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Fairey Swordfish ASV Mk. II radar, cockpit equipment?


MeneMene

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I'm working on the Tamiya Swordfish II, and have most of the cockpit complete. However, the aircraft I'm modelling has the ASV Mk. II radar antennas, but the kit doesn't come with any consoles or equipment in the cockpit for it? Does anyone have/know of any images of the radar display/controls in the cockpit? I have one source that says it was placed in the area under the pilot's seat, for use by the middle-seat crewman, but I can't find any pictures to scratchbuild something.

 

Thanks

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Hi there, I've been looking for the answer to this question for a long time myself, but have yet to come up with the definitive answer.

This webpage shows the kit that would be in the observers (middle) cockpit (not the box on the lower right, that's just a power supply), and this photo shows the kit installed in a Hudson.

When in use on the Swordfish, the PPI (plan position indicator) would almost certainly have used a rubber cowl or hood over the CRT display as per this photo in a Fortress.

Here's a thread I started a few years back with some supposition on where the boxes go in a MkII, and another thread on the mk III with a photo showing where the PPI was installed.

Yet another swordfish radar thread threw up some installation drawings for the mkIII swordfish,a couple with the shelf/hood arrangement common to most MkIII's, and one with an earlier arrangement which might be a clue as to where the kit was on the Mk II. Note the PPI is installed vertically with the screen on top on the starboard centre cockpit framing (note also the hood for viewing the CRT in daylight) This drawing also shows the MkII transmitter aerial dipole on the leading edge of the top wing centre section supported on three stubs projecting forward of the wing. Th Mk II of course didn't have the scanner between the undercarriage legs associated with the later ASV setup.

My current theory based on the above (especially the earkly MkIII installation drawing) is that the PPI would be mounted as per this drawing and the receiver, transmitter etc would be mounted under the pilot's seat.

 

 

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Hi M-M,

 

As Dave mentioned, there were two threads about this, his from 2012 where he posted the cockpit picture from the Aeroguide which I mentioned in my thread of 2015; my search beforehand didn't turn up his thread which answered my question.  You can see the goggled PPI just under the rear MG in said pic....Tony O posted some nice pics of his always great models there as well.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Dave Swindell said:

..............Note the PPI is installed vertically with the screen on top on the starboard centre cockpit framing (note also the hood for viewing the CRT in daylight)........................

My current theory based on the above (especially the earkly MkIII installation drawing) is that the PPI would be mounted as per this drawing and the receiver, transmitter etc would be mounted under the pilot's seat.

 

Many thanks for the sources and information, especially for this drawing.

 

Here is where my build is at so far, test-fitted into the fuselage side.

 

The drawing is hard to see exactly; am I interpreting it and what you wrote correctly if I put the PPI facing straight up, attached to the tubing framework to the right of the observers seat? In the space below the black box with the white switches/wiring?

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8 hours ago, dogsbody said:

All I could find was this picture in AEROGUIDE Classics Number 4 Swordfish.

That's the later MkIII installation

6 hours ago, MeneMene said:

Here is where my build is at so far

Looking good!

6 hours ago, MeneMene said:

The drawing is hard to see exactly; am I interpreting it and what you wrote correctly if I put the PPI facing straight up, attached to the tubing framework to the right of the observers seat? In the space below the black box with the white switches/wiring?

Yes, I'd go with that. I'd put the top of the PPI box level (or just slightly below) the shelf the black box is sitting on, with the viewing hood sticking up above the shelf. This would leave access to the switches as the flexible rubber hood could easily be bent out ot the way when needed.

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  • 1 year later...

Recently while searching  on-line about ASV Mk2, I came across a new publication "Airborne Maritime Surveillance Radar, Volume 1 : British ASV Radars in WWII 1939-1945" by Simon Watts  ISBN 9781643270630.

Google images suggests that there are plenty of pictures associated with this book which might help confirm the actual arrangement but I am a bit reluctant to cough up the asking price to find out.  Is anyone in a position to check this possible source out?

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