FPS-6

FPS-6 Long Range Height Finder Radar Set - A Long Range Height Finder Radar set built by General Electric Company. Deployed to long-range radar sites in the 1950s and early 1960s, usually in pairs and as part of the SAGE network. Variants include the FPS-6A, FPS-6B, FPS-90, FPS-116 and the mobile version MPS-14.

This is a nodding type height-finder, initially manually positioned by an operator. Under the SAGE System, it was positioned by the SAGE Direction Center. Target identification and height determination were made by an operator under both the manual and the automatic SAGE System. The FPS-6B incorporated a higher power magnetron and variable nodding feature not available in the other versions.

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  Othello AFS, two FPS 6 Height Finder Radars on the left, FPS 3 Search Radar in the bubble and Operations building on the right, circa 1959.

FPS-6 Height Finder Radar Element Value Notes Nomenclature FPS-6 Origins Variants FPS-6A FPS-6B MPS-14 FPS-90 FPS-116 Manufacturer General Electric Company Type Height Finder Number Made 450~ IEEE Band S Frequency 2700 to 2900 mhz PRF 300-400 pps Pulse Width 2 to 3 us Avg Slew Rate 7-1/2 rpm Power 3.5 mw 4.5 mw QK-327A Magnetron QK-338A Magnetron Range 200 nmi Long Range Altitude 60,000 feet Introduced 1950s Federal Stock No. 5840-505-0921 5840-561-9160 A Model 5840-679-3304 B Model FPS-6 Radar Set Antenna on Tower. FPS-6 Major Components (edit list) Component Model Quantity Height Width Deep Weight Notes Motor Generator PU-293 PU-293A/U 1 18" 16" 44.6" Antenna Equipment 1 Antenna Control C-1050/FPS-6 4 18" 7.5" 13" 50 lb Antenna Control C-1048/FPS-6 1 7" 6" 9.5" 25 lb Radar Set Group OA-320/FPS-6 1 48" 24" 42" 1,200 lb Heat Exchanger HD-188/FPS-6 1 21.37" 34.25" 30.5" 300 lb Terminal Box J-470 1 7.25" 22.5" 57" 130 lb Transmitter T-338 1 31" 31" 37" 800 lb Modulator Group OA-329/FPS-6 1 60" 40" 34" 1,200 lb Power Supply PP-783/FPS-6 1 27.5" 48" 61" 1,155 lb Voltage Regulator CN-93/CPS-6B 1 45.5" 21.5" 22.5" 425 lb Dehydrator HD-187/FPS-6 1 26" 26" 34" 300 lb Radar Set Group OA-270/FPS-6 2 42" 32" 25" 700 lb Indicator Height ID-331/FPS-6 4 11" 14.5" 6" 35 lb Radar Set Group OA-357/FPS-6 1 48" 22" 44" 750 lb Antenna Control C-1049/FPS-6 1 8 7 11.5 25 lb Radome-Tower Group AN/GPA-89 1 FPS-6A Major Components (edit list) Component Model Quantity Height Width Deep Weight Notes Antenna Group OA-2035/FPS-6A 1 Motor Generator PU-293 PU-293A/U 1 18" 16" 44.6" Blanker, Interference MX-1739A 1 11" 15" 12" 49 lb Antenna Control C-1050/FPS-6 4 18" 7.5" 13" 50 lb Control Group Assy OA-2036/FPS-6A 1 48" 24" 42" 1.200 ln Ferrite Isolator CU-492 CU-492A/FPS-6A 1 14" 15.25" 24" 18.75" 24" 30" 90 lb Heat Exchanger HD-188/FPS-6 1 21.37" 34.25" 30.5" 300 lb Heat Exchanger HD-289/FPS-6A 1 18.125" 30" 19" 360 lb Terminal Box J-470 1 7.25" 22.5" 57" 130 lb Transmitter T-338A/FPS-6A 1 44" 41" 52" 1,100 lb Modulator Group OA-329A/FPS-6A 1 70" 44" 42" 1,535 lb Power Supply PP-783/FPS-6 1 27.5" 48" 61" 1,155 lb Voltage Regulator CN-93/CPS-6B 1 45.5" 21.5" 22.5" 425 lb Indicator Group OA-1385/GPA-40 3 Boxes 1 1 1 45.5" 27" 19.75 33.5 13.5" 14.5 26" 14" 16.5" 320 lb 60 lb 65 lb Dehydrator HD-187/FPS-6 1 26" 26" 34" 300 lb Indicator Group OA-1040/GPA 1 21" 21" 27.5" 150 lb Indicator Group OA-929/FPS-6A 2 37" 36" 42.5" 500 lb Indicator Height ID-331/FPS-6 4 11" 14.5" 6" 35 lb Radar Set Group OA-2037/FPS-6 1 59" 34" 51" 1,100 lb Control Antenna C-1830/GPS 1 45" 26" 33.5" 320 lb Antenna Control C-1049/FPS-6 1 8 7 11.5 25 lb Radome-Tower Group AN/GPA-89 1 FPS-6B Major Components (edit list) Component Model Quantity Height Width Deep Weight Notes Antenna Group OA-2040/FPS-6B 1 Motor Generator PU-293 PU-293A/U 1 18" 16" 44.6" Blanker, Interference MX-1739A/FPS-6 1 11" 15" 12" 49 lb Antenna Control C-1050/FPS-6 4 18" 7.5" 13" 50 lb Radar Set Group OA-2036/FPS-6B 1 48" 24" 42" 1,200 lb Ferrite Isolator CU-492 CU-492A/FPS-6A 1 14" 15.25" 24" 18.75" 24" 30" 90 lb Heat Exchanger HD-188/FPS-6 1 21.37" 34.25" 30.5" 300 lb Heat Exchanger HD-289/FPS-6A 1 18.125" 30" 19" 360 lb Terminal Box J-910/FPS-6B 1 7.25" 22.5" 57" 130 lb Transmitter T-338A/FPS-6A 1 44" 41" 52" 1,100 lb Modulator Group OA-329A/FPS-6A 1 70" 44" 42" 1,535 lb Power Supply PP-783/FPS-6 1 27.5" 48" 61" 1,155 lb Voltage Regulator CN-93/CPS-6B 1 45.5" 21.5" 22.5" 425 lb Indicator Group OA-1385/GPA-40 3 Boxes 1 1 1 45.5" 27" 19.75 33.5 13.5" 14.5 26" 14" 16.5" 320 lb 60 lb 65 lb Dehydrator HD-187/FPS-6 1 26" 26" 34" 300 lb Indicator Group OA-1040/GPA 1 21" 21" 27.5" 150 lb Indicator Group OA-929/FPS-6A 2 37" 36" 42.5" 500 lb Indicator Height ID-331/FPS-6 4 11" 14.5" 6" 35 lb Control Antenna C-1830/GPS 1 45" 26" 33.5" 320 lb Antenna Control C-1049/FPS-6 1 8 7 11.5 25 lb Radome-Tower Group AN/GPA-89 1 Context See Also: FPS-90 US Radar Sets Sources: Winkler, David F., Searching the Skies: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program, USAF Hq Air Combat Command, 1997, 192 pages, Pdf MIL-HDBK-162A, 15 Dec 1965. 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