1944 C-15A-Wire-5 Restoration

[Robert Bergeron]

Slowly making progress on the battery charging area of the box . Missing one Crouse -Hinse condulet and of course the control panel . The panel i will have to reproduce , the condulet i might find eventualy . The copper bus bar is coming along nicely and so are the battens battery charging . The electrical cable for the Onan generator starting battery is installed . That battery was installed below / under the wireless table near the left foot of the operator . That solved a mystery . Some restorators had that cable going all the way around to the cypher clerk’s desk . Not so . They cables stop like i said under the radio table and are used only if the truck is Onan 120 V generator equipped and only to start it . The Onan does not charge the radio batteries but it charges only it’s own starting batteries ( 2X 6 V = 12 V ) and it runs the No 19 HP on 120 Volts . My guess is the batteries were used only when the Onan generator was down for some reason .

[Robert Bergeron]

This is what i am aiming for as a final result . A challenge . Photo credit : Bruce Parker

[Robert Bergeron]

This is the control panel i am looking to procure or reproduce . Dimensions needed . Very similar to Bruce Parker’s HUW panel . Photo credit Reg Hodgson .

[Robert Bergeron]

Coming along nicely .

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Looks terrific. Restoring the back of a radio truck takes more effort and skill than the truck itself. Well done.

[Robert Bergeron]

Thanks Bruce for your generous words. Thanks Reg Hodgson for the great idea for the control box . Now to fill this box with a proper control panel .

[Robert Bergeron]

What an incredible find today : Super rare connectors for the Wireless No 19 HP set . Had been looking for 5 years . These sets and accesories are hard to find ! Credits : Louis Meulstee wireless for the warrior for the illustration of the set.

[Robert Bergeron]

Diagram by Louis Meultsee showing the connectors for the unit . Some Wire-5 trucks was specificaly outfitted with a 110 V generator to power this radio amplifier . All the trucks of that series were pre-wired for it . Post war they were replaced with 52 sets . The parts supply was thin . Only 500 were ever made and they were rejected by the Brits and Cdn overseas HQ as the war was winding down and the end was nearing so nothing became of it and no further units were manufactured. They have become rare and difficult to find. The particular unit i bought today was used by it’s former owner to amplify his No 19 unit as it was designed for . He told me half the city of Arthabaska Qc lost their early 50’s black & white TV signal when he transmitted . He might of been exagerating a bit but at 86 years of age i did not argue and i had great fun listening to his every stories . He lived right next door to a Christian college that was a WW2 RCAF station during the war where aircrew learned radio telegraphy !

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Diagram by Louis Multse showing the connectors for the unit . Some Wire-5 truck was specificaly outfitted with a 110 V generator to power this radio amplifier . Post war they were replaced with 52 sets . The parts supply was thin . Only 500 were ever made and they were rejected by the Brits so nothing became of it and no further units were manufactured. The have become rare and difficult to find. The particular unit i bought today was used by it’s former owner to amplify his No 19 unit as it was designed for . He told me half the city of Arthabaska Qc lost their early 50’s black & white TV signal when he transmitted . He might of been exagerating a bit but at 86 years of age i did not argue and i had great fun listening to his every stories . He lived right next door to a Christian college that was a WW2 RCAF station during the war were aircrew learned radio telegraphy !

Good find! For some of this equipment it's if it finds you because there's no guarantee you will find it.

If I recall the Amplified Canadian 19 set could be switched to run on either 12 or 120 volts. Apparently if you did run it off 12 volt batteries it sucked them dry in a heartbeat.

Years ago I fired up my 19 amplifier on household current and it did what it was supposed to do. Young fool that I was I switched it off and opened it up to check for burning. It was only then I fully realized what capacitors do when I got a good zap up into my armpit. Oh...lessons learned!!

[CWO (ret) Gilles Aubé]

Bravo et je garde un œil sur le poste de commandement.

[Robert Bergeron]

I am happy to report the truck’s No 19HP set is now complete with all connectors including the 110 VAC power cord and the 2000 VDC connector . It is set serial number 436 / 500. Thanks Bruce and Chief for the good words .


Set serial # 436/ 500.


The No19 set will be powered by the 12VDC batteries and the No 19HP set will be powered by the Onan generator’s 110VAC when this is all finished .

[Robert Bergeron]

To illustrate the evolution of the use of the Wire-5 2K1 trucks here is a picture of one being in use post war . The uniform appears to be from the late 50’s / early 60’s and we have a great view of the radio set inside . Out went the wartime No 19HP sets .Could someone knowledgeable tell us what set this is please ? Photo credit : Communications Museum Kingston . Could someone also identify more precisely the period uniform please ?

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

To illustrate the evolution of the use of the Wire-5 2K1 trucks here is a picture of one being in use post war . The uniform appears from the late 50’s / early 60’s and we have a great view of the radio set inside . Out went the wartime No 19HP sets .Could someone knowledgeable tell us what set this is please ?

The classic No.52 set, quite common in 2K1 boxes post war.

[Robert Bergeron]

Thank you Bruce for your post and picture . Here we have a good view of the control panel , the little shelf just above and the 110V outlet that is in use only in the Onan generator equiped versions of the 2K1 - 2K2 trucks .

[Robert Bergeron]

Onan generator starting battery cables installed today . Located on front wall of box under the wireless table . The dedicated battery for the Onan does not power up the radios or internal lighting .

[Robert Bergeron]

Here we see the power cable flexible conduits i installed today . The conduits that come from the generator box to the control panel and the one that goes to the battens that allows power to flow to the wireless set .

[Robert Bergeron]

Here is a shot of the Onan starting wires coming out of the condulet right beside the very rare dedicated tool box for the Amplifier Canadian No 19 .

[Robert Bergeron]

There is a very interesting article on the Amplifiers Canadian No 19 on the QSL website . https://www.qsl.net/ve3bdb/19amp.html I learned reading it that the Amplifier set was not only used by Canada during WW2 but also during the Korean war ! Here is another interesting link : www.jproc.ca/marconi/no19_set_amp.html

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Use of the Canadian amplified 19 set in Korea was a completely unknown fact. Then someone noticed that in a war art painting of a Canadian HQ in Korea there was a radio set in the background that just happened to be a Canadian amplified set. This was quite a revelation and not likely artistic license by the painter (how and why would they do that with such accuracy?). It was only after that research proved these sets were in fact used in the Korean conflict.

I looked for the painting with no luck but if I find it I'll post.

And Bob, great work on the 2K1 !!!!

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Found it. It's a painting by Ed Zuber held in the Canadian War Museum collection. Their website and access is very limited (crappy) and all I could pull off is this grainy image but notice the radio operator working a Canadian Amplified set towards the right. Only radio nerds would notice.

[Robert Bergeron]

Extraordinary find Bruce and you have a very good eye ! I never thought i would be playing around with complicated sigs ( radios) one day . Here we are : I made the battery cables today . 8 in all for the 4 X 6 Volts batteries because there are two banks made of 2 each to make 12 Volts . Banks 1 & 2 cables enter the control box from the bottom and make their way to the rotary white porcelain switch . It’s nice to have the wiring diagram : Thanks Bruce .

[Robert Bergeron]

More wiring done today . I will have used 40 feet of No 2 gauge copper wiring , 10 battery terminals and about 30 copper 5/8 terminal lugs in this phase of the charging system restoration .

[Robert Bergeron]

Made good headway with the wiring of the battery banks today. Also brought into the control panel the cables from the generators . Everything is in place to do the control panel now. Hooked up the generators to the ground bussbar . Even the No 19 HP is hooked up to both the battery banks and the 110 V power supply .

[Robert Bergeron]

Found a really nice period all copper switch to select generators in the control panel . Q : to polish or to not polish ? I am asking because once the 75 year old patina is gone , it’s gone . Opinions , guidance ? What would you do ?

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Found a really nice period all copper switch to select generators in the control panel . Q : to polish or to not polish ? I am asking because once the 75 year old patina is gone , it’s gone . Opinions , guidance ? What would you do ?

Whatever you do don't let Ed Storey know!!!

Polishing copper and brass with that patina will never bring it back to as-new. It tends to over polish the flat surfaces which accentuates the dark in the recesses and scratches. Given the apparent scarcity of knife switches, I'm thinking more and more about making them with new material unless somebody has a stash of them somewhere.

[James P]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Found a really nice period all copper switch to select generators in the control panel . Q : to polish or to not polish ? I am asking because once the 75 year old patina is gone , it’s gone . Opinions , guidance ? What would you do ?

It was only new once, letting things show there age is just fine.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by James P

letting things show there age is just fine.

We're talking truck parts and not some of the characters that hang out around here...right???

[Robert Bergeron]

Thank you Bruce & James for your advice . Started mocking up a control panel as i search for suitable components to reproduce the original with fidelity . It is the real challenge of restoring the inside of this box . As for characters Bruce , we are all characters and have to be a little nut to undertake these projects . But with all the restrictions in place right now i am really glad to have this one to keep me busy and prevent my going crazy !

[Robert Bergeron]

Panoramic view from the radio operator’s seat .

[Robert Bergeron]

I don’t want this to be a radio specific thread but the No19 HP is part of what makes this truck so special : I installed the vario on the side of the HP specific table as per other Canadian examples . In the Louis Multsee book we see it stowed in a bracket on the ceiling . This way it is more accessible to the operator . In the next post we see a well known example of a similar installation .