WS19 guide for dummies?

[Tim Bell]

Also consider Rob Van Meel in the Netherlands for reprint manuals:

http://www.robvanmeel.nl/

I've known Rob for years and can vouch for the quality of his product.

Cheers


Tim

[Alex van de Wetering]

Tim, Bruce, Roberta,

Thanks for your replies and suggestions. Wireless for the warrior does indeed sound like the book series to have. 2.9kilo's for the second volume sounds like a huge amount of info, but for me the WTFW series is something for the future. For now I am just trying to get some pointers what to look for...
the basic principles on WS19's.
Thanks Bruce for your comments on the difference between mk2 and mk3 19 sets and the comments on post-war vs wartime configurations. That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for!

p.s. I have seen this subject come by on the forum from time to time. Vehicle owners want a WS19 to finish off their truck or carrier restorations.....often just for visual purposes, but it's hard to find answers to some of the basic questions if you are not familar with Wireless sets or the technical side of radios.

Alex

[universalgrl]

If You are going to have a fully operational WS-19 set as a base station or operate it in a restored vehicle it is highly recommended that you take a ham course mainly for legal reasons, fortunately you no longer have to do CW, MCW (that's Morse code) to pass the test.
The radio transmitters can be temperately or permanently disabled if you just need it for the intercom function, highly recommended in a noisy vehicle.
Word of warning DO NOT apply power to an untested radio / power supply that has been sitting in storage for a long time. The capacitors are the paper type and will dry out over time, applying power will result in a direct short.
This problem can be fixed by slowly applying power over a set time period to renew the electrolyte in the capacitors, or replace the caps with a modern equivalent.
Failure to do this procedure can cause all the smoke to leak out of the caps all at once sometimes referred to as the Big Bang. The large cap in the power supply is similar to a small grenade[ BOOM, shrapnel, concussion, shock] etc. etc.

[Bruce MacMillan]

Some 19 set (and other wireless sets) manuals are free to download from the VMARS group. Document 800 gives a basic view of the set.

http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/files_index.htm

The thing to remember is the 19 set is not just a radio but a system with many components. The set was issued as a basic setup with some ancillaries but the end user had to order the mounting kit separately for which ever vehicle it was destined for. These kits contained unique hardware, control boxes, cables, etc.

Sets mounted in CMPs were often fitted with the ground mount (big wooden board) so it could be relocated away from the truck.

[Bob Carriere]

Thanks Bruce for posting that very informative site. I am in the same boat as Alex..... want to play with one but not sure of what goes where. That 800 manual EVEN has pictures to guide people like Alex and I for at least a static display.

Now for my other ??? Roberta ..... how do you apply power slowly to sort of warm it up to life gain. I have the large 12/24 volt power supply and variable rheostat surplus from surplus NRC test beds ....... also the later 110 volt power supply....... any idea how much voltage for how long?? I am afraid that lower voltage will create a "brown out" effect that might cause its own damage.

I understand they generate a lot of heat so with long Winter evenings coming I can play with the 19 set and add to the warmth of the house hihihi!!! but not smoke up everything.

Bob C

[David Dunlop]

Congrates on being a 19-Set owner, but be warned, once bitten by these things you will discover the amazing list of bits to add to it! I got my first one in 1976 and have gone through about 2 dozen since. Still have a Mk II Cdn and Mk III Cdn.

I have heard the caps can be tricky on this and similar older sets but have personally never run across a bad one in all the sets I have fired up. I have heard of more problems from sets that have been tinkered with and sometimes that is obvious to spot. A couple of things I would suggest:

Clean the inside of the set and P/S of all dust before applying power. Take this opportunity to pull all valves and inspect them for loose fitting glass. Find somebody with a tube tester to check all valves.

When you fire it up for the first time, do so with the chassis of the set out of the case and remove the bottom cover if still present. Prop the front edge of the set up on a couple of small blocks so you can monitor what goes on underneath and on top of the set and be prepared to pull the power if you have to in a hurry.

I would not recommend ever using the B-Set. In todays radio spectrum, the frequency it was designed to operate in lies in the middle of modern aviation frequencies and the signal is not a clean one. In fact, a friend of mine just recently discovered there is an FM component to the B-Set signal, which is interesting in it's own right, but can complicate things even more today.

Lastly, you mention you have a 110V Supply. Do you mean the RCA 19-Set A/C Supply? If so, you have a real gem there. There were not many made and even fewer spare parts. If you know it works, be VERY happy with that knowledge, but don't use it to drive your 19-Set. It should run with a rather quiet hum. The older it gets and the wonkier the components, the more noise it will start to make, and then it will just quit. There are just not enough surviving to get original replacement parts to fix one to original status.

Your best power supply bet is to find the A/C Supply that was used with the C42 Set Ground Stations (CPP-2). It will give you the choice of 12 or 24 V DC at 22 or 11 amps, and they do throw enough heat to keep a mug of coffee warm on top of it.

The 19-Set will take about 20 minutes or so to stabilize temperature wise when fired up, depending on outside ambient temperature. During this time, they are prone to drifting off frequency a bit, but once they settle in they're fine.

Enjoy and keep us posted.


David

[Bob Carriere]

Hi David

Yes I have stumbled on two RCA 110v. power supplies, look good, claimed to be working ..but never tried them yet.

I also have the CPP 12/24 volts more recent power supplies.

All my time is tied up on firewood and prep for the coming Winter but should fine some spare time when it gets colder outside.

Will do a visual inspection of the insides and gently blow any dust away before any live power is applied.

I played with them when I was a kid in the 50s...... my dad bought a truck load which was dumped very unceremoniously in our back yard...... literaly dumped from a sand truck........ I remember the argument he had with my dear Mom.......they use to sell for $25 as is or running for $75........ my dad repaired radios/tv in his spare time.....

Transport Canada used to have guys on the road with plain grey American motors station wagon with a loop antenna on the roof.......Mr. Tibeault was one of them who visited my dad's place quite often.....used to pump my dad for leads on who had bought them..... they use to inteferre with civvy taxi and Hull concrete truck dispatchers radios of the time...... and C42 made black zebra bars on channel 13 just right when they scored a goal all you had to do was key the mike...... also had a nice daughter ....Betty....I had the hots for....

Sorry we got rid of all his tube testers..... but I still have the device Dad made out of the rotary transformer from the 19 power supplies.... he used the output to burn his initials on his tools.....VAC with all 3 letters overlapped..... I still have his Halicrafter SX99 receiver and separate speaker enclosure.

Ah for the good old days.

Cheers