers. It was either do it that way, or spend days removing the > rear door, making a small adjustment, replacing the rear door then > firing it up to find it still had too much ripple in the video > bandwidth, shutting it down and starting over. :) > > > I've worked with a lot of high voltage power but there on the island the highest power runs were 4160 3 phase. The superintendent I was working with borrowed a wooden hot stick from the power plant crew. Lucky thing he was wearing the high voltage glove set. I think his hard hat popped off when his hair stood on end while we were plugging in the transformers. Did you know that a slightly damp hot stick will conduct electricity? Ya know shortcuts can be dangerous. This particular guy got himself killed a few years later when he fell down a shaft in Cairo while trying to change a lamp in a fixture on a big sewer project. He decided he didn't need that pesky safety harness. As far as that big radar goes, I know I wasn't hearing things. It will operate in CW mode at VHF and UHF frequencies. Here's a link and I still wish I had gotten a closer look at that thing. http://www.smdc.army.mil/KWAJ/RangeInst/ALTAIR.html TDD
From: Jules on 14 Dec 2009 08:32
On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:39:20 -0600, The Daring Dufas wrote: > NO EXCREMENT?! I was out in the Marshall Islands 20 years ago and > got to explore the old phased array radar installation on Meck > island at the Kwajalein Atoll. I think it had two power supplies > at one time but there was one left in what was called the Frankenstein > room, an incredible contraption that looked like the set of a monster > movie. I wish I still had pictures, darn. I wish you still had pictures, too - I used to do a lot of exploration / photography in old military places like that, but it's rare to find one where it hasn't been stripped of equipment. Sounds like an interesting place... cheers Jules |