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The Woody Island Radio Range station transmitted a beacon for aircraft navigation. The station consisted of four towers spaced around a central tower for a total of five towers.
The signal emitted could be received on any AM radio receiver capable of tuning to the frequency.
The location of the station is latitude 57° - 46' - 28.086" N, longitude 152° - 19' - 23.316" W at the northeast end of Elephant Lake near the housing area. When using the range, if an aircraft was on one side of the centerline of the beacon the pilot would hear the morse letter A and if he was on the opposite side he would hear the letter N. The beacons were therefore called A-N beacons. If you fly the center you hear a steady tone. The courses can be seen on this sectional chart.
When originally specified in 1940, it was to radiate on four reverse magnetic courses: 052°, 155°, 232°, 335°.
The 1942 drawing revised to 1944 courses are: 075°, 187°, 255°, 7°.
The Kodiak Sectional (aircraft navigation chart) for December 20, 1950 specified the following courses: 052° (inbound from Port Heiden), 164° (inbound from Homer), 232°, 344°, and a frequency of 242 with identification of NHB.
The site continues to radiate but with only one tower. It is now a non-directional beacon or NDB on 394 KHz identification RWO.
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The SBRA-D Simultaneous Radio Range and Telephone Equipment included the following items from the station manual dated June 30, 1939:
2 - Simultaneous Radio Range and Telephone Transmitters Type TSG
1 - Coupling Unit Type CA-309
5 - Antenna Tuning Units (Four 7.5 Amp. and one 15 Amp.)
Type CA-310, except in Alaska
Type CA-311, Alaska only
1 - Transmitter Station Rack Assembly including:
1 - Secondary Relay Panel Type CA-305
1 - Remote COntrol Panel Type CA-304, with Strowger switch
1 - Constant Output Amplifier Type CA-314
1 - 1020 cycle Band Elimination Filter Type CA-321
1 - Line Equalization Type CA-316
1 - Strowger Rectifier Type CA-298
1 - Secondary Relay Panel Type CA-305-A, Alaska only
1 - High Frequency Keying Amplifier Type AC-103, Alaska only (supplied by
Civil Aeronautics Authority
1 - Control Station Rack Assembly, including:
7 - Radio Receivers Type RCF complete with Speakers, except continental U.S.
5 - Radio Receivers Type RCF complete with Speakers, continental U.S. only
1 - Remote Control Panel Type CA-301
1 - Monitor Panel Type CA-315
1 - Speech Amplifier Type CA-313
1 - Receiver Switch Panel Type CA-317
1 - Receiver Relay Power Supply Type CA-318
2 - Moving Coil Microphones
1 - Phantom Antenna Load Type CA-319
1 - 5 KVA Power Transformer 220-110 Volts
1 - 1.5 KVA Tower Lighting Transformer
1 - Power Distribution Panel
1 - Set Rubber Insulated RF Transmission Lines
1 - Complete set of materials for installation of above equipment.
The theory of operation of the SBRA Radio Range Equipment is explained in the in-
struction book fo rthe Type CA-308 and CA-309 Coupling Units.
The power requirements at 220 volts 60 cycles are approximately as follows:
TSG Transmitter, filaments and fans 1100 W
TSG Transmitter, 400 W carrier output, no modulation, 275 W Side Band 2640 W
TSG Transmitter, 400 W carrier output, 70% modulation, 275 W Side Band 3300 W
TSG Transmitter, 100 W carrier output, no modulation, 70 W Side Band 2060 W
TSG Transmitter, 100 W carrier output, 70% modulation, 70 W Side Band 2540 W
CA-309 Coupling Unit 110 W
Transmitter Station Rack Assembly
Total Transmitter Station (400 W output, 70% modulation, also 5500 W
standby filaments and heaters but less fans)
Control Station Rack Assembly (5 receivers on) 300 W
Control Station Rack Assembly (7 receivers on) 400 W
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We have several large drawings:
CIVIL AERONAUTICS AUTHORITY AIRWAYS ENGINEERING DIVISION ANCHORAGE, ALASKA SBRA-P RADIO FACILITY U.S. NAVAL AIR BASE KODIAK (WOODY ISLAND), ALASKA drawing No. D8-61 6/10/40 revised 4-10-41 as installed revised 2-6-52 relocated range legs CIVIL AERONAUTICS ADMINISTRATION EIGHTH REGIONAL OFFICE ANCHORAGE, ALASKA GENERAL PLAN RADIO FACILITIES KODIAK (WOODY ISLAND), ALASKA drawing DR.D8-61-6 1/8/42 revised 6-19-43 range course changes revised 7-21-43 range course to 255° revised 11-27-44 beverage antennaThese maps show other details of Woody Island also.
| TSG | Radio range Transmitter | Federal Telegraph Co | 1939 |
| SBRA-D | Radio Range Equipment | Federal Telegraph Co | 1939 |
| CA-310, 311, 312 | Antenna Tuning Units | Federal Telegraph Co | 1939 |
| CA-319 | Phantom Antenna Load | Federal Telegraph Co | 1939 |
| CA-574 | Antenna Tuning Unit | Federal Telegraph Co | 1941 |
| CA-313 | Speech Amplifier | Federal Telegraph Co | 1939 |
| CA-316 | Line Equipment | Federal Telegraph Co | 1939 |
| CA308/309 | Coupling Units | Federal Telegraph Co | 1939 |
| CA-291 | Radio Range Keyer | H.O. Boehme | 1939 |
| AC-74 | Link Circuit Relay | H.O. Boehme | 1939 |
| Racks (CAA-82) | Communication Receiver | Federal Telegraph Co | 1939 |
| article | Graphical Solution for Course Alignment | CAA | 1939 / 1942 |
| IV-C-3-7 | Federal Airways manual of Operations | CAA | January 2, 1950 |
| TZI (not part of range) | Station Marker Equipment (75 Mc) | Farnsworth Television & Radio Corporation | 1940 |
| Kodiak Sectional | Dec 20, 1950 |
http://www.kadiak.org/woody_is/range.html This page created 2002 May 28
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