In numerous sources, Allied pilots make reference to the "drone" of German radar feedback in their headsets.
I don't suppose there'd be a soundclip out there where we could actually hear that, is there?
This one has been driving me nuts for some time, any help would be appreciated!
Thanks,
-K
I don't know of any sound clips, but I've heard plenty of radars.
Basically, it's like this:
If the radar frequency, or some hormonic of it, is within rhe receiver's bandwidh, you'll
hear a tone on the receiver as the radar beam sweeps past the receiver. (Your airplane, in this case)
It can sound something like an Oboe or Saxophone, or other similar instrument.
The pitch of the tone is proportional to the Pulse Repetition Frequency of the radar. High PRFs are
higher pitched. The length of time that the tone persists is a product of the Beam Width and the
sweep rate. The amount of time between recurrences of the tone is proportional to the sweep rate.
This information, and a little bit of processing, can tell you the sweep rate, the beam width, the
Pulse Repetition Frewuency, and hte Pulse width, allowing an analyst to determine
the type of radar, and the best cases for Max Range, Range Resolution, and Angular Resolution.
In the case of an Allied fighter pilot over Germany, you'd be hearing a 1/2 to 1 second oboe note
every 6-10 seconds as the air search radar beams swept past the airplane.
A higher piched tone, either appearing as a rapid series of short beeps, or as a continuous tone,
would be heard as GCI radars or AAA Fire Control radars went active.
--
Pete Stickney
