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Normal Topic Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this? (Read 8,045 times)
Chris Morshead
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Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this?
03.12.2012 at 11:25:51
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Now and again (well, quite often really!) details of a strange object are sent to us at the ADRM to ID.  Often we can come up with something but, occasionally, we are stumped.  Please do have a quick look at www.facebook.com/pages/RAF-Air-Defence-Radar-Museum/157795494271602 to see if you can help!  Even the RAF Museum and the IWM are bemused!  Rgds, Chris

Edited:
The photos are attached below, for those who don't have a Facebook account!
  
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Dave Lowry
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Re: Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this?
Reply #1 - 03.12.2012 at 16:06:25
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Hi Chris

I have never seen anything like this object but some equipment I saw in the early 80s might give a clue for you to follow up. I was having an interesting tour at the then RSRE Malvern. My office was in 'H' Block which had a very large and dusty store room to the rear. The scientists never threw anything away unless threatened with grievous bodily harm. It was full of old trial equipment much of which never saw the light of day, a fascinating Aladin's Cave. From the days before EDDs they had tried to develop ways of improving the backward writing totes. One line of approach was based on the displays common in railway stations and airports on which you could see the physical letters and numbers sequencing through until they settled on the appropriate information of times, destinations, gates, platform numbers etc. There were a number of such experimental displays gathering dust designed to show the information we would have had in the Ops Room. They were, however, much larger than the equipment shown in your photos. Needless to say, the Universal Console and the EDDs made them obsolete before they were fully developed.

Perhaps your equipment was part of a similar initiative. On the other hand, my suggestion could be a complete red herring.

Rgds

Dave
  
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Richard Jenner
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Re: Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this?
Reply #2 - 04.12.2012 at 07:51:29
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It's a fascinating object. I was wondering if it was something to do with plotting plaques...the first picture shows a tray at the bottom with 4 marks - to make up a 4 digit sequence for a track number? However, it is very small and designed to be portable. No marks on anything?

  
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Chris Morshead
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Re: Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this?
Reply #3 - 05.12.2012 at 12:51:26
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Thanks, Richard and Dave, for your thoughts.  The owner really does not have any idea if it was Radar-related – she thought she’d ask as no-one in the mainstream RAF seem to know so she is looking to see if it had more specialist uses.  It came to her through a member of Bomber Command Flight Crew so my view is it is more likely related to that field and it folds up nicely (to fit in a Nav Bag?).  It appears that the columns will move up and down and they can be reset “en masse”.  I think the only way we will solve this is if someone says “Ah, yes!  No I remember using this at…” but worth a try here!  Rgds, Chris
  
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Ian Fish
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Re: Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this?
Reply #4 - 05.12.2012 at 12:58:38
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Gerry Mickleburgh has emailed me on the subject of this object.  He suggests that it was used to service totes in Type 15 Convoy.  He remarks that "Type 15 Convoys, which provided me with a great deal of my FC background, by their very nature needed mobile kit and in a standby GCI rôle needed to display what was going on. I seem to recall this piece of kit, or something like it, at Leeming (Night Fighter OCU), Neatishead in Happidrome days and Middle Wallop (SFC)."

Regards,

Ian
  
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Chris Morshead
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Re: Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this?
Reply #5 - 10.12.2012 at 09:22:03
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Hi Ian, thanks for that.  Can Gerry explain how it was used?  That's what is proving to be a bit difficult to fathom out.  If Gerry can shed any light on that it would be great.  Cheers, Chris
  
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Jan Cobb
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Re: Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this?
Reply #6 - 15.11.2013 at 09:09:05
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I have received a message from an ADGE ex-engineer (or an ex-ADGE engineer!), Malcolm Brown, who informs me that the item is a Syko SD2 Strip Cypher, probably used in Airborne communications (which means nothing to me!).
  
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Chris Morshead
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Re: Unknown Object - Anyone recognise this?
Reply #7 - 16.11.2013 at 00:01:39
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Hi Jan, sorry - did not close the loop on this - see https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=482909851760163&set=pb.157795494271602.-....  Basically, the same conclusion.  Now, if Malcolm knows how it works that would be realy great.  It was used for encoding and or decoding radio messages (not sure if Tx, Rx or both Tx and Rx) but, even having found that out, I could not fathom out how it worked! Anyway,   if Malcolm knows how it worked that would be great!  Cheers, Chris
  
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