Wow…Many, many thanks for this incredible video. I was SNCO ic Data Handling and Communication at Saxa Vord, based in the R101 operations ‘bunker’, in the mid 1990’s, not too long before site closure. I’m absolutely astounded to see that you gained access to so much of the site, especially the 101. It’s heartbreaking to see the state of the place now. As you might expect, it was incumbent on us to maintain the place in ‘pristine’ condition, cleaned and polished to the nth degree. Your knowledge of the site is already very good, but if you have questions about anything you saw, I’d be happy to fill the gaps (within the limitations of official secrets, obviously). Regards Jerry.
Thanks for your comment Jerry. It’s a shame to see these sites in this state, but it must be harder to swallow if you’ve worked there. I’m planning to write up a bit of an article covering the site and the condition it’s in now. It would be great to have your input, it would be great if you could send me a message or email through my website frontlineulster.co.uk/home/contact/
I was the engineering project officer for the upgrade of RAF Saxa Vord from the Radar Type 80 and Type 13 height finder to the Marconi S649 radar and HF 200 height finder. I was based at the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment in Malvern, Worcestershire while the project was ongoing, but when it was completed I was posted to RAF Saxa Vord as engineering officer and was there from 1979 until 1981. It's very sad for me to see the site looking so dilapidated because I have so many very happy memories of my tour of duty there not the least of which is the birth of our 2nd daughter in Lerwick Hospital at the other end of the islands.
The rsre site in St. Andrews Road is now houses, so is north site. All that's left of north site is the emc chamber which is now called Elements but they do the same work. And 2 buildings at St. Andrews Road. Very sad
Very similar arrangement as an Airman in the USAF posted to the ATOC in Sembach, Germany. A visit two years ago to the Site I worked at was both a success in that our Missile buildings and all the associated support structures were largely buried due to the massive amounts of concrete used in their construction. On the other hand a peace dividend was obviated by a truly beautiful Football fields and training facility that would be the envy of a college now lied upon those structures. Laughably, the Gate Guard post at the entrance to this uber modern facility was the same I had stood guard duty in for many a cold night in the mid-seventies! The passage of time…
Not Many People Know This (edition 568): In 1992 Britain's highest-ever windspeed was recorded at Saxa Vord at 197mph - just before the measuring equipment blew away ! ! !
Really sad to think of these old military installations slowly disintegrating. I did a tour of Benbecula from 92-93, didn't make the most of it then but would love to go back now as a tourist and see what's left! All this history, disappearing under our eyes. One of my old stations, RAF Locking, was actually bulldozed... almost bought a tear to my eye to see that. Happy, happy times, simpler times maybe. Thanks for the upload :) Brilliant
Thank you! It is a shame to see the destruction of military sites like you have. We can’t preserve it all, but it doesn’t take away the disappointment when another one goes.
It really is! But there are sadly still signs of vandalism. I really considered not posting this video because I didn’t want to attract unwanted attention to the site, but hope that the remoteness will help preserve it for a few generations yet. Based on the positive reactions from people who served at Saxa I’m glad I did share it; it’s been appreciated by many people in even the first week since posting.
Great video. I was stationed at Saxa in 96-98. You actually went into my old office. Appart from the detritus of neglect, nothing much has changed. Especially down in the R101. I was a comms tech as well as DVCS tech which envolved looking after the radar consoles in the ops room as well as the ground to air comms.
Thanks! I wish I knew now from all of the comments before I went and could have given real context to the rooms and equipment still left. I’m glad I’ve been able to share and bring back memories.
Served there 1975 to 1978 Radar operator, thank you for the post it brought many happy memories went back with my wife in 2019 unfortunately the weather was very misty and hindered any sort of scouting on the site. Best wishes.
Served at Shetrad in 80/81,😅was an experience if nothing else. Enjoyed the bowling alley most ! Choice of red or blue cans ! Shetland roses were empties 😅
Just viewed your video after a couple of ex-saxa guys recommended it. Great video, but sad to see the old place slowly rotting away. I was there for 44 months between '76-'81. Worked in both the R10 and R101 buildings and the radar heads as radar mechanic and fitter. Saw the 'heads' transistion from one dome to two. Can remember when the walkway between heads and R buildings was just a concrete path, great fun when blowing a gale!! You mentioned married quarters in your commentary; there was also a domestic site (bottom site) for unmarried/unaccompanied guys plus m.t. and station admin, it's now the hq of the spaceport I believe but only the old guardroom remains. I'm going back myself in September to confirm that and maybe follow your lead and have a look round the top site for old times sake as long as the weather holds up. Haven't got the arctic parka anymore!!
Thanks for the memories, I'm glad you enjoyed it. There have been quite a few fond comments from ex-service personnel who served there, I'm pleased I've been able to help.
Stationed At Saxa Vord in '83 to '84 working as an Assistsnt Air Traffic Controller for Shetland Radar, providing radar service for the helicopters to and from the Shetland Basin oil rigs. Thanks for the memories.
Excellent tour and fascinating to see - a real time capsule. All such places should be video documented as a minimum before they eventually get demolished. It’s sad that no matter how remote, someone feels the need to go there and vandalise it.
Thank you. The main reason I started to take video as well as photographs was the extra depth they give to recording a site. I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I think vandalism is something that doesn’t escape any site. Senseless and destructive.
I was stationed at RAF Buchan as an Aerospace Systems Operator /ASOp or 'Scopie' from 1979-1985 and many of my colleagues were based here. I never had the opportunity to visit Saxa Vord so this is the first time I've seen it! sad to see the dilapidation but I can really appreciate the beautiful but remote and harsh surroundings my colleagues worked in now! Thanks for uploading this!
Was at RAF Patrington 69/70 and a few of my fellow Air Defence Operators were sent up there, we used to chat on the link with them. Stations on the link were the Faeroe's, Buchan, Patrington Bawdsey and fighter command HQ at Bentley priory, everyone hoped not to get posted to Saxa but I never heard many complaints when friends got posted there. Shame its in such a bad state.
Fascinating insight, thanks for commenting. The privilege of having a private network at your finger tips! While many seemed to think of Saxa as a punishment post, I’ve not heard any complaints in the comments here.
I did a tour in Saxa Vord from July 92 to Dec 93 as a Chef, seeing the old topsite kitchen brought back so many memories for me. Best camp I ever served at in the RAF. It's sad to see it in such a sad state now. Thanks for the video, excellent work 👍
Not going to lie, that last set of steps up to the radome I had to stop to get my breath halfway up! I live here but not been up for 3 years, seems to be a few more doors kicked in than was, could get in only by the Admiralty workshop door. I had the same misgivings about the floor and backtracked to text a mate, as I had visions of falling straight through and having no mobile signal! Interesting video to hear someone else's thoughts whilst having a wander. Seems such a shame that something hasn't been done up there, during the summer months it would make a good military themed place to stay and be a visitor attraction.
They are STEEP steps, and I only went half way! Judging from the comments, there are some people here who had to make the journey before they were covered. It’s a real shame about the vandalism, and as much as I hate to admit it, it just seems to be someone we have to accept. It a site is accessible, then it’ll be vandalised. I think I had heard there was a plan to turn it into accommodation but don’t have any way to confirm that. Damp and rot has started to set in, and without serious work or investment I can’t see some parts lasting another 10 years. The world keeps turning, and I can only appreciate being able to visit the site when I did.
It really is incredible. As with most of these sites, damp is the enemy. There is horrible mould, some of it toxic, and once that sets in, everything rots. I think the R101 is salvagable, but it needs action now.
RAF Saxa Vord was parented by RAF Buchan, I spent a couple of days in operations at Buchan in the mid-80's and it was fascinating. These stations really played a part in monitoring the air traffic, all traffic, around the northerly part of the British Isles. Operations in Buchan were underground, so really added to the "tension" Also, just noticed your GIS videos....nice one......that's my line of work.
Working from a windowless office is one thing, but when that room’s underground and is tracking perceived threats entering and transiting through our airspace, that must be very sobering indeed! Not work related, but I can spend hours scrolling through old maps and aerial imagery. It must be a fascinating area of work!
Brilliant. Worked in the control of entry point in 1985 as RAFP took over from MDP. Can’t remember that turnstile though. But I often stared out of that window looking at ‘Oscar’ the friendly herring gull who we kept well fed!
I cant remember the turnstile either 87-89. I wonder if put in when they moved SHQ to the Admiralty Building to stop unauthorised people going to the OPs room etc.
I had some awareness of Saxa Vord as I had friends posted there and I also worked on a very similar Radar to the Long Range Type 84 that was there. The ROTOR system was short lived and soon became obsolete. I dont know anything about the satcom stuff but I would imagine it would have been pre-Skynet 4 and probably using the US/NATO satcom birds. There are pictures tucked away on the web of when a Hurricane destroyed the old Type 80 antenna, which was a very big and tough piece of kit to say the least. Saxa Vord recorded the highest wind speed of anywhere in the UK at one time ! And yes for all but theslightly wierd it was not a popular posting ! Also, Cogent was a subsidiary of Northern Telecom (who i worked for - now long defunct) that specialised in military grade telecoms. Brilliant Vid !
Fascinating, thank you. The Cogent security tags look like they were placed there only yesterday, and are one of the few recognisable features remaining. There are some photographs of the Type 80 that was blown over here - ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com/2011/03/type-80-is-off-part-2.html
I can vouch for the fact that it got pretty high wind speed s up at the dome,,I used to be a driver and we used 4 tonne bedford covered trucks ,we used to have to back right up to the dome door before the guys jumped out and got in the dome...I seem to remember on one particular occasion the tilt getting ripped off by the wind...
In the late 1980's I was a young Airman stationed at RAF Saxa Vord. I was the ESG Storeman working on the 3rd floor of the admarilty Building. It was me who initially set those stores up. Around 1989. I often used the electric hoist, shown in the video, to lift heavy stock items to be stored in my store. It was sad to see the present state of that now empty room. That was once filled with racking, and stock... thats life I suppose... I used to always wonder what happened to the Welsh Scopies Flight Sargeant, who was called Taff. He left the RAF from Saxa Vord in 1989.
Did an install here in the late 80’s, one month in the luxury Hagdale Lodge, think it rained everyday in the summer but at least it didn’t get dark enough to shut the bar …..Would love to revisit but don’t fancy the ferry crossing again.
You probably won’t notice much difference in the outer islands from the 1980s! I flew across on this trip, that’s more manageable. I hear the comfort of the ferry can be a bit hit and miss with the weather.
I really enjoyed watching the video. I was a radar operator at RAF Buchan 1979 - 1984 in Aberdeenshire North East Scotland. Many of my friends were stationed at Saxa so thank you for posting - very informative.
So many memories. I was stationed there after these buildings had closed and been vacate, as an SAC(T) promoted to CPL from 2003-2004. A lot of the equipment was still in the R101 and I had to go down there on night shifts on my own (we were based at the top, radar, site). Probably the most eery place I've been, topped off when the wind was whistling down the R10 and also making doors bang. My pants were nearly filled on a few occasions. If I never saw those stairs again though.......
Wow great vid i was in one of the fitting parties with GRIS in 86 in the R101 bunker … there was a UNITER MAS LE Switch. I remember going through the blast doors along a corridor and first left was SES secure equipment section. I fitted a black patch and Jack field with meters to monitor the line levels, there were the BID 700 which used to isolate the secure data intrinsically from outside. There was the LE UNITER MX1 Northern Telecom Switch room, crypto a 4 console ops room and a data handling section which took the radar picture processed it and sent it across the network. The site received a new radar recently but all of the old building s are no longer required as the RAF doesnt look after its own equipment anymore.
Thanks for the insight, that's fascinating. I can only imagine what sites like this would have looked like at their peak. The SES room on the left as you enter the R101 is still there; a Simplex lock on the door, a hatch to check visitors ID and signs of secure network equipment. It's incredible to think almost all of this technology was analogue and on the cusp of the digital revolution. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, you have really helped me understand the site even more.
@@frontlineulster oh wow it’s still there, I think the racks I installed where near the entrance door with the hatch. There are 2 racks the nearest one has a patch and Jack field with a signal level moving coil meter on it and loads of Jack sockets. The incoming and outgoing lines come in at the top (line side) and then are wired to the bottoms (equipment side) unless a Jack cable is plugged in which breaks the connection. Above this is a line patch panel (black - Tempest) which has about 10mm dia sockets On the next rack next to the PJF there are 2 rows of grey fronted boxes with BID790 printed in them, the left hand side the black tempest signals (unsafe and can be monitored externally) the signals come from the bottom of the PJF(equipment side) and feed through the LHS a of the BID790 (Isolated Transmission line) or ITL it then go use through a fibre optic barrier this then feeds to the right hand side (signals can gravel both ways) where it becalmed Green Tempest. This means that any secret electronic signals that are being transmitted inside the room may get induced into the green tempest but they can’t get through the ITLs to the BLACK tempest. Next the signals go into a second PJF a called the GREEN PJF a which is a set minimum distance away from the ITL rack. The data then feeds into what are called.CRYPTO Devices, these receive and transmit encrypted messages so no one tapping the lines outside the building can decide them, would tak something like the fastest computer then thousands of years to find the correct codes. So the crypto machines spit out what is called PLAIN TEXT a or RED Tempest. This then went to teleprinters (mounted in Blue Formica covered tables) where incoming messages were printed. Messages to be sent where typed up on another teleprinter and the message was ‘printed’ in a strip of paper punch type with 3 holes, a sprocket hole and 2 holes giving 5 bits which provided 32 characters including a letter / char shift which then gave another 32 chars. One of these chars was a shift to return it to the other mode. Once the message was printed it could be fed into a paper tape reader and that would spit out the message in plain text or RED Tempest, this would then feed into the crypto box where it would be encoded into GREEN, encoded and electrically safe from the outside world then through the ITL ago BLACK again where it would go to the destination site.
A,so inside this room you may find the remains of the UNITER switch. Dark blue fronted cabinet doors with cream coloured insides. This was a switch called the MX1. (Military enhanced version of the SL1) built by Northern Telecom. BT used to use a more compact version called MERIDIAN and it handled telephone calls and allowed data to feed into 30 channels or time slots of data. A telephone call would take 2 times lots, one for talk and one for listen so you could have 15 2 way conversations at any one time on a 2048k or 2M Bit data trunks. If you want to know more please let me know and I will send you some photos of what we did there
Absolutely brilliant explore. Amazing installation. So such a shame its been abandoned. Im sure it may well be required once more possibly. Great tour you gave. Thanks
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was such a fascinating place it would have been a wasted opportunity not to share it with a wider audience. It’s by far my best performing video yet!
When I was a kid in the early sixties, my parents were members of the Horsey club. They knew a woman from Mainland who was a dispatch rider for the old radar station in '44-'45. She was sent to Unst with the WLA, but they sent her to Baltasound and gave her a bicycle so she could take mail and dispatches to an airfield near Haroldwicke. she had never ridden a bike before because the roads weren't paved before the war. On the second day they gave her mail and stuff for Saxa Vord. After a couple days of long distance bicycling, the station CO ran into her. He gave her a BSA motorcycle and some RAF pants and coat. She said that the radar station had a set to detect ships and one to detect airplanes. There were still women radar operators in those days. She was a couple months short of her 18th birthday when she started that job.
That's incredible, thanks for sharing. It's a fascinating story of someone who probably before the war hadn't travelled very far, maybe even never spent a night away from home before. If she was originally from the mainland it would hopefully have been less of a culture shock! I'm sure she grew up quickly and remembered that experience for the rest of her life.
Also thanks for sharing, I could imagine it was quite busy there back then, it’s a shame what it is now, be nice to turn it into something useful again
I was supposed to be posted to Saxa Vord in the sixties. Weather was to bad for ferry from Aberdeen so ended up at Buchan in the end. Very glad I never got to it. Buchan weather was bad enough. Great vid thanks for doing it
Thanks Brian, it's always reassuring to hear from people who find my videos interesting. The Shetland Bus story is fascinating. I managed to visit the memorial while I was in Shetland but didn't have a chance to do much research or see much else on this trip. I'm sure I'll be back!
@@frontlineulster Thks. I got ' hooked ' on the Shetland Bus story whilst doing a job a the Sullom Voe oil terminal many moons ago Now have 2nd ed. hardback by David Howarth + abt. three other copies ..lol. Saw from a distance the HQ house, a bit of a ' give away' it's surrounded by the only trees on the island. Met some of what were then apprentices repairing the trawlers, they showed me some photos they still had. Even better, they pointed me the direction of a bungalow up on the hillside and told me to go up there for more info. Did this, and it was the owner of repair yard ! On the mantle piece above his fireplace was a medal awarded to him by King Olaf of Norway for his contributions. Brave men eh.
Thank you, I really appreciate that. I'm trying to improve with each and every video I produce, but this is the style I like making and depending on the location I visit it's the style that gets the most engagement.
Once had to dig ourselves out from the RADAR Heads as the road was impassable and the open stairs were completely covered in snow right up to the hand rail. Quickest snow steps ever dug so we could go home after a night shift
I'm sure that wasn't a unique experience. The covered stairs must have been a welcome addition in the winter, even just as protection from the wind and rain. It must have been treacherous!
@@frontlineulster I think we just got on with the climb, hunker down into the Artic parka and up you went, funny you never noticed the steps coming down just as long as we were in time for the 4 tonner back to SHE
@@frontlineulster Saxa Vord holds the unofficial British record for wind speed, which in 1992 was recorded at 197 mph (317 km/h) - just before the measuring equipment blew away!! 😲
I was there 93-94. The R101 was an IUKADGE RP. As you go down the long corridor the room on the right was the GDCC. control room for exercises, the first on the right was commcen with the main ops room oposite. The room next to it on the corner was the computer room. There were 2 telephone exchanges the old analogue exchange where you can see some of the old switch gear and the uniter room with mx1 exchange. The main standby generator is correct but the 3 smaller ones in the room oposite are buffers. They are powered by the domestic supply and have massive flywheels. If mains fail they continue to spin until the main generator takes over the the supply. Hope this helps
Thanks incredible information, thank you. The buffers threw me, I’d never seen anything like them before. But the confirmation of their use is really helpful. It’s always intriguing to think how serviceable some of this equipment is after so much neglect. It was also fascinating to see how much of the R101 facilities remained intact.
These sort of places should be turned into a hotel and usable museum, for the techs or ex vets to holiday and learn from old technology. Bet there fair few men and women who would love to holiday in the middle of nowhere. And all the wildlife
It would be lovely to see it preserved, but the sheer difficulty with logistics and access would make it a money pit of a venture. Which is such a shame. Although I think I read that site sold for £19k about 10 years ago. Bargain!
@@frontlineulster or a artist colony, too many of these sites are decaying into rubble, which is sad. There a junction electrical house in Wales which has all instruments inside from the 40s/50s going to be bull dozed to make room for more houses. Will be lost forever. Sad truth of our industrial heritage. Flatten
@@SISU889 why should we house illegal immigrants any way...we have enough homeless people to house, why don't we house our own in this place. And make it in to lovely little town for them. Build and supply every thing for them boats cars. Why are we just giving to illegal immigrants
@@keithrock939 Couldn't agree more with you ! But for some strange reason they are not seeing it ? ? ! It's ironic that these places all over our country, were made at great expense to protect us , now it's all thrown away .....
Had to sweep the steps from top to bottom when i had jankers when spike charged me for being late for GDT ,was lucky as the hooter went of for an exercise about 20 mins in so had to go back to the demestic site
Absolutely loved that and have liked and subscribed! I was on Gib in ‘82, as part of the UKLF Cadet “Easter Camp”. We were accommodated by the RAF and watched all the two’ing and fro’ing with C130’s and Nimrods....busy times as the Forces geared up for the Falklands! Got to see a fair bit of the 32 Miles of tunnels, as well as being in the winning flight, which got the prize of visiting the secure site at the “top of the rock”...not a posting that you’d want...you live in a Porta Cabin and get hassled by the monkeys (Gibraltar Apes)....😂😂😂 Sad to see these places left to rot....once so important and now mostly forgotten....😢
What an incredible opportunity! To have been privilaged enough to tour the tunnels and see events that became the Falklands War. Thanks for the like and subscribe, every little helps. I'm feeling the pressure to deliver better content in the future with so many subscribers!
@@frontlineulster one thing about Gib: where the Engineers drilled out the main throughfares, they then drilled out side wall insets in the left and right side walls. These insets were designed to be large enough to house Nissan Huts and so they do! When you get to peer through the windows of these huts the insides appear complete, with all the interior furnishings covered by dust sheets....imagine what’s in there!!! 🙄🤪 PS Look up the “Harrington Aviation Museum”....The old RAF Base was Home to the USAAF’s “Black Liberators” (B24’s) which supplied OSS assets and the Jedburgh Teams that were operating in Europe. In the Fifities the base became a Thor Missile site but the wee museum deals with the WW2 aspect....introductory film provided by the CIA themselves! Very much worth the visit should you be in the area! Considering its importance to the Fleet, what’s left of operational stuff at Scapa Flow? Anyhow, keep up the good work....and “no pressure”! 👍🏻👍🏻🤪
Thanks! Positive comments like this mean a lot to someone new to RU-vid. As you can tell from my past videos I’m constantly experimenting and trying to find the style and techniques that work best and selecting sites that are off the usual tourist trail.
My father work as radar operator in the mid 60's. he also got stranded for 3 days up there when t snow Christmas eve and they couldn't get the transport bus up to them. just had emergency rations
It was good to hear that Irish accent commentary. I used work beside a chartered engineer from Ballymena in Edinburgh in the 90's. Mesmerising video thanks for sharing.
I was stationed on the Shetland mainland at Collarfirth hill FSS station until 1985. I was then posted to a Signal squadron at Brize Norton a week before they deployed to the Shetlands on exercise. Handy knowledge of the islands came in handy. We were tasked with assaulting Sara Vord but the exercise was cut short when one of our assault teams cut through a major cable leaving the whole of the North Atlantic unprotected by radar. Ooooop. Our bad.
Absolutely amazing video thank you so much, this has now been added to my bucket list of places to go! Looking forward to watching your other videos now and have subscribed to the channel
I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never seen pictures or videos from the site before, and had set my expectations low. It was a real pleasure to see something quite unique and relatively well preserved. Airflow and damp are the main enemy these places have to worry about these days.
Really fascinating visit with a lot of plant equipment left behind and signs to identify the rooms. Would love to see footage of the place in operation but i guess that's not going to be public domain for a long time. It's reassuring that vandalism will be minimised on a site as remote as this.
It really is a time capsule, and I wasn't expecting anything other than to walk around the outside of the site. Incredible! There is a great website by the now late Gordon Carle that has photographs from many periods of the sites operation, you might find that useful - ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com
It's easy to understand; not much going on but by all accounts the service personnel stationed there had a lively social calendar and were missed by the locals when the station closed.
I’m sure you were a barrel of laughs not wanting to be posted anywhere. It was only 18 months and you got your choice of postings afterwards plus extra leave during your tour.
I was there when it was fitted. The knobheads didn’t take in to account evacuating anyone from the R101 to the R10, so they they had to install an emergency exit next to it that was big enough to cater for a person on a stretcher.
Thank you for your channel. Your videos are made with respect and care for the subject. Brilliant videos. If I'm honest with todays geo political climate I'm surprised that the whole saxa vord complex hasn't been rebuilt and re opened with huge radars etc.. scary times atm and I can see this going on for years,even decades.
Thank you, I really appreciate that. Saxa Vord is still an active radar site, operating as a Remote Radar Head (RRH) and contributing to the UK and NATO air picture. There is more information on this upgrade and refurbishment online if you search around. The current political climate is delicate to say the least, and it’s surprising how many of our Cold War era measures are being kept alive.
@@frontlineulster Watching carefully your video, I thought : "this radar station is the expression of a will." I mean : everything is done according to a very well thought planning. Your video clearly demonstrates the maestria of the designers of this place. The very existence of NATO is the result of the German maritime warfare in North Atlantic during both WWI and WWII. As the Red Army became a Russian Wehrmacht and Kriegsmarine of its kind, the Allies had to draw consequences of their own experience in the GIUK. I find that your visit illustrate perfectly and pedagogically yhe existential question of NATO during the first decades of the Cold War.
Wow, fantastic explore, and best of all, you seems to have done your research & understand at-least the basics of what you're seeing. One bit of constructive criticism though: you casually pass by many signs on doors, equipment, even paperwork, etc. While *you* can probably read it at a quick glance, we usually cannot, and those of us who are really, really into Cold War era military archaeology want to, whereas the casual viewer may not care. If you could make a conscious effort to focus your camera (with good lighting...) on such signage or documents for at-least 2 seconds, that would allow us to quickly read or pause the video to read/study the material, yet not annoy the causal viewer who doesn't have such an interest.
Thanks for your comment. It's something I hadn't really thought about. In the video I pulled out a couple of signs and bits of text I found, but certainly not anywhere near all of it. I'll absolutely take more heed of signs in the future and make sure to share them fully. I primarily take photographs and share them on Flickr, I will make sure to add any of the signs and information I found - www.flickr.com/photos/intrepidexplorer82/albums
I was stationed there 73/74 working in the R10 before moving up top to work on the T80 and T13 heads, got snowed in Easter weekend 73 for 4 days and lived on dry rations, yuck!! but still the best posting I had. Incidentally, the covered walkway/stairs up to the heads weren't always that way, it was a hairy walk up there on a relatively calm day in daylight, I'll leave you to guess what it might be like in less than favourable conditions 🥵
Now that's an experience you don't have on every posting! It must have been horrendous in the days before the covered walkways, it's quite laborious even with them!
I wonder if it was American SOSUS or similar equipment that required 60Hz supply. They would use converters to modify the incoming 50Hz to the required 60Hz. Hydrophones were only useless until they developed the signal processing power to extract the very useful noise from the clutter. Heartbroken to see that even Shetland has mindless vandals too. I expected better. 😢
I had read that SOSUS was deployed across the Greenland-Iceland-Faroes-UK gap, providing a detection capability against Soviet submarines as early as 1962. The later site at Brawdy came in 1974 to cover the eastern Atlantic. It was likely to have been this earlier phase that operated from Saxa.
The couple that bought it planned to create an eco tourism place, but are now in partnership with several companies to create a satellite launch facility.
Ahh, but it's Great Britain....so they'll only be little ones! There is another launch site being built on the mainland, in Sutherland. Apparently they are perfect sites to launch into polar orbits.
While stationed either at RAF Cardington, or MOD in London, my father spent a few days or weeks in the Shetlands during the winter of 1959. I wonder if this was the location.
Not a new radar station, that’s still on top of the hill. I wonder what new buildings and communication structures will appear to support the launch site, I imagine they’ll have their own radar to track the objects.
haha thanks! I appreciate that. I'm not a fan of the over fanatical and fantastical approach some creators have. I'm quite a chilled person and find wandering these sites a privilage, I've started bringing the camera along with me and am going for the 'fly on the wall' approach; somewhere in between a heavily produced documentary and the Blair Witch Project.
That’s great context, thanks for adding that. Judging by the size of the armoury room and safes there wouldn’t have been much resistance against a well motivated enemy.
@@frontlineulsterthere was one RAF Regt Sgt during my time there. He was hated by everyone and there’s an urban myth that when he was posted his boxes were sent halfway around the world by the RAF Supply chain.
All major U.K. bases are now longer operational. It would at least two decades to bring the British Forces up to Falklands standards, and that a close run thing.
@@elliot4252 It is partly opened as the majority of U.K. SAM capacity has been disbanded. The RAF no longer has rapier SAM , and the British Army has gave up 50 % of its SAM capacity. Just check the stats.
@@skylongskylong1982 Well you stated that all major British bases are no longer operational. There are many many British bases that are still operational. Akrotori, Brize Norton, Menwith Hill, FlyingDales. Just to make a few.
It worth saying that the site is spilt into 3 . Ie lower site the accommodation, Mid Site where most of your video is showing and Top Site where the active RRH is now located. Lower and mid site has been now in private hands and the top site is still in MOD hands and operating. And down the hill is Transmitters and Receivers (Tx/Rx) which is also owned the by MOD and operating
I didn’t see any waveguides, so I’d assume the kylstron transmitter isn’t down the hill but up in the top site itself. You could run the Rx cables down right enough but without a waveguide running from the klystron transmitter itself, unless the radar is a phased array radar so doesn’t use a klystron
@@twigwonderkid All of the Radar kit was on the Heads site. R101 site was computers and displays. The kit there from the mid 1990's were Type 93 Radar (Plessey / ITT AR-320) and IUKADGE Integrated Command and Control System in the R101 with 4 display consoles. Console were gone by 2000 When I was there on the Type 93. Had to walk up that hill from the bottom site though a couple of feet of Snow to replace a couple of guys who had been stuck up there for three days. Snow plough was knacked.
@@richardvernon317Cheers Richard, yea that’s what I had guessed it was just the consoles displays etc and that the actual microwave transmitter was at the top, I just couldn’t see why the microwave transmitter would be housed down the hill with then the waveguide running up to the top to the dish. It just wouldn’t make sense to do that. Thanks for the clarification I wasn’t sure whether it would have been Marconi Radar kit or Plessey. To be honest it looked like Marconi kit, but I was only guessing
@@twigwonderkid The Radar didn't send any video to the consoles, plot data from the radar was feed to the computers via phone lines and the computers generated a synthetic radar picture. The radar there after the Type 80 was a Marconi S600 series Radar Convoy which was all transportable, as was the Type 93. The DVCS consoles were Marconi if memory serves.
20 CWT is one ton! 10 CWT is half a ton, a metric tonne is similar in weight to a Ton & there is a barrel of similar size 'a tun' holding approximately one cubic metre of water. Twenty years & the place is a complete mess & the question of why it was abandoned & if the job is still done then where, or is it by satellites?
The upper part of the site which housed the radar heads is still under MOD ownership and use. FCDO have recently completed Project HYDRA to standardise and upgrade the security of the UK based Remote radar Heads (RRH) of which Saxa Vord is one. The lower site, as visited in this video, has been long abandoned and was sold off about 10 years ago to a private owner.
Sad to see such an interesting place with so much money spent over the years on infrastructure fall into disrepair like this. Could still be repurposed.
It's sad indeed, but when I say the site is remote, I mean REMOTE! In some ways this has led to the preservation being what it is, but the weather is brutal and it will continue to decay now moisture has set in. The upper site is still an active radar site, but as techniology has improved there just isn't a need for the same infrastructure there was.
Thanks for the update. Technically not the radar site at Saxa Vord, but it’s the previous Second World War radar site at Skaw that has become the space port. It’s an unusual choice to call the space port Saxa Vord as it’s not technically correct, but someone will have their reasons (if albeit misinformed!). I look forward to watching the first launch if they ever get a suitable weather window!
@@frontlineulster Yeah - get that - probably named as such as the controlled airspace and closest facility. Regardless, like you, really looking forward to this one. Gives me vibes similar to RocketLab in NZ
It surprised me too 😬 I’ve a feeling due to a staggered decommissioning of the site the frame room and backup generator were still in use after the main cleanup operation. But when they were finally switched off they weren’t cleared.
The launchpad is some 2.5 miles away from this site (5 miles by road). It's actually much closer to the old WW2 radar site of Skaw than the Cold War Saxa Vord site. The spaceport offices are 2 miles away at Haroldswick.
@@johndell3642I love these jokers who know the square root of bugger all about life on Unst, I was there 73/74 and it was the best posting of my career in the RAF, local people are the salt of the earth.
It’s such a shame all of these places are redundant now. Interesting o didn’t know it was part of the hydrophone link to Canada ? I was at St Mawgan when they just built the JMF which connected to a massive long hydrophone cable to Good Bay in Canada
I'm not sure if this site linked to Canada, but Gordon Carle's (RIP) website has much more detail on the admiralty work and the hydrophones (ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com)
I was on Unst 29~31 Sept 2023, I went up to the Radar Station, there was 4 Vans, and workers... So I didn't get in :( I will be back June 2024, Summer Solstice on Unst, maybe then.??
That's a shame. I'm hopeful they were securing the site or at least making parts more weather tight for the winter! Now wouldn't spending solstice up there be a special moment; for our ancesters is must have seemed like they were at the edge of the known world.
@@frontlineulster I'm hoping it will be "Special"... and maybe also get to see some of the Site. By then, The Spaceport maybe/possibly be in Operation..?? Last Update said "1st Launch Q2/2024"
The generator in the R101 is still in situ, and the fuel tanks look intact. I can’t comment if they’re in a useable condition, but I wouldn’t envisage it would take much to start it up. I also don’t imagine much decontamination was done by the MOD before they sold the site, meaning many of the tanks likely still have fuel in them.
