Last time I was driving north over the new Clackmannanshire bridge I noticed something very strange. On the north bank of the river, between the two bridges and on land being cleared of demolition rubble, there's a 40 foot tower with a small dish similar to the old BSB satellite dish but revolving very rapidly. First thing that sprang to mind was radar of some kind, perhaps weather, but I can't imagine why the hell it's in that particular location. Any ideas?
I'd usually nip up for a look at something like that, but can't at the moment.
You'll need to carry a camera
My mind picked the wrong place at first, and I had wondered of someone was installing an active memorial to radar, but then I realised I was thinking about the wrong place
Can you spot the location with a map ref to give better clue as to the actual spot perchance?
Is this a "new" tower, or one of those from the old station?
Doesn't help with an answer though - nothing comes to mind.
Could be a sneaky directional receiver hunting for something - or somebody
Simple reception wouldn't need a moving dish, and if it's a small as an old BSB dish, then we're not looking at something too long ranging, but what would be the point of such a radar there? All it would show is the land around, and it wouldn't give much of an "early warning" against enemy aircraft incursions.
I was about to make a frivolous suggestion that it was monitoring the movement of craft on the River Forth.
Maybe not so frivolous if it occurred to someone else as well.
The question then would be who, and for what purpose - it's hardly a hotspot of water travel, and cameras might, and I only say might, do a better job.
Just guessing but perhaps the coverage of the Grangemouth area was restricted from their sites lower down in the Forth.
Cameras don't work as well at night or in fog. The big vessels will be running AIS and reporting in but you can't beat a picture of what is actually going on in the area.
Hi jmb & Everyone, Could well be mistaken but I seem to remember the Met office Rainfall radar having to be relocated from Corse Hill up in the Whiteless forest Area of East Renfrewshire on account of europes largest windfarm being situated there.I understand that several other Masts had to be shifted to other locations from the site including some MOD structures.It just may be the rainfall radar over at the Kincardine Bridge.
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On this occasion I was not mistaken...sort of. Wonder what else has been displaced by the Whitelees windfarm. Any takers.I have one other at least which I reckon was shifted.
I think I'd describe it as a little bit more than "a small dish similar to the old BSB satellite dish" and I had nothing like this in my mind until I looked at the spec...
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I think I'd describe it as a little bit more than "a small dish similar to the old BSB satellite dish" and I had nothing like this in my mind until I looked at the spec...
Bear in mind I was only seeing it while driving across the bridge 50 yards away! I think the auld een did well.