Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

I had a set of these that came with some 19-Set bits years ago. The Mic was finished in wrinkle No. 2 Brown. Recently I came across another headgear assembly, along with a couple of other items, for sale. This set apparently had a Mic that was finished in wrinkle Olive Green, and I thought that would make an interesting pairing for the 52-Set Project.

The three items arrived in the Mail yesterday and what had looked like the correct green in the photos, turned out to be another NATO Green repaint. On the bright side, however, lots of chips in the paint reveal that the original colour was also wrinkle No. 2 Brown, so it all works out.

David

[David Dunlop]

Two of these items were issued with the Remote Receiver Kit and were stored in the wooden Remote receiver Operating Case.

I had one Receivers, Headgear still in a parts bin, which I think had been left over from a number of Wireless Remote Control Sets I had accumulated years ago.

A few weeks back I came across another one of these headgear, still in it's original factory box. I am not certain, but think that when the 52-Sets were originally issued, all of the kit stored in the various cases would have been in original packaging and the Wireless Operators would have unpacked what was needed and the rest would have stayed unopened until needed. So I think this item will work well, whenever I find the wooden case for the Remote Receiver. One headset will be ready for action and the other still in the box.

David

[David Dunlop]

The last items that arrived this week were a pair of these replacement receivers, also in their original packaging.

A pair of these were issued as spares in the 52-Set Spare Parts and Valves Box and they would have served as replacements for either of the two headgear items issued with the 52-Set.

Interestingly, both this package and the earlier noted Receivers, Headgear, MC Cdn Mk 1, in its original packaging, were held at one time (May 58 actually) in 25 Central Ordnance Depot, Montreal, Quebec. I would love to have had a tour of THAT facility in the late 1950's!

David

[David Dunlop]

I am pleased with the results of the British Valve Adapter project I have been working on recently. I am 100% certain the adapter itself will work as intended. Before putting it to the task of checking the valves in my 52-Set receivers, however, I realized that after many years of very casual use, it would be prudent to calibrate my Precision 612 Tube Tester to ensure it is in good working order. This is actually a fairly straight forward task, there being only one tube in the tester circuit (a 5Y3GT), one capacitor and about 10 easily accessible resisters to be checked.

‘Pop the tube out. Give it a quick test, and pop it back in or replace it.’ My Brain said, far too eagerly. It took a while for the concept of owning only one tube tester to take hold. So until I can team up with a mate with a tester on hand, I have headed back to the 52-Set work on my bench.

The slow strip down of the backup receiver is continuing as per the first photo. The tuning knob bits are all together waiting to be used to upgrade the Main Set Receiver.

I had commented a while back the tuning on the Main Set Receiver was alarmingly stiff. I suspect the shaft supports, front and/or rear, of the tuning condenser shaft itself are at fault. I am hoping the issue is with the front end as it is quite easy to access. The other two photos here show the tuning shaft exiting the rear of the Flick Assembly behind the front panel of the receiver and heading into the coil spring like flexible coupling. The last photo shows the tuning condenser shaft exiting the flexible coupling and disappearing into the front shaft support of the Tuning Condenser Assembly.

David

[David Dunlop]

With the successful completion of my British Valve Adapter Project, I have now switched my attention back to working on the 52-Set Receivers.

I have managed t do a little more strip down of the backup receiver, freeing up the knobs, handles and a number of brackets. I am making a concerted effort to properly tag each of the parts with their ID’s and ZA/CAN Numbers and bag them for storage for future use. Something I have not been prone to do in the past.

As you can see, the poor old girl is looking a lot more forlorn now than she did a few months ago.

One thing I thought would be worth mentioning here, as a perfect example of it can be seen to the left of the Power Indicator Lamp, where one of the round chassis handles was located. A large section of the panel paint has fallen away in pieces. It is not always possible to prevent this from happening with 75 year old paint, but some care can go a long way to help minimize this potential problem.

During the original assembly process, fittings and hardware were being installed on new paint, which, depending on delivery timings, could be anywhere from a few hours to a few days old. In many cases not fully cured and hardened. Consequently, it is not unusual for the added fittings and hardware to bond to the new paint after they are mounted and the hardware run home and the paint continues its curing process. 75 years later, and you need to remove said piece, there is a good chance the piece you are removing will stick to the panel paint and pull a piece off when removed.

The other problem is the likelihood of oxidation developing on the surface of the metal, underneath the paint, over time. Even though the oxidation layer may be very thin, it has no strength, that means the bond between the metal panel and the finish paint coat has been compromised, even though the paint may look minty new.

When removing hardware or parts from a painted panel, it is a good idea never to turn the fitting, or hardware on the panel face. Use a screwdriver , or socket to hold the part stationary and undo/unscrew the hardware on the backside of the panel. This will help minimize the risk of scales of paint coming off the panel.


David

[David Dunlop]

You may have noticed in the previous post the voltmeter is no longer present on the backup receiver. It is now destined to replace the meter on the Main Set Receiver, as that one has a cracked Lucite face and happens to be the same make as the one on the backup receiver. Once I have removed the damaged voltmeter from the Main Set Receiver, I will send it off to have the Lucite face replaced and that meter will become the ‘Spare’ for the 52-Set.

Quite a few markings turned up on the back of this voltmeter, including the manufacturer’s ID cast into the center circle, between the two terminals.

DE J
USA

If anyone recognizes this company logo, please let me know who it is. As you will see in the last photo, the ‘E’ is half the font size of the other two letters and there is a space between the “E” and the “J”, which leads me to believe the company name might be French.

Interestingly, the three mounting screws for this meter went into independent hex nuts at the back of the panel. Not reinforced tapped panel holes. This will make it interesting when it comes to installing the meter in the Main Set Receiver, as there is precious little working room back there when the meter is in place.

I thought I would document the various markings on the back of this meter. There is another manufacturer of meters for the 52-Set out there and it will be interesting to compare the two eventually.

At the top circumference, is a small yellow stamp “ASA”.

At the top most back of the meter is a large white rectangular stamp with the following centered in it:

CALIBRATED FOR
STEEL PANEL

Just below this is a round white ring with

D
INSP

Centered in it.

Below the terminals is a two part white number “150 24”. Perhaps the manufacturers stock number. It is one number too short for a CMC part number.

The last stamp is a large yellow bordered square below the left side terminal. This has “TESTED OK” stamped inside it.

The other marking shows up in the last photo, just above the left side (Positive) terminal. It is a handwritten mark, scratched into the bakelite that reads:

25/4/58
Fine

A possible inspection date.

I also noticed that the positive terminal is missing one brass washer. Each terminal should have two, the small ring connectors on the two meter leads fitting between the two brass washers. Fortunately, a local hardware store stocks older brass hardware so this piece can be easily replaced.

David

[Bob Carriere]

Hi David

Do you have a closeup of the face....? Are they not used on other similar radio/receivers...? like the 19 sets.....? diameter of case in inches
Bob C