Fullerphone details needed

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Thanks, Roberta.

The detail bits for wireless equipment never ceases to amaze me. In these parts, I have never seen a fullerphone sold with a ground spike, so I guess somewhere there must be boxes of them waiting to be discovered.

David

They've probably been mostly melted down for scrap by now, but the basic design was still in service up to the 1990s and may still be around. (It did, however get dramatically cheapened over time.) Top to bottom: Modern (cheap & nasty) bent mild steel rod with sprayed zinc coating that comes off easily. Next two are 1942 Canadian manufacture to the original specification: machined square bar with the crosspiece made from some of the turned bar welded on and then ground flush with the sides, terminal is (I think) 2BA, properly countersunk and with a wire loop retainer for the knurled nut. Bottom one is WW2 British mass production, bent square bar but still with the properly fitted terminal.The mottled effect on the Canadian pins is the remnant of hardened preservative, the British pins are just oxidised, probably mostly from the blacksmithing process.

Chris.