Tour of Signals Museum, RAF Henlow
Tour of Signals Museum, RAF Henlow
Join the CW Heritage SIG for an afternoon at the Signals Museum at RAF Henlow (just north of Hitchin).
Well stocked with much interesting old equipment, this Museum tells the story of RAF signals, giving insight into equipment that was developed during World War 1 and through the '20s and '30s, as well as from World War 2 and beyond - making it a comprehensive history of RAF electronic developments. Curators will be on hand to talk about the various exhibits.
RAFHenlow1The Museum's collection has a few items from the very early years of radio, including a Sterling spark transmitter as used by WWI reconnaissance aircraft. There are also some transmitters and receivers that were the standard fit in RAF aircraft during the 1920s and 1930s. World War II equipment is fairly well represented, with examples of transmitters and receivers, both ground based and airborne. There are early airborne radar sets, early air navigational aids and several examples of telegraphic equipment such as a morse undulator and some teleprinters. Post war radar is well represented, with a number of consoles and models of radar installations. A “Y” Service room is depicted as it would have been during WWII, when the “Y” Service stations provided Bletchley Park (Station X) and other military organisations with code from intercepted German radio signals.
More information on the museum can be found at www.rafsignalsmuseum.org.uk. There is no charge for the visit, but the museum welcomes donations.
RAFHenlow2
This visit is a joint event with the Royal Aeronautical Society Cambridge Branch.
Practicalities
RAF Henlow (about 4.5 miles north of Hitchin) is an active RAF base and delegates will need to follow security check-in procedures before entering the base and visiting the museum. Attendees will need to provide their full name in advance, and provide photographic proof of identity on the day itself. Further details will be provided in your delegate confirmation email.
Wireless Heritage SIG Champions
Stirling Essex
Stirling Essex has over 25 years of product development, product management, strategic marketing and business development experience in many areas of wireless technology, and has been intimately involved in the development of test systems for GSM, CDMA (IS-95), 3G (W-CDMA) and LTE. He founded Espansivo, a technology consultancy specialising in helping organisations with their technology, product and business decisions, in 2005. Stirling was previously a co-champion of the CW Future Wide Area Wireless Special Interest Group and and was a member of the CW Board from 2004 to 2015.
Professor Andy Sutton
Andy Sutton is a BT Fellow and Principal Network Architect for Wireless Access. The wireless access domain includes 4G/5G RAN architecture and mobile backhaul/xhaul, along with microwave and millimetre wave radio systems, and satellite communications. Andy holds an MSc in Mobile Communications from the University of Salford and has over 35 years of experience within the telecommunications industry. Andy’s current research interests include advanced RAN coordination techniques, including C-RAN and OpenRAN, optical fibre and radio based backhaul/xhaul, along with LEO satellite communications and High-altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), all in the context of building resilient heterogeneous networks. Andy holds the post of Visiting Professor of Telecommunications at the University of Liverpool and the University of Salford, he is a Chartered Engineer and holds Fellowships from the IET, ITP and BCS. Andy sits on the editorial board of the ITP Journal and is a CW SIG Champion for eMBB and Wireless Heritage.
- Twitter:
- @sutton960
Geoff Varrall
Geoff Varrall joined RTT in 1985 as an executive director and shareholder to develop RTT's international business as a provider of technology and business services to the wireless industry. He co-developed RTT's original series of design and facilitation workshops including 'RF Technology', 'Data Over Radio', 'Introduction to Mobile Radio', and 'Private Mobile Radio Systems and developed 'The Oxford programme', a five day strategic technology and market programme presented annually between 1991 and 2005. Geoff has been running in depth technology and market workshops for the industry for over 33 years, spanning five generations of mobile cellular technology. A co-author of the Mobile Radio Servicing Handbook (Heinemann Butterworth, UK), Data Over Radio, (Quantum Publishing, Mendocino, USA and 3G Handset and Network Design (John Wiley, New York). Geoff's fourth book, Making Telecoms Work – from technical innovation to commercial success (John Wiley) was published in early 2012 followed by 5G Spectrum and Standards published by Artech House in July 2016. His latest book 5G and Satellite Spectrum Standards and Scale is now available from Artech House and can be ordered from http://uk.artechhouse.com/5G-and-Satellite-Spectrum-Standards-and-Scale-P1935.aspx. As a past Director of Cambridge Wireless, Geoff is actively involved in a number of wireless heritage initiatives that aim to capture and record past technology and engineering experience and is a patron of the Science Museum In his spare time he plays Jazz trumpet semi-professionally and is a marathon and ultra-runner.
Nigel Wall
Nigel has been involved with connected vehicle research since 1992 when he led BT’s mobile data research team – initially using modems on first generation analogue TACS mobile phones! Since 2001 he has provided consultancy complex-systems, with a primary specialism in connected vehicles. He acted as the Monitoring Officer for twelve of the Connected and Autonomous Vehicle research projects supported by Innovate UK and the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. Climate Associates provides consultancy on delivering pragmatic sustainable systems and services, based on life cycle assessments where wholesale replacement of current systems with lower footprint solutions may not be the most sustainable option.
