1944 C-15A-Wire-5 Restoration

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Same center plate

4 holes on 4.5" square are (I think) for Aerial Base No.3, which you can't feed from underneath - it is top-feed only, usually via a 'black-out' box and feed-through insulator on the end wall of the "house-type" body. (Hence the solid plate on the existing 'chimney'.)

If you needed a 'through the base' feed for a high-power set, there was a Tufnol plate that replaced the steel one with a large central hole and 6 holes in a hexagon pattern that match Insulator, W/T 'H' (a large ceramic mushroom type) that formed part of "Aerial Lead-in No.16" (It had a Base No.3 on a plate fitted to the Insulator 'H' and the flexible rubber dome was bypassed by braid straps to the plate.)

For insulators on a frame at the front of the 'house' body there was an adapter plate (ZA.21283) with 10 studs - 4 to fit the support frame and 6 for the insulator assembly.

I can probably supply photographs if required, but it means fighting my way past piles of stuff to find the items concerned.

Both bases take Aerial Rods 'D' (the 34-ft steel vertical aerial), and there was a metal 'cage' to support the weight of tall aerials and prevent the Base No.3 rubber dome collapsing. It was later replaced by Aerial Base No.25 which had a metal socket for the aerial rods and did away with the rubber Base No.3 altogether - it just used the Insulator 'H'.

Best regards,
Chris.