Northern Radar

Was Lindholme Radio Tower
Off topic, but who did Northern radar provide CAC(centralised approach control)) to?

I believe it was to co-ordinate civil and military traffic and keep the two safely apart. That was the role of the other two Type 82 radars that were continued after Bloodhounds were withdrawn: North Luffenham/Midland Radar and Watton/Eastern Radar.

canberra wrote:

Was Lindholme Radio Tower
Off topic, but who did Northern radar provide CAC(centralised approach control)) to?

When I was there in '73, CAC was provided for Binbrook and Leconfield plus (and I may be wrong) Strubby.

TerryClark wrote:

canberra wrote:

Was Lindholme Radio Tower
Off topic, but who did Northern radar provide CAC(centralised approach control)) to?

When I was there in '73, CAC was provided for Binbrook and Leconfield plus (and I may be wrong) Strubby.

In fact, looking at the history of Northern, it also provided CAC for Waddington, Scampton, Finningley, Cottesmore and Wittering plus occasionally Leeming.

Kevin wrote:

I believe it was to co-ordinate civil and military traffic and keep the two safely apart. That was the role of the other two Type 82 radars that were continued after Bloodhounds were withdrawn: North Luffenham/Midland Radar and Watton/Eastern Radar.

The unit was originally an Air Defence Tactical Control Centre (TCC) for spotting invading aircraft for the Bloodhound unit at North Coates which protected several Thor ICBM sites using a single Type 82 radar of 10cm wavelength and putting out a massive 1.5 MW of power.
With the introduction of the Bloodhound Mk2 missile which had their own tactical control radars and the phasing out ot the Thor ICBM, the role of the unit changed to Air Traffic Control with trials starting for this role in Jan 1963. It was found necessary to slow the rotation rate of the radar and its SSR head to 8.68 rpm for ATC use giving it a range of about 150 nm (you could 'see' traffic departing Amsterdam on it) and the unit was officially established as 'Humber Radar' in Jan 1964 with the first civil controller arriving in April 1964, initially to provide services to civil airliners operating from Newcastle and later Teeside which passed through the Vale of York training area.
I paid my first visit there in the summer of 1965 while a cadet at ATC summer camp and the following year, both civil and military controllers started providing services to traffic operating abvoe FL245 and in October 1966, the unit was re- named 'Northern Radar'.
I returned to Northern Radar in early 1973 as an Air Traffic Control Officer Cadet to train for my Area Radar (civil) rating and by this time, the Type 80 radar from Patrington was available via GPO telephone lines to supplement the Type 82, which not being MTI equipped, had a very large radar 'overhead'.
In mid 1973, the Patrington Type 80 was replaced by the Type 84 or 85 which was microwaved in from Staxton Wold via a number of relay stations, one of which I remember was at Elsham Wold disused airfield on the south bank of the Humber south of Hull.
Further reading here:- www.atchistory.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/lindholme-part-1.pdf

Sorry that link doesn't seem to work, try:
www.atchistory.wordpress.com/2020/01/01/...tcru-northern-radar/

If this doesn't work, page down the right hand column to find RAF Lindholme.

Terry,

Thanks for filling a lot of holes in my memory of that area.

I was at Binbrook in days whe the radar was "Humber Radar" (I was a radat tekkie in GRSF - but airfield stuff) and then one day, somebody at Innsworth found my file and decided that was overdue a posting... and off to Masirah I did go!

Came back, and I was posted to Lindholme... but to 721 MRBSU - so saw the building and scanner all the time - but never went there. And I can't remember what name they had as we were both completely separate lodger units on the one base.

And, with some gentle 'leaning' on people, I got a last tour at Binbrook again as I had a house and family there. And by then, "Humber Radar" had become "Northern Radar!