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JosephKK

On Mon, 2 Jan 2012 23:36:55 GMT, lid
(Windmill) wrote:

Birds would drop dead if they flew too close to that RADAR antenna,
but the highest risk of death was from the high current, high voltage
power supplies in tube type microwave sources. High power RADAR tubes
were huge, when compared to the lowly Magnetron in an oven.

I think you must be talking about much newer equipment than I worked
on.
Long ago, magnetrons (of a different design from the ones still used in
microwave ovens) were the only way to generate high peak powers, and
the oscillation frequency of a magnetron wasn't very stable.

Since then, I hear that high power klystrons have been used as
amplifiers in radar systems, and I believe there's a still newer tube
type which is used in the latest gear.

I believe you are talking about a thing called a gyrotron. Useful at 100
GHz to 300 GHz in different models and uses.

But as you say, the power supplies are and were very dangerous, needing
elaborate interlock systems to enhance safety.