11 Set stuff

[Ron Pier]

That looks like the standard 'Golf Bag' ground station set. Ron

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Ron Pier

That looks like the standard 'Golf Bag' ground station set. Ron

Part of one, anyway. The individual components go back a very long way and changed slightly over time. The canvas bag is "Bags, Aerial Gear, No.2 Mk.2, rods are Aerial Rods 'D', and so on. Chunks of it were still in service in the 1980s (the "Pegs, Aerial, 'A"' used with the guy ropes (which may pre-date Wireless Set No.1) and were still user with the Larkspur 27-ft mast to anchor the flat baseplate. The aerial rods were originally aluminium, but this later changed to steel (copper plated or not).

It has the advantage over the telescopic mast that you can divide the kit into two and make a pair of 12-ft masts to support a wire aerial. It has the disadvantage over the Canadian telescopic mast of being fragile, a pig to erect, and liable to collapse in a heap if one of the guy ropes gets broken.

Chris.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by cletrac

I bought some aerial stuff for the 11 set. I didn't get those guy ropes as I already have two sets off the 20 foot telescoping Canadian aerial and they're identical.

They normally came with the ebonite B base which screwed onto the spike . The ebonite B base is a black conical shaped base and you will need one

did the smiley face come with the set !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cletrac (RIP)]

I got a few cables today. The ground strap looks like the short one to ground the set. The cable is 44" long and could be an aerial lead but I'm not sure. I have a couple more of them coming so I'll save one for the aerial and use the other two to make up some battery leads. 44" should make it from the aerial condenser on top of the set to the aerial. For battery leads I'd run them down the charging panel mounts and splice them to new wire where they are out of site. Maybe I could rough the new stuff up a bit to look the part.
Those brass thumb nuts look about right except for the colour.
I'm going to have to make another case with 4 inch sides and put the panel mounts farther down in the case. The hardware on the terminals stacks to over 3/4" and the doors will hit them. I'm still wondering about a plastic panel.
It's a learning experience I guess!!!!!

[Ron Pier]

Yes I've got my steel now and gone for 4" sides . I'm waiting for my welding magnet squares to arrive before I continue. Ron

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by cletrac

I got a few cables today. The ground strap looks like the short one to ground the set. The cable is 44" long and could be an aerial lead but I'm not sure. I have a couple more of them coming so I'll save one for the aerial and use the other two to make up some battery leads. 44" should make it from the aerial condenser on top of the set to the aerial. For battery leads I'd run them down the charging panel mounts and splice them to new wire where they are out of site. Maybe I could rough the new stuff up a bit to look the part.
Those brass thumb nuts look about right except for the colour.
I'm going to have to make another case with 4 inch sides and put the panel mounts farther down in the case. The hardware on the terminals stacks to over 3/4" and the doors will hit them. I'm still wondering about a plastic panel.
It's a learning experience I guess!!!!!

I think that ground strap is for the WS19, and rather later than the 11 set.
The other cable looks like a battery jumper lead for the 6 volt 100 or 170 AH units - either between batteries or battery to charging switchboard/Batten Terminal.

Looking at the manual a bit more, the cable they used was "Cable, Electric, P11" and is still (probably) in use today. It's certainly available as surplus on eBay from "gten98" (the seller name is an interesting joke: Army Form G1098). See:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Multi-Stra...-/111239765644

Niphan plugs turn up at radio rallies occasionally.

The screw-on spade terminals for spring-loaded or screw-up aerial and earth terminals also sometimes appear, and they were still in use until the 1980s at least.

I'm beginning to think that the door clips can best be salvaged from old "Cases, 4 valve. No. 3", but please only scavenge the ones that have already been gutted, since intact ones are needed for the Wireless Set No.18 and 46, etc. The clips are spring brass, riveted on, and will probably be very hard to make without a power press and tooling.

Chris.
(There's a radio rally tomorrow - I will keep my eyes open.)

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Ron Pier

Yes I've got my steel now and gone for 4" sides . I'm waiting for my welding magnet squares to arrive before I continue. Ron

I feel rather left out of the proceedings ... maybe I should make one

BTW those door clips look like the 19 set spares box lid clip .

David, that cable looks to be rather heavy gauge for the antenna lead . I think you could use it as starter motor cable to start your C8 !!

Ebay item

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Connector...item2ed5aeb76d

[cletrac (RIP)]

Actually, the cable is pretty close to what's pictured. The wire is a bit under a quarter inch and the insulation is 9/16 inch. They mustn't have trusted their insulation back then LOL
Mike, the one you posted is about the right size to go to the chorehorse.
My picture shows that the cable is the same size as the ones on the Morris. So on the last pic I cut that piece of aerial wire out of the picture (that white rectangle in the upper right) and moved it down to compare with the battery connections. It's the same size!
The wires from the chorehorse are about the same size as the leads from the set.
I now think I'll make the panel out of plastic. I have a piece of 1/4" lexan that I'll use. Once it's painted black it could be a piece of what ever kind of plastic you could imagine! It won't break either.

[Mike K]

I do have some original chorehorse leads . I bought a Canadian NOS chorehorse many years ago, in the wooden box with all accessories - tools canvas spares box and other bits too . The NOS leads are generic ones with alligator clips on the ends so may not be what they used in the trucks ?

I measured the OD of the black leads , it is.260"

The repair kit is full of new parts . gaskets, meter , tools .

A surplus dealer in Melbourne, back in the early 1980's had a old van body full of NOS chorehorse parts . I did buy a few bits but wish i had bought the whole lot. He would have sold the whole lot for a few cartons of beer .

[cletrac (RIP)]

I'm getting these two Simpson meters off ebay. They're both 0 to 50 but they make them 0 to 25 so I'm keeping my eyes open. The Simpson brand seems to be the closest match.
Mike, the leads from the generator in the picture are two wires in one cable so they're different. The wires are the same size though.
Here I am making sure I find cables with the proper type of connecting lugs and if you look at the switchboard picture up close the Army resorted to the "farmer fix", just wrapping the bare wire around the terminal on the battery connections.

[Mike K]

You will have a better chance of finding the correct meters by searching ebay UK .

[Ron Pier]

Does anyone know the original make? And were they 25 amp? I started looking in UK, but most seem to be in US with killer postal costs.
This one for instance.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1816830089...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

OOPS! I just realised this is 2.5 and not 25.

Ron

[cletrac (RIP)]

The operating instructions say 25V and 25A. They need to be direct current too.
When I do an ebay search I get European results too.
Those two were about $25 each with shipping.

[Ron Pier]

Nit picking I know. But the more i study and scale the pictures and information we have, the more I make the height of the cabinet slightly more than the width. David what did you base your original 12" measurements on? I reckon the height is 12 1/2"-12 3/4". Ron

[cletrac (RIP)]

The picture in the manual is 3 1/4" across the top and 3 3/16" across the bottom. Both sides are 3 1/4" so there must be a touch of perspective.

[Ron Pier]

OK. I have been scaling all the pictures I have and I've also printed the pictures of the panel that you sent, and coming up with a difference in height and width. Ron

[cletrac (RIP)]

I made another panel out of lexan (tough plexiglass). All those ground terminals being wired together in the schematic seems to indicate plastic.
I got the Simpson volt gauge and drilled a 2 3/4" hole with a hole saw to try it out for size. I think it's 1/8" dia larger than the original but I can live with that. I painted the lexan with krylon that's made to paint plastic.
I'm getting some stainless 8-32 flat headed slotted stainless screws to bolt it all together.

[Mike K]

Nice job

Now for the doors and the little door catches

[Ron Pier]

I'm way behind David with this. I've got suitable gauges and some of those toggle switches coming from USA. Nothing much seems available here. Although I have found some nice brass knurled knobs that are about the correct size and a spares box that was cheap enough to take the catch off. Ron

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Vintage-.../301556715351?

[cletrac (RIP)]

The switchboard uses two condensers rated at 1mfd. I looked on ebay and the ones with that rating are a pretty good size. I wonder what would be best to use? Does the voltage rating really matter?
When I was a teenager I drove a 1953 Dodge with a small hemi engine. When I drove around a small town the residents would go hog wild because all the time my motor was running nobody could watch TV or listen to the radio. All they'd get was static from my generator. When they complained I just drove around that much longer.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by cletrac

The switchboard uses two condensers rated at 1mfd. I looked on ebay and the ones with that rating are a pretty good size. I wonder what would be best to use? Does the voltage rating really matter?
When I was a teenager I drove a 1953 Dodge with a small hemi engine. When I drove around a small town the residents would go hog wild because all the time my motor was running nobody could watch TV or listen to the radio. All they'd get was static from my generator. When they complained I just drove around that much longer.

I think the low voltage caps would be OK in your situtation . Condensers is the old word for capacitors - like 80 years ago . 1 mfd is not a huge size today but back then it was , most automotive ignition system caps are around .025 mfd . mike

[cletrac (RIP)]

Mike, in North America you still buy points and a condenser for your older automotive distributor.
Here you always flip a toggle switch up for on but on the switchboard, up is off. I guess Aussies are upside down and Brits are backwards LOL
I'm debating over which of these two types of paper capacitors to use. Both are common on ebay.
My amp gauge came today. Now to mount the switches then do the wiring.

[Ron Pier]

Standard procedure here in UK is a switch is OFF when it's UP. According to USPS tracking, my gauges should arrive today. Ron

[Mike K]

I am going to a hamfest next weekend, I will keep an eye out for those meters. There are heaps of old meters at hamfests .

What Is the OD of the mount hole ?

[Ron Pier]

Mike as far as I can make out from lots of scaling and talking to Dave. The glass part of the gauge is 2 1/4" with an overall diameter for the whole instrument including the screw fixing bezel of around 3 1/2" and 1 1/2" deep. I'll know more when mine arrive, but I'm guessing a clearance hole in the panel of 2 1/4". Ron

[cletrac (RIP)]

The gauges take a 2 3/4" hole.
I went for the upright Sangamo capacitors. They look like they'll fit in the available space better. When I was a teenager I'd take a condenser and charge it up on a spark plug wire then toss it to somebody I didn't like and holler CATCH!!!! They give quite a jolt.
I got some more golf bag stuff off ebay. Now I'm pretty well down to just needing more aerial sections.
Those rings are called British stays but how are they used?

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by cletrac

The gauges take a 2 3/4" hole.
I went for the upright Sangamo capacitors. They look like they'll fit in the available space better. When I was a teenager I'd take a condenser and charge it up on a spark plug wire then toss it to somebody I didn't like and holler CATCH!!!! They give quite a jolt.
I got some more golf bag stuff off ebay. Now I'm pretty well down to just needing more aerial sections.
Those rings are called British stays but how are they used?

I dont think the rings are part of the kit. Never seen them before

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by cletrac

The gauges take a 2 3/4" hole.
I went for the upright Sangamo capacitors. They look like they'll fit in the available space better. When I was a teenager I'd take a condenser and charge it up on a spark plug wire then toss it to somebody I didn't like and holler CATCH!!!! They give quite a jolt.
I got some more golf bag stuff off ebay. Now I'm pretty well down to just needing more aerial sections.
Those rings are called British stays but how are they used?

The rings are part of the stay assembly, basically the bit at the end that you anchor with the pins.

The complete stay is a square plate with central hole that goes over the thread on the aerial rod (and is held in place by the next rod or the F rod adapter. Attached to the four corners are 3-link chain insulators with about 40 feet of cord which passes through one of the rings and has a "stay tightener" on the end for adjusting the length.

See the photos towards the bottom of this page:

http://www.keithwatt.pwp.blueyonder....useum/ws22.htm

Chris.

[cletrac (RIP)]

That AWM video about the 11 set doesn't show those rings.
I seem to remember reading that they were British items. I don't know if the Canadian aerials used them or not. My NOS guy ropes didn't include any.

[Ron Pier]

I've got the outer case of my cabinet made and my gauges from America arrived over the weekend. The bloody Customs sod's hit me with £3.89 VAT plus the post office fee to collect it £8. Bastards! Why is there any VAT due on items that were made before VAT was invented?

Mr Angry from Poole!