Chain Home Radar - Battle of Britain Anniversary Special Event Station

August sees two GB80 Special Event Stations come on air marking the critical role that radar played in the Battle of Britain 80 years ago

In mid-August 1940 as events unfolded, the radar stations such as Ventor on the Isle of Wight bore the brunt of the initial wave but stayed on air to play a vital role. Unlike its modern counterparts, the pioneering Chain Home Radar system operated over HF to VHF (~20-55 MHz).

GB80CH (Chain Home) will be operated from Chelmsford in Essex, which has the most complete surviving radar tower from the Battle of Britain. Originally located at Canewdon near the Essex coast, the 360ft tall Chain Home mast was moved to what was Marconi Research Centre in the 1950s (now BAE Systems) in Great Baddow, where it has recently been given listed status. In recent times, it has supported amateur experiments on 160m and 472kHz. The BAE Systems Great Baddow Amateur Radio Club, with amateur colleagues in local clubs, will be operating across the HF+6m bands.

GB80BRS will be operated to commemorate Bawdsey Radar Station in Suffolk, which was where radar was developed in the late 1930s and was the location of the world’s first operational radar station. This will be the latest SES following several previous commemorations including in 2015 when the 80th anniversary of the first demonstration of working radar was made in the UK. The operation will be on 10m to 80m bands, SSB, CW and FT8.

Electronic QSL only.

Great Baddow Amateur Radio Club MX5BAE - http://www.mx5bae.org.uk/

Great Baddow Amateur Radio Club MX5BAE (Twitter) - https://twitter.com/MX5BAE