Radar System Engineering

SEC.7.6] THE U.S. TACTICAL AIR COMMANDS 235
tion functions. Off-center PPI scopes are provided for the chief controller
and the deputy controllers, the latter sitting along the sides of the
shelter. At the right of the shelter, near the plotting board, sits the
supervisor, who is responsible for the technical operation of the radar set.
He has a console patchboard by which he can communicate with any of
the operators, maintenance men, tellers, or plotters. In front of the
plotting board is a filter officer who decides which plots are to be told to
the FCC.
The large vertical plotting board is shown in more detail in Fig. 7.13.
It is made of transparent plastic and is edge-lighted, so that plots put on
FIG. 713.-l~ear
view of vertical plotting board.
in grease pencil by plotters working behind the board appear brilliantly
iIlluminated when viewed from the frent. Each plotter is connected by
telephone with a teller who is watching a B-scope in the reporting shelter.
Auxiliary boards to the right and left of the main plotting board give
pertinent information on such things as the heights reported (by an
auxiliary radar height-finder) for various tracks, weather and winds aloft,
radio-frequency channels in use for communications and for directionfindng,
and the ready status of aircraft at various fields.
The deputy controllers, each of \vhom is charged with giving instructions
to a certain formation as directed by the chief controller, depend on
the plotting board for their general picture of the air situation, and work
directly from their PPI scopes to determine the instructions to be given