Rebecca Mk8 - TR8193

Rebecca Mk8 TR 8193 interrogator ( 1956)

For Eureka or Blind Approach beacons

ARI 23013

INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEMS

A beacon interrogator system was developed in WWII to home-in on small transportable beacons (Eureka) or on a runway centre-line beacon (BABS). The aircraft part is named Rebecca ( I am searching). This site is about the last one of the Rebecca series, the Mk8.

The first technician courses on Rebecca 8 was in June 1956

Philips Sweden made an improved version for the Swedish Airforce, the PN-50

The components of the aircraft part are :

Transmitter - receiver TR8193 (10D/19594);

Range and heading indicator (10AF/530);

Control unit type 8197 (10L/16264);

The aircraft aerial was a yagi or a slotted aerial

Circuit description and diagrams are here

The ground beacon (known as Eureka) was mainly the US

RT-44 / PPN1 (1943 ), or RT-37 / PPN2 (1945 ).

This beacon was dropped a few hours before equipment or crew were dropped.

The indicator showed the distance to the beacon on a 20 or 200 nm scale, as well as the course deviation on a single instrument. Previous Rebecca systems had a CRT which required a navigator.

The control panel allows the selection of 8 preset frequencies for transmit and receive ( and their setup in the range 214-230 MHz), and six modes of operation :

BAH Beam Approach Home ( internal preset freq.)

BAT Beam Approach Tuning ( set with TX and RX knobs)

20 20 nautical miles range on meter ( ,, )

200 200 nautical miles range on meter ( ,, )

SB Standby (Heaters only)

OFF Rebecca off

Further toggle switches

· CODE : audible morse code from beacon on/off,

· Strobe : initialize a strobe cycle

· O/R—H Omni range or homing antenna

Range meter and control pictures courtesy GBairspares

I made a testunit for the Rebecca Mk8 system.