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Your Say!

While the Association does not necessary agree or disagree with everything on this page,

we do respect the right of everyone to have their say.

The 2021 Celebration.

Jimmy Potter says:  “For the 2021 celebration why don’t you get together an Over The Hill Gang Band, made up of the many many many great guys and girls who were in bands whilst in the RAAF.

One of the best was a band called REBOUND out of Pearce in the early seventies, fronted by a great performer and showman now what was his name again, oh yes Jimmy Potter.  Ron Clayton a RAD Tech was one of the guitarists and he still keeps his hand in and is in contact with all the guys.  He also had a band called the Jackaroos in Vungtau.

Once again Trev your assistance is much appreciated.  See you in Penang maybe?”

Good idea Scotty – we’ll toss it up there and see who salutes – tb.

So!   If you were part of a band during your time in the RAAF and you and your band would like to entertain the troops once again, this time from the stage at the Melbourne Myer Music Bowl (in March 2021) click HERE and let us know and we'll give you the details.  And, if you know a band member who hasn't seen this, let then know.

19 RTC.

Robert Jordan got in touch, he says:

“You show a photo of 19 RTC in Vol 5 page 3, possibly Ballarat 1960 or 1961, you have the same photo (below) under course photos with a date of 1961 above it.

Is this the correct course number for this photo? Why I ask is that I was on 19 RTC which commenced at Laverton on the 18th Feb 1963 and finished on the 6th Nov 1963.

Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of the people on this course. We started with 20 Mechs from which they wanted 8 Air Techs and 12 Ground Techs, out of 8 we ended up with 4 and for the Ground Techs it was 7 or 8.

I hope that this info may be some little help, I should imagine as time goes by your job gets harder and harder to try and update photos etc.

Can anyone help here - tb

Rob Jordan also says:   “In Vol 45 Page 5 you have a photo of 27 Rad Mechs, sent in by Arthur Fry, he states that I was never seen again after Rad School. Just to show I was still around I have attached a short statement of my service history.

BOB JORDAN — Rad Tech A, 11 August 1960 —03 February 1981

After my Air Force life I stayed with aircraft and spent the next thirty odd years in the General Aviation Industry, mainly involved with Airborne Geophysical and Photographic Survey Systems.

I am now fully retired, live in Wanneroo a northern suburb of Perth, play two 18 hole rounds of golf a week and am still married to the WRAAF I met at Rad School while on the Rad Tech course back in 1963 — going on 54 years.

Regards and all the best to whoever may read this.

Laverton Quad Radar.

Mike Gaham says The note:

‘Laverton Quad Radar, Kevin Cragg has sent us some video from the AWM web site which shows the Quad radar at Laverton. He says it’s stiring stuff for old RadtechG’. He doesn’t know what the gear is in the first part, perhaps it’s an aircraft simulator??? Does anyone know?? You can see it here https://youtu.be/C6dofo3_rOs

caught my attention. Being one of the old time Quad (GCA) (and the last) instructors from CFS C flight it was a simple task to identify the equipment at the start of the video. It is the target generator we used to “simulate” aircraft on the FPN/36 screen for students. There is a static display of both the FPN/36 and the “simulator” in the foyer of SATC at East Sale – or there was when I last visited.

And,

Bob Carlyon says:

In Vol 60 at Page 5, you show an article about the Quadradar at Laverton which asks the question about the identity of the gear shown in the first part of the video clip.  I can tell you that it is the AN/GPN-T2A Quadradar Simulator and I have to say that I don't really believe that the video was taken at Laverton, to me, it looks more like it was taken at Sale where the simulator was an essential part of the equipment required for the training of the GCA Air Traffic Confusers.

Way, way back in 1969, I was the Sergeant i/c ATC Tower at Base Radio, Sale, and that included the Quadradar simulator.  I can tell you that it was a real bitch to keep serviceable.

The simulator was an analogue computer and, as the article suggests, it was a target simulator. It was capable of producing two targets, each being controlled by a separate set of controls on the console seen in the video clip.  The problem RADTECHs had was getting both sides of the simulator to work at the same time.

Not long after I took over the role of i/c Tower, we were told that our Quadradar simulator was to be sent back to the US for overhaul, and that we would be getting a new one fresh from overhaul.  Halleluiah !  We would be getting one that actually works !!

Well not really !

When we had sent our old simulator away and received the new one. we found that the new one was worse than the one we had sent away.  Bugger !  No matter.  We just had to go through the extremely long alignment procedure.

The biggest problem was the alignment of the Stabilized Amplifiers.  Now remember this is analogue stuff.  We had to make an adjustment of this voltage level and then wait for (I think) five minutes to see if the level drifted more than a few millivolts.  If it did, then a very small adjustment of the voltage (a breath of the screwdriver was way too much) had to be made and the wait and watch procedure started over again.  If one was extremely lucky, one could adjust two Stabilized Amplifiers in a day - if one was lucky !.  There were four amplifiers per side and there were two sides.  By the time the last amplifier was adjusted, it was necessary to go back and check the first amplifiers adjusted.

The really neat thing about all this was that we had the BRADO and the SATCO dropping in every five minutes wanting to know the progress.  Then there were the ATC GCA instructors, the students, and just about every man and his dog who had anything remotely related to do with GCA drop by to "see how things were going."

Well, things weren't going too good at all, try as we might, we just couldn't get a stable target that turned right when we told it to turn right and left when we told it to turn left.  It had a mind of its own.

Eventually, I had to admit to the BRADO that we didn't know how to correct the problem and that we needed the best help the RAAF could provide.  We had followed the manuals to the letter and got absolutely nowhere - except extremely frustrated and depressed.

A couple of days later, the Boss advised that the RAAF was flying out from the US, an engineer from the company that manufactured and overhauled the gear.  Holy S**t, talk about a reaction!  All I had in mind was some bright eyed and bushie tailed genius RAAF trained engineer officer type.

What had I done ? We were about to enter the major league !

About a week later, this elderly (by our standards at the time) gentleman arrived and asked us to go through what we had been doing.  This we did.  We pulled out the good old and trusted RAAF manual and started our alignment. As before, this took many days throughout which this Yank sat and just looked at us and spoke only occasionally with us about nothing.  Finally, after working the weekend, we had finished and, "See, the bloody thing is drifting off course and look.  When I turn left, it does nothing !!!!!"

"Yes", says this Yank.  "You've done everything correct according to the manual; HOWEVER, the adjustment of the Stabilized Amplifiers needs to be more precise."

MORE PRECISE !!!!  (you are kidding !)

He suggested that instead of the few millivolts of drift allowed in the manual, we should aim at one maybe two millivolts of drift in the allotted time.  Ha ! 

OK.  We did this; however, it now took us about one full day to adjust just the one Stabilized Amplifier - remember that the equipment had eight of these amplifiers.  However, after a couple of weeks, we did get them all adjusted as the Yank genius suggested and Yallah !  The bloody thing worked as it was supposed to.

I am confident that this was the only time in the history of this equipment in the RAAF that both sides worked as specified, and it continued to work for another two weeks or more before drift took its toll again. Nevertheless, we maintained one side for the remainder of my time at Sale.

So, your question was "Does anyone know what the gear is ?"

Yep !  I think that I do !

And.

Bob Gardiner says:  I think I can claim to be the last GCA Instructor at CFS "C" FLT, and the first GCA Instructor for SATC.  I was there at the changeover on 10 May 1981. The equipment is actually the Aircraft Target Generator for the CPN-4 (later MPN-11) a number of which we found in storage at Dubbo in 1980.  They were modified by the RADTECHs to operate with the FPN-36 Quadradar which was used for several years at ESL for Radar and GCA training. FPN-36 operators are living proof of the multi-tasking capabilities of both men and women with both Eyes, both Ears separately, both Hands and a Foot all in concurrent operation.

Laurie Lindsay sent us this:

How good is this ...A combined BBQ & Beer Cooler. This, surely, is Aussie engineering at its very best!

When you're finished barbequing and all the ice has melted, just pull the handle and the fire goes out. OMG ... is this a great country, or what?

A Wannabe??

Bob Bennett says:   "There's a bloke in Ballarat who claims he was a WGCDR in the RAAF and was discharged on 27 Feb.72 with the Hon. rank of GPCAPT.  He goes by Matthew, but his real name is thought to be John.   He claims to have been in Vietnam with 9 SQN and also with 78 SQN in 1961--62  (9 SQN has no record of him ).  Time permitting, could you ask the REOA membership if anyone remembers a WGCDR Matthew or John PARMENTER back in the late 60's -- early 70's ??

 I thought if someone had a 1971 Stud Book, he may appear in that --- a long shot I know!

Regards,

Bob Bennett

Amberley buildings

Gary Ilton got in touch, he says:  “Great issue (Vol 60) as always. On page 5 below one of the photos...'we believe these old buildings (above) were once at Amberley – can anyone ID them??'

This was the old Base Gym up until the mid-2000’s, not sure the exact date that it closed. The new gym is up near the new Officers’ Mess.

It may have been used for something else when it was first built”.??

Telstech Association.

Neil hunter got in touch, he says:  “Hello All, it's that time again, to remind you that the RAAF Telstech Association was formed to keep all ex-Telstechs in touch with one another and to advise anything which may be of interest.  To successfully keep the association going, it costs money and therefore, I respectfully request your help in this respect.  $10 per year (payable at the end of February), will get you all the information I can gather, and access to the Telstech's web site (If you are connected to the Internet).  Your $10 will help us to pay for our own domain name - www.raaftelstechs.org.au, and for postage to those who aren't connected to the Internet.

If your name in the Telstech list shows a + or a ++, you are a financial member, (+ for one or more years, and ++ for Life Member). Don't forget, that if you are a bit flush with money, $100 will get you Life Membership of the Association.

Please send your contributions to:

Please make cheques and money orders out to the 'RAAF Telstechs Association'. If you are making an electronic funds transfer, don't forget to include your name, so we can keep the records straight.

Don't forget to let me know of any changes in your details, so I can keep the Telstech list up to date”.

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