Some time ago, I bought a fine looking German receiver, the R87E SADIR.
It is a VHF directionfinder receiver, frequency covering 66 – 120 Mhz.
A picture is shown below.
The receiver was made in occupied France by for instance SADIR-Carpenter located in Paris.
It was used by the Luftwaffe as a direction finder in the Y-Peiler system. To find the location of the bomber plane groups, flying over Europe to the the german cities and industrial factory location to destroy them.
The code name was FuSan A81bb1 or Pulm SK. SK means short wave.
But to increase the frequency coverage in order to receive more ennemy frequencies, there were several receivers with different frequency coverage. And different code names.
See a list in the picture below.
With the aid of other Y-Peiler stations, the could find the location of the squadrons, in order to intercept them by delivering the info to the airfields centers with the fighter planes.
The system was very effective.
An example, the use of my receiver, the type E:
In most allied bombers and fighterplanes, there was a transmitter receiver, the SCR 522, with TR 5053 of 10-150 Mhz, and the British type TR 1143, 120 – 150 Mhz. onboard for communication. The trx were crystal controlled. It had 4 channels in this range.
This trx also had a socalled “pip-sqeepe ” channel. Periodically , this channel transmiitted a short signal. With the aid of the signal, directionfinder station on airfields in The UK, could determine the position of the bombergroups in that way. See also in the post for explanation.
So the SADIR receiver, R87E, with frequency coverage 66-120 Mhz was very suiutable to receive this signal from especially the American bombers and fighters to locate them (TR 5053).
Below some pictures of the SADIR receiver as a Y-Peiler.
Picture above the SADIR receiver in the radio hut as a Y-Peiler.
Above the radiohut of the Y-peiler.
Picture above another Y-Peiler station.
In the picture below, a situation of the Y-Peiler system, called Y- Stellung, in German.
Below some pictures of the inside of my SADIR receiver. Because it was made in France, they used American radiotubes in it. The acorn tubes 954 and 955. Also the 6K7, 6L7 and 6Q7.
So this SADIR receiver is a very interesting VHF receiver. With a great history.