RADAR RESEARCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26033, 22 December 1945, Page 8

RADAR RESEARCH

DOMINION PIONEERS _\ WAR-TIME ACHIEVEMENTS Details of the part played by New Zealanders in -the development of radar have now been released. Dr M. A. F. Barnett, who later became director of meteorological services in New Zealand, and now holds the rank of wing commander in the R.N.Z.A.F. weather service, carried out experiments with Sir Edward Appleton m Britain in 1924. Using a broadcasting station for investigations into the upper layers of the atmosphere, the two men discovered that waves sent out were being reflected and picked up again. By accident an aircraft crossed the path. Waves were deflected from it, and in this way radar was born. Mr I. D. Stevenson, director of the Radio Development Laboratory, Wellington, who has recently referred to Dr Barnett’s work in this connection, mentioned that the member of the Air Ministry in Britain who had been responsible for the decison to develop the new discovery was the present Governor-General of New Zealand, Sir Cyril Newall. Stations Established When war appeared inevitable in 1939, the dominions were given the secrets of radar. New Zealand at once sent Dr E. Marsden, of the Department of, Scientific and Industrial Research, to England to collect the secret information and key parts for the sets. War broke out while ne was there, but he brought the plans back safely and in a short time New Zealand had radar stations in action and was even supplying surplus equipment to the. British - Eastern, Fleet. Whenever these parts were sent in ships or planes they were carried in perforated bags weighted so as to sink rapidly if necessary. In New Zealand, Government laboratories perfected the parts and these were then made in quantities in factories under close supervision. One Auckland firm set up a small laboratory and participated in the work. When war broke out Britain had radar stations erected all round her coasts and regularly plotted aircraft. The Germans became curious about mysterious signals emanating from these stations and sent Zeppelins to investigate. They flew very high and did not, of course, understand the nature of the signals. The Zeppelins were never seen, but the British Knew they were there. A Problem Solved One of the first problems encountered with radar was the excessive heating-up of insulating substances, which made them useless for this work. Ordinary electrical wiring was replaced in Britain by co-axial cable. New Zealand was unable to obtain this cable, but the engenuity of ner engineers led to the improvisation of domestic copper tubing for the purpose. Quarter-inch tubes Were placed inside inch tubing, and stations all round the coasts were "wired” in this way, civilian supplies being made short on that account. New Zealand also led the world, according to Mr Stevenson, in the use of radar for weather forecasting. Meteorological balloons were followed for up to 40 miles by radar and valuable data for foretelling the weather were obtained in this way.