[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Keeping wireless sets going was a chore, and that chore was especially difficult because batteries were always going dead. Some sets, particularly man-pack ones, used single use dry cell batteries. Once expended, they were discarded. Others used generators…manually cranked or motor driven…to charge wet cell lead acid batteries. Smaller sets generally required that the various voltages they required be fed to them from dry batteries or separate supply units, whereas larger sets often had components that used regular vehicle type batteries (generally 12 volts from two 6 volt in series) to generate the necessary higher voltages. For a good number of signalers, batteries were charged someplace else and a truck came every morning to exchange fresh ones for spent, much like milk bottles used to be. Alternatively, and to be more self sufficient, a generator set, invariably nicknamed a ‘chorehorse’, was used.

One such ‘chorehorse’ was the CHI-395-6 built by Johnson Motor Co. in Peterborough, Ontario. It was a small portable gasoline engine generator used to charge secondary batteries and designed to be rugged to withstand shock and handling during field operations. Its 12 volt generator was powered by a 5/8 horsepower four stroke, air cooled single piston engine. The gas tank doubled as its base. It was 15” wide by 15-1/2” long by14” tall and weighed 97 pounds including tools, exhaust hose and waterproof cover. For ground use it was provided with a protective metal cage and a flexible exhaust pipe connected to a muffler that was often buried to deaden the noise. In vehicles, the cage was generally removed and the generator hard wired to the vehicle wireless charging switchboard and batteries.

Controls consisted of an ammeter, positive and negative terminal posts and rheostat dial that could control the charging rate. A button was provided that would reverse polarity and use any remaining battery charge to ‘motor’ the generator to crank the gasoline engine and start it. Alternatively the motor could be started with a pull cord wound around a pulley attached to the flywheel. A stop button was located on the back of the magneto plate. Fillers for gasoline and oil, an oil bath air cleaner and choke was also provided. There was no separate throttle as the revolutions were determined by a governor throttle control, though the linkage could be joggled manually if required.

Running spares, a funnel, generator brushes, tools and a starting cord were kept in a separate tool box.

Many of these sets, such as this one, were modified post war (by their original manufacturer, though now re-named Outboard Marine & Manufacturing Company of Canada Ltd.) to be used with the 1960’s era C-42 set. The conversion consisted of upping the output to “24 volts” (actually providing 30 volts at 300 watts when running at 2200 rpm), re-naming them ‘Generator Set, Gasoline Engine PU-5008/U’, painting them dark green consistent with army equipment of the era and providing a new name plate. Often this paint flakes off revealing the wartime brown or olive drab paint and, if you’re lucky, a large English-Russian-Chinese Lend Lease decal.