Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

With the three boxes/cases finished for the 52-Set, the remaining details for them is to try and sort out how each was packed at the factory. Of these three items, the Tool Box comes closest to being self evident to where most of the tools were fitted. What is not clear is if each individual hand tool was wrapped in tissue when pack to reduce them sliding and rattling around during shipping.

For the two remaining cases, packing becomes more of a mystery. Since the Cases, Operating, Remote Receivers was the last of these items I finished, it has been on my mind the most. The easy bit, and most obvious is that the Supply Unit for the Remote Receiver must go in the central compartment. When located there and one picks up the case by its handle, the shear mass of the Supply Unit tilts the case to the rear and the Supply Unit ends up sliding to the back of the compartment, so it makes sense to snug it up, centred against the back wall, when you place it in the case. Once the Supply Unit is in the case, it becomes evident quickly that the cables to operate the supply are not all going to fit into the left hand compartment which already holds two sets of headphones and assorted aerial gear. That got me wondering about why the two internal partitions for this case stick up into the lid of the case and why both are notched back at both ends. Then I remembered a comment on Page 115 of the Working Instructions Manual which said:

“When space must be conserved, the Supply Unit may be used in the Case, Operating.”

Things started to make more sense after that. All the controls required to configure the Remote Supply Unit for AC or DC operation, are contained under its metal cover. When the cover is in place, this just leaves the terminals for the battery cable, the ON/OFF Switch and the socket for the power cable to the Remote Receiver exposed along the front edge of the Supply Unit.

The Connectors, Single, No. C3, used to jumper the two 6 Volt Wireless Batteries up to the required 12 Volts just slide nicely between the front wall of the case and the base of the Supply Unit. The Connectors, Twin, No. C1, which are the battery cables feeding into the Supply Unit remain connected to the front left corner of the Supply Unit and wrap around the notches in the left partition with the Meuller Clips coming to rest in the space in the central front of the Supply Unit. The Power Cable to the Remote Receiver says plugged in at the front right corner of the Supply Unit and wraps around the notches in the right partition with the connector plug also resting in the central front of the Supply Unit.

The photos in this Post and the following one will illustrate how all this comes together.


David

[David Dunlop]

Remaining photos for preceding Post.

David

[David Dunlop]

If you look at the Contents List for the Case, Spares in Post #1050, a couple of items are worth pointing out, particularly if you have not read through the manual for the 52-Set for a while.

The list shows three spares for the 813 Transmitting Tube are packed in the case, but two spares of this valve are normally what are kept on hand. The 813 is a very tall, heavy valve and even though it is clamped in place when installed in the Sender, this valve is not installed in the Sender at the factory to avoid damaging the valve. When the 52-Set arrives at its destination and is unpacked to go into operation, one of the three 813’s packed in the Spares Case is actually the operating valve and must be installed in the Sender, the remaining two becoming the spares. Replacements for those two are drawn from Supply thereafter, as needed.

This makes perfect sense to me now. When my Sender was shipped to me from Montreal, my friend Jacques bench tested the 813 in it and found it in perfect working order. It was left in the Sender when shipped and even though the Sender was surrounded by 4 inches of foam insulating sheet on all sides, the 813 arrived with an internal rattle in the upper crown of the glass envelope. Fortunately, I had a couple of NOS spares on hand so simply swapped one out for the damaged one.

You will notice also, that three different Bulbs are listed. Only two types will be supplied in any given Spares Case. The six WB/C1490’s are the standard bulbs used in all the indicator lamps on the 52-Set, the Lamp, Operator, No. C6 and the Wireless Remote Control Units. These are always part of the spares supplied.

The three WB/C00004’s will only be supplied if the 52-Set to which the Spares Case belongs was equipped with an Eveready Torch in its Tool Box. This is an inline, black adonized brass torch, Model Number as shown on the List.

The last three unmarked Bulbs (WB/C4687’s) will be packed if the related 52-Set was equipped with a green plastic, L-Head Torch, Model TL-122-B made by GITZ.

The one remaining mystery with this list is why the VAOS Stock Numbers were not provided for the last six items. If anyone is trying to identify these items today to complete a Case, Spares of their own, I have noted them below:


WB/C4706. LUGS, SLOTTED, LARGE
WB/C4707. LUGS, SLOTTED, SMALL
ZA/C4694. PLUGS, CONNECTING, No. 2
ZA/C4821. WASHERS, KEYED, No. 1
ZB/C1056. NUTS, WING, NO. 1
ZB/C4399. WASHERS, FLAT, 1/4”



David

[David Dunlop]

It is unfortunate that little of the actual production records from Canadian Marconi Company have survived for the 52-Set. They would probably make our understanding of what took place. lot easier today.

A good example is the presence of the two optional Torches listed in the Tool Box Contents List and the corresponding presence of the two optional sets of Bulbs in the Spares Case. In all likelihood, there was some sort of supply issue with one of the torches that prompted CMC to source an alternate early on, but we have no idea how long this issue persisted.

It would be interesting to find a surviving Eveready Torch to see it it has any markings showing where it was made.


David

[David Dunlop]

Well after a number of weeks of working to replicate this list via a modern spreadsheet equivalent, I decided it was the end of the year and the idea should also end accordingly.

There were just too many variables to sort out and the last straw was realizing that I needed to start the project with a height to width ratio for the spreadsheet replacement that was proportionally equivalent to the original list. if this was not done, scaling the new version to the correct size was next to impossible.

So I starting playing with the original photo Reg sent me of his Contents List since it could be resized without losing the correct proportions. Over the last 24 hours, I figured out how to erase the background and retain just the list image, I then got the image cleaned up as much as possible and finally was able to adjust the colour of the image to get an acceptble match to the other two lists I have.

After that, a little trial and. error with the printer and I was able to match the original list width and height by using a 42.5% sized version of Reg's photograph.

A little cutout work and trimming and I can start 2024 off on a good footing finally. Next challenge will be sorting out waterslide transfer decals for the Supply Unit and Coils, Aerial Tuning front panels.


David

[Bob Carriere]

.... the same trick on a fifty dollar bill?????

Let me know if it works as I could use some........ I keep wishing people "Prosperity for the New Year"..........

[David Dunlop]

No I have not, Bob, but for what it’s worth, way back in 1952-53, there was a printing issue with the very first run of $1.00 Paper Bills under Queen Elizabeth II.

The ink the two printers in Ottawa were using on the reverse side of the bills was the wrong formula. If the reverse side of these bills was washed with HCl Acid, the green ink turned the same blue as the $5.00 Bill of the same new series.

Don’t ask me how I know.

All the Best to You and Yours in 2024!

David