19-Set Vario/Aerial Base Mounting Plate

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

My friend here in town has checked his set and the aerial base is apparently an 'AERIALBASE No 10 Mk II' with ZA14172 and PC825740 also cast into the rubber. The Control Unit is a No.2 Mk II, which if the correct model, also raises the question of how the unused 12-pin socket was protected from the elements. Were protective caps ever issued for these things?

Also looks like four cheesehead screws hold the mounting plate in place as Chris noted.

David

Aerial Base No.10 replaced Aerial Base No.8, and had a metal clamp (two strips riveted together with a wingnut, as used on Aerial Base No.11) instead of the spring wire clip of the No.8. Aerial Base No. 10 Mk.II replaced that clamp with a one-piece wrap-around clamp with wingnut one side (to operate the clamp) and knurled nut the other side to allow an aerial feeder to be connected. The rubber insulator was also changed slightly: the Mk.1 met the steel mounting flange at a sharp angle, and tended to separate, so the Mk.II had a slight concave curve at the boundary to give a better bond between the steel and rubber.

The Control Unit No.2 would have a 12-way cable fitted in the spare socket. This would be fixed to the vehicle (in e.g. a jeep) and run to a permanently fitted Control Unit No.1 in the front of the vehicle. If the set was being used dismounted from the vehicle, it would be under cover (building or tent), so there would be no need to protect the spare socket.

I think the securing screws for the plate are standard 2BA x 1/2-in cheesehead. (Hex bolts were also used as it's hard to get at the ones under the variometer.)

Chris.

(On that note, it's heading for Oh God o'clock here (0045Z) and I'm going to bed. Goodnight.)

:-)>