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Cold War Radar

People under SAGE

Under SAGE, actual operations did not change very much, except that many became automatic.  With this emphasis on the computer undertaking tasks that people had once completed, there was obviously less need for staff.

Beginning in the early 1960s there was a decrease in the number of Fighter Control Operators and they actually became Air Defence Technicians.  Some trades disappeared all together.

Technicians on the other hand, actually grew in importance as there was more equipment to maintain.  People were still also needed at the stations as it was humans that made the decisions based on the computer's assessment.  Other ways people were involved were:

Consoles

The computer provided information to people through consoles through SIDs (Situation Displays) and DIDs (Digital data displays).  The SIDs were similar to maps, showing the information plotted.  DIDs were the calculations and results.

The operator could interact with the computer through the use of either buttons, or a light gun, to find out more information.

Manual Inputs:

People were needed to manually placed data into the computer.  This was done by putting the information onto cards using codes.  These cards were then transferred into the computer.