Radar Set AN/PPS-5 Operation and Manpacking 1968 US Army Training Film
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“COMPONENTS, ASSEMBLY, AND EMPLACEMENT OF THE SET: HOW IT IS OPERATED TO DETECT, LOCATE, AND IDENTIFY MOVING TARGETS THROUGH VISUAL AND AURAL RADAR SIGNALS; DISASSEMBLY AND MANPACKING THE EQUIPMENT FOR MOVEMENT TO NEXT SURVEILLANCE SITE.”
There are video “dropouts” in this film which were in the original and cannot be removed. The content was still of sufficient interest to post the video.
US Army Training Film TF11-3932
Public domain film from the Prelinger Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).
Radar is an object-detection system that uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish (or antenna) transmits pulses of radio waves or microwaves that bounce off any object in their path. The object returns a tiny part of the wave’s energy to a dish or antenna that is usually located at the same site as the transmitter.
Radar was secretly developed by several nations before and during World War II. The term RADAR was coined in 1940 by the United States Navy as an acronym for RAdio Detection And Ranging. The term radar has since entered English and other languages as a common noun, losing all capitalization.
The modern uses of radar are highly diverse, including air traffic control, radar astronomy, air-defense systems, antimissile systems; marine radars to locate landmarks and other ships; aircraft anticollision systems; ocean surveillance systems, outer space surveillance and rendezvous systems; meteorological precipitation monitoring; altimetry and flight control systems; guided missile target locating systems; and ground-penetrating radar for geological observations. High tech radar systems are associated with digital signal processing and are capable of extracting useful information from very high noise levels.
Other systems similar to radar make use of other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. One example is “lidar”, which uses ultraviolet, visible, or near infrared light from lasers rather than radio waves…
AN/PPS-5B Ground Surveillance Radar Set
The AN/PPS-5B Ground Surveillance Radar Set is a lightweight, man-portable, ground-to-ground surveillance radar set for use by units such as infantry and tank battalions. The radar is capable of detecting and locating moving personnel at ranges of 6km and vehicles at ranges of 10km, day or night under virtually all weather conditions. The radar has a maximum display range of 10,000 meters and targets can be displayed both aurally and visually. Built for durability, the AN/PPS-5B Radar is rugged enough to withstand rough field handling. When packed in its watertight container, it can be parachute dropped and undergo repeated submersion. Increased operational flexibility is afforded when the unit is mounted in a jeep. The system includes everything necessary for operation including 24 VDE external power converter, carrying harnesses, tripod, an adapter for vehicle mounting, four (4) rechargeable batteries (BB-622) and a fifty (50) foot cable for remote operations.
NOTE: The CECOM Supply and Maintenance Bulletin Vol 20, no. 2 Summer 94 provides information for swapping unserviceable AN/PPS-5(A,B) Radars for serviceable ones. Repair is the only source of supply. As soon as one is down, order one through swap out. In order to swap out a radar, the serial number and turn-in document number must be furnished to the Item Manager, Ms. C. Brown DSN 992-5781/2…
The AN/PPS-5 Ground Surveillance Radar is a thirty-five (35) year old system. Since the late 1980’s, soldiers have been complaining about the need for a new radar system. The system has been around since the Vietnam War having been designed with 1950’s technology. Additional upgrades to the radar have not been executed since the 1970’s. Obsolescence of spare parts and a changing work environment have created a desperate need for an improved radar that can be more readily and cost effectively sustained…
