When I was stationed in Comox between 1960 and 1962, the complex was at the far right hand corner of the airfield in a wooded area bounded by the beach and a high fence that had the road on the other side. (It went I know not where). During my tour at this location we served as a long range GCA for the interceptor squadrons and a back-up surveillance facility when the search radar at Holberg was inoperative – either due to weekly maintenance or a malfunction.
The complex consisted of the FPS-502 radar (the last one still operational in Canada), and the control room that housed 20 some off PPI’s, the IFF and the 15-J-1D. The complex was manned by, I seem to recall, Air Traffic Controllers who performed a long range air traffic control function and who provided a FtrCop role during planned maintenance or failure of the Holberg search radar. Exactly how the operational set-up worked I don’t know as I was low on the totem pole and did as I was told (mostly).
I worked with a Sgt. Harrington, Phil Bunker, George Turcotte, Al Tonkin and Don Wilder. One of the people who could provide additional detail on the Operations of the time is Dan Wilder.
I do remember that the plan was to replace the FPS-502 with a new long range GCA radar but I do not recall its designation. In the spring of 1962, we dismantled the FPS-502 in preparation for the installation of the new GCA radar. I think that the new GCA radar eventually went into operation late in the winter of 1962. The Operations people were definitely controllers as I ran into many of them when I eventually crossed over to the NavAids side of the trade in 1972. I was transferred out of Comox before the new GCA radar was installed and operational.
Ross Grieve served as a Radar Tech at Comox between 1960 and 1962.