Soviet SA-2 missile system

A quick note on the name "SA-2", this is the NATO "reporting name".
The Soviets called it "S-75"

and from Greg Brown

I believe the Nevo SV, is an upgraded Spoon Rest as the article says.
From the little bit I know, the “Fan Song” and the “Spoon Rest” were used with the SA-2
I would guess the Spoon Rest was more like our HIPAR, long range acquisition.
Both look like huge contraptions.

Table of Contents
    - from Thomas Wiegleb September 2018
    - from Thomas Wiegleb October 2018
    - from Thomas Wiegleb November 2018
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from Thomas Wiegleb September 2018

Soviet SA-2 missile system, movie, w Polish operating people,

I have managed to get and manipulate some close up pictures taken out of a russian documentation video.
This time the powerful elektromechanics of the missile starter SM-90.
, , , ,

from Thomas Wiegleb October 2018

(responding to Greg Brown ;-) Since Thomas is not a native English speaker, I ran a spelling checker.

Hi Greg, you have asked for more humor. Giving the starter crews rude names seems to be common all over the world. This happened when people divided the folks into the muscle men and the intellectually working people. The German word for the starter people was "Batzen". Generally spoken a Batzen is a good portion of material dug from ground i.e. (alumina?) the stuff people make the jugs and pots and their turntables from. So we were not really friendly with them and vice versa. But THEY had the muscle to lift up the heavy weight SM-90 starters. Those must be brought up, pushing the front and rear axles under, with a pair of wheels each, and sat it down again. This vehicle could be pulled by a heavy KRAZ-255 truck over to the next location many miles away then. So yes, we had those similar wording. But I can tell you from own experience, moving the AV/UV van by a lot of hands, moving all the signal- and heavy power cables did not enjoy my backbone. Damaged partially then since more than before. We had a all hands on deck policy. So I engaged the sometimes tired or lazy troops by asking if they want do it as good at least like I did. Cheers Thomas

I asked Thomas for techie information ...

Hi Ed, had a talk with Peter from Peters-Ada website. You sould not miss this site. Not everything is perfect, sometimes cluttered. But in general a good resource. THe synchonous follower system, or similar in english, based in 3 phase ac angle sensor and motors (both the same, function can be reversed), or so. German: Synchronfolgeantriebe mit Drehmeldegebern. Our system to control the turns of the witch house PW, the antennas and the SM-90 starters, same withe controls between P-18 and hightfinder PRW-13. The systems were made from 2 channels each in parallel. They had a "fine" (for deviation less than 3 degree) and a "roughly" called channel. I have (german) educational instructions by hand. The nonclassified instructions are showing the principles and how to adjust those systems. A few big files, scanned from pages, have reduced size and quality already. If they do not fit the mailbox I had to put them on my ftp-server. This would require a capable browser, better a ftp-transfer qlient. THe Windooze have no good capbilites in this regard. Lets see how it goes. Attached the files taken from monthly small journal and documents from the electronics class at the Offiziershochschule Kamenz (Saxonia) As always, have fun with the pictures. Cheers Thomas

from Thomas

Hi Ed, a few pictures. Repair of one of the blocks of MTI (SBZ). It has 2channels in series on each level (Epsilon,Beta). Meassuring equipment in a SAM-system. Im pretty sure the depicted big scope is not of the type I had had in the AW van. In my AW van it was the small C1-65 and the big low frequency IO-4. Have send the pictures already. We had a monthly issued small journal were the poeple in the field received hints and information written by very capable individuals we had in the higher lever (Regiment, Division, Army). Probably usefull for the general documentation on your website Cheers Thomas

from Thomas

Hi Ed, some news from the S-75 UV van. Have found two pics again. Unfortunaly these are not directly scanned from journal page. Have rescanned the two earlier printed out today. The pictures are showing off the UV guidance officer (LO), the three tracking operators. Between the two screens of the LO can be seen the hightindikator and a small clock, can be seen rarely, if there are any,pictures except from a tiny small on Peters-Ada.de. By chance this small one has been made from the picture I had send him many years ago. Second picture the BC in front of the daughter screen of the P-18. Behind him the operator of the hightfinder with the resp. screen. Will search my folders for the pictures b/w low resolution original monthly issue of "Der Ausbilder" magazin. Cheers. Thomas

from Thomas Wiegleb November 2018
via Greg Brown

Hi Greg, will translate the basic training text in a silent hour. Attached some pictures from the internet. The matter: modernized S-75M4. It has a changed antenna layout and probably some upgraded electronics. There are litle information about internals. The narrow beam antenna on the left, where the missile uplink antenna was, has similar assembly of the feed horns that can be seen on big surveilance and fighter guidence radar stations P-35 and P-40. THe shield plate between the transmitting and receiving horns is similar to those on the S-200. The thing has kept the rotating feed horn, I assume used for sending only. If they have made it as done before the rotating feedmotor can be halted in a centered postion when using the "Podsvet" Ilumination mode. This mode puts out the maximum power concentrated into a tiny small area. It results in a big signal-noise-ratio even under havy ECM. Imagine a fixed pencil beam for sending. Another remarkable speciality, the have shifted the Epsilon and Beta-antennas into on assembly. This reduces the distance between the two beams. Let me think of DVD optical systems with half translucent mirrors. It puts two beams onto one optical axis. The misslie uplink antenna has moved to the right side. An improved teleoptical vizir can be seen on top of wide beam antenna. Cheers Thomas

Hi Greg, anothe note. The russian designation has the word mestno in. Mestno is for local, but it could mean steady as well. I assume it means the Beta leveel does not has the scanning motor. It is simply a pencil beam to put as much as possible power toward the target. The other antenna has the sanning motor and gives a wider scanarea . Don not know, just the iidea.Oh anfd again, the plate has both function united. THe plate makes the a reflector for the Epsilon AND Uglomestnuy AND the separating shield as well. Hu.Done. This should fit. Cheers Thomas
hi Greg, ohm old eyes. Have seen on the attached picture how the do it. I was right about the beamforming of two systems in line. See the arrows, it gives the explanation. THe shielding pate is the first reclector next to the feed horn (big square). But it belongs to the "Uglomestnuy" level, tilted 90 against the azimuatlny level. Of course it separates the levels. Cheer Thomas
i Greg, it has a small flaw. The formentioned shielding plate is the reflector. The russian designation "Konterreflector" of the "Oblutchatchel azimutnaja ploskosti" "Iluminator azimutal level" or so.
Update with some clarifications and some guesswork The matter: antenna layout of the modernized S-75M4. It has a changed antenna layout and probably some upgraded electronics. There are litle information about internals. The narrow beam antenna on the left, where the missile uplink antenna was, has an assembly of a group of feed horns that can be seen on big surveilance and fighter guidence radar stations P-35 and P-40. The plate between the transmitting and receiving horns works similar to those on the S-200 and the S-300 NWO. As done with the S-75M3 the now foremost UL antenne shows off a rotating feed horn motor. If they have made it as done before the rotating feedmotor can be halted in a centered postion when using the "Podsvet" Illumination mode. This mode puts out the maximum power concentrated into a tiny small area. Imagine a fixed pencil beam for sending. It results in a big signal-noise-ratio even under receiving heavy ECM. In this mode the echo signals from targets get received trough the wide beam antennas. Another remarkable speciality, they have shifted the Epsilon and Beta-antennas into one assembly. This reduces the distance between the two beams much, to almost zero. In reallity it puts two beams onto one optical axis. Great! The misslie uplink antenna has moved to the right side. An improved teleoptical visir can be seen on top of wide beam antenna. About the beamforming of the two systems in line. See the arrows, it gives the explanation. The first reflector used for BOTH antennas makes a shielding plate as well. It separates the transmission and receiving tracts (receiving is depending on the mode UL or Podsvet). I assume the Beta level does not has a scanning motor. Hard do say. At least it seems to be hiden from plain sight. Probably it makes simply a pencil beam to put as much as possible power toward the target. Notes regarding the markings on the pictures: the level sideward, Uglomestnuy = old german was Ortswinkel, we called it "Seitenwinkel" the level upward, Azimutalny= Höhenwinkel Cheers Thomas