Wanted: F section aerial set

[Klaas Doornbos]

will do Thanks

[Chris Suslowicz]

48-inch are the original "Aerial Rods 'F' numbers 1, 2 & 3.

The 'spring wire' top section is for the WS38, and not part of a vehicle kit.

49.5-inch are the later (still WW2) Canadian improved design with the rolled-in thread to prevent them from falling out when travelling over rough terrain.
Those became the standard, and continued into the Larkspur era and beyond, effectively unaltered apart from gaining NATO stock numbers. There are shorter top sections for the VHF sets, (C42, C45, etc.) but the original lengths were still issued for HF use into the 1980s and probably beyond.

1-metre rods (same design) are Clansman or later equipment.

The rods are copper plated thin-wall vanadium-steel, painted with the appropriate camouflage colour for the period (WW2 is SCC No.2 Brown or Khaki Green, later would be Olive Drab, later still is Deep Bronze Green.

Normal vehicle aerial usage would be two sections, which is long enough for reasonable distance communication, short enough to not snag on low branches, and more robust without the top section fitted. For static use you can get away with 4 sections (16-ft) if required: a bottom, two middles and a top, assuming it's not too windy.

Best regards,
Chris.

[Paul Dutton]

Wasnt there an extra top (short) section in the W38 set kits too, as that was the one prone to damage? The threaded Canadian ones are easier to find I’ve found than the push together ones.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Paul Dutton

Wasnt there an extra top (short) section in the W38 set kits too, as that was the one prone to damage? The threaded Canadian ones are easier to find I’ve found than the push together ones.

The WS38 Mk.I and II used a 4 section aerial kit: three standard 'F' sections that fitted together to make a 12-ft rod aerial, and a separate 'battle aerial' consisting of a short stub and the remainder being spring wire - considerably more robust than the hollow tube aerial section (also a serious eye hazard, if you're using one of those stick a cork on the end so you don't poke anyone with it).

Early 'F' sections were all push-fit and came apart easily if used on vehicles, so later production incorporated a rolled-in thread on all sections (except the bottom of the first rod) and the WS38 battle aerial, which didn't need it. The later design was still in production in the 1980s as far as I'm aware. (They're in the 1981 RacalAntennas catalogue.)

The WS 38 Mk.3 used collapsible 4-ft aerials, giving the option of 4-ft or 8-ft (these were also issued as part of the WS62 kit), plus a 45-ft 'ground aerial' - an insulated trailing wire similar to the one for the earlier sets. The collapsible whip (several sections threaded on a flexible wire) allowed the complete station to be stored in (and used from) a backpack.

Chris.

[Paul Dutton]

That made a few things clear, thank you