Frobisher, Bay

The primary search radar equipment was off the air for unscheduled maintenance during the month of July for a total of four hours and twenty (4:20) minutes. The following is a break-down of this unscheduled maintenance time:

All the radar on the site was off the air on the nineteenth of August due to power failure. The switches in the Power Plant were mislabeled and the airman on duty threw the wrong switch.

During the month of September we were completely out of the net for two hours and forty-eight minutes (2:48), while the overhaul team was here. The following is a breakdown of this unscheduled time that we were completely out of the net:

In September the primary search was off the air for unscheduled maintenance for fifty-two (52) minutes and backup search was put on the air. The following is the break-down of this time:

We contribute most of these problems to the overhaul of the equipment. The team did an excellent job on the height finder and a good job on the backup. On the primary search, they left something to be desired. We have found many loose connectors on this set. These loose connectors were the cause of most of our red time. We believe that most of the time that we were out of the net could have been prevented if the overhaul team had completely overhauled one set and checked it before they went to another one.

An hour meter was installed in the power line during the month of July. This meter was installed on the 15-J-1C, Target Simulator. The meter will give us a more accurate running time for the simulator. The Marconi radome paint team arrived during the reporting period. An excellent job on painting and reconditioning our domes was performed by the team.

After a series of checks and evaluations on the quality control used on the site, with close co-operation with the Operations Section, it was determined that numerous screening angles in the quality control chart were erroneous. These erroneous screening angles resulted in low quality control figures. Evaluation of the Radar Evaluation Team reports for the years 1954/55, revealed that the screening angles given on these reports for the AN/FPS-3 do not agree on many azimuths. The screening angles used on the quality control chart that is being used presently, by Operations, was made from data taken from the Evaluation Report of 1955. On many azimuths, the chart and the report did not agree as to the correct angle. The condition was reported to the Radar Evaluation Flight at Goose Air Base, Labrador. The Radar Evaluation Flight from Goose Air Base sent us a surveyor to check our screening angles on the above mentioned set. The surveyor discovered that the angles were erroneous on many azimuths. Our screening angle charts are now correct.

The target simulator was out most of the month of September. Maintenance on this equipment has been difficult due to the lack of spare parts and maintenance instructions.

This section has had a personnel gain of three (3) airmen. AFSC’s: 30332C; 30352C; and 30352C.

During the reporting period the Communications section fulfilled its mission of operating and providing administrative and tactical point to point communications, VHF and UHF air to ground radio, message center, fixed plant telephone facilities using tropospheric scatter system circuits and HF and LF back-up equipment.

The Marconi Overhaul team was on the site from 30 August 1956 to 17 September 1956. There were seven (7) men on the Communications Maintenance portion of the overhaul team. While the team was here all UHF and VHF transmitters and receivers; HF transmitters and receivers and the DDR-2 assembly; HF Rhombic antenna system, also VHF and UHF antennas; also all communications test equipment was overhauled and standardized. The Marconi Overhaul Team was here for approximately nineteen (19) days and the work they accomplished was appreciated by all members of the squadron.

The twenty meter rotary beam antenna was erected during the month of September. All that is needed to put the beam into operation is a power supply for auto-rotation and slip rings for the co-axial cable that is feeding the driven element. Also a method of indicating which way the beam is oriented would be desirable; however, that problem will not be approached until the beam is on a tower forty (40) feet high. The tower used are two discarded legs from the Pole Vault dishes. The elements used are one inch sections of tubular aluminum welded together to the proper lengths.

The parasitic array has three elements, reflector, driver and director and they total out to approximately one hundred (100) feet in length is laid end to end. The individual elements are mounted on 2 x 4’s with four stand off insulators. Between each element and 2 x 4’s are the insulators. The 2 x 4’s are mounted on a horizontal ladder, which is composed of 2 inch tubular pipe cross braced, "U" bolts clamp the 2 x 4’s to the ladder. The array, ladder and elements are mounted on a steel plate which is welded to a steel axle bar. The whole assembly fits on the top of the tower with roller bearing in between the plate and the tower. The steel axle has a gear welded to it which fits into a discarded prop pitch motor. The prop pitch motor provides the motive power for rotating the antenna. We believe this beam to be the only one presently located on Baffin Island.

We lost our only Amateur Radio Operator due to the rotation to the ZI, S/Sgt. Thomas O’Brien. Captain Zivalich, S/Sgt. Massey and A/3C De Cree have taken their test and expect their licenses shortly. The MARS Station has been painted and a general clean-up has been accomplished. In addition to the Rotary Beam Antenna, a new long wire antenna has been installed to replace the old one which was removed.

There is still a critical shortage of personnel in the Communications center. It is necessary to use Wire and Teletype Maintenance personnel on the switchboard and therefore the operating efficiency of the switchboard is suffering. There is also a serious problem in Radio Maintenance, as this section is undermanned and it is anticipated that this problem will become worse before improving.

During this reporting period this section had three (3) men promoted. Seven airmen were rotated to the ZI and we received eight (8) men. One airman was transferred to the 641^st AC&W Squadron.

It was the responsibility of the Supply Section to acquire, issue and maintain records on Unit Authorization List property and spares required by the various activities of the squadron.

Ralph J Beshore, Captain, USAF, was assigned this squadron as Supply Officer. An inventory of all accountable property was taken in preparation to the changing of Supply Officers during the month of July 1956. Follow-up action was initiated and sent to Base Supply on all outstanding requisitions for fiscal years 1955, 1956 and 1957 for the latest supply action taken on procuring these supplies.

The Unit Supply Officer attended a meeting of the UAL Review Board at Goose Air Base, Labrador on the thirteenth and fourteenth of August 1956.

Annual requirements were received by water shipment during this three month period and a total of one hundred and thirty-two (132) tons were amassed. We received a new UAL listings and work has been started on same. In addition, we received instructions on typing of the Annual Requisitions for the fiscal year, 1958 and they are being typed at the present time.

During this quarter, three men rotated to the ZI: