The WWII remains of RAF Templeton (2)

Image: © Mike Searle Taken: 6 Jun 2021

- SBA Main Beacon walled enclosure Now in use for cattle, it once contained the main radio transmitter beacon for the airfield at Templeton of the Standard Beam Approach blind landing radio navigation system. It formed part of a system of three beacons in line with the main runway (Main, Inner, and Outer) that assisted aircraft landing at night or in poor visibility. The walled enclosure is rectangular, and is open at the end facing the runway, with a smaller opening at the other. It is aligned exactly to the orientation of the main runway and is approximately 400 metres from the SW end of it. The walled enclosure would have contained a hut housing the transmitter, in front of which was a group of three antennas placed in a line parallel to the end of the runway: https://media.geograph.org.uk/files/7eabe3a1649ffa2b3ff8c02ebfd5659f/SBA_Main_2-original.jpg The Main Beacon transmitted a signal in the form of a narrow beam. When the pilot was lined up correctly the signal received was steady, if too far to the left or right, the signal received was a stream of dots or dashes that indicated a change of course was required that when corrected, the signal would change to a steady tone. The system continued to be used after the war, but was replaced in the 1950s by ILS (Instrument Landing System). Google Earth view: https://media.geograph.org.uk/files/7eabe3a1649ffa2b3ff8c02ebfd5659f/RAF_Templeton_SBA_beacon-original.jpg Image

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