Radar: Technical Principles
Videos for Engineers

This series of videos was produced by the U.S. Army Signal Corps (CiC pronunciation "corpse") as part of the training program for radar technicians. I was a radar repairman in the USAF and do not recall seeing this series of films, but then my time was 1978-1982. The basics really haven't changed, other than the displays are no longer traces on an oscilloscope where the position of "pips" on the time base represent the distance and relative size of the target. The most advanced contemporary radar still uses a central timing unit to synchronize all time-related information, and has an antenna to "fling" RF energy into space, be reflected off of objects, and be processed by the receiver. The dictate to me and every other radar repairman in military history: "Whichever set you work on, your job, the repairman's job, is the same - to keep your set working and working right all the time."

Oh, if you have not yet watched the Reel 1, Part 3 video on radar indicators, you might be wondering what that thumbnail image has to do with a radar training film. Back in the day, especially in England, it was common to refer adoringly to someone as a "pip." Pip was also the term given to a blip on the radar screen, hence the symbolism. It was a mental bait-and-switch to get the troops' interest. You can bet there would never be such material in today's training videos. I won't comment further on the subject.

Posted February 8, 2012