Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

Although this thread is supposed to be a simple documentation of what I am doing with regards to restoring a Wireless Set No. 52, I have come to realize that it is also indirectly documenting things I learn about the 52-Set as I plod along. That is probably a good thing in that there seems to be a lot to discover. Typically details never discussed or illustrated in the manuals pop up and I suspect a lot of other 52-Set owners out there are unaware of them either.

Case in point this week. Reg Hodgson, in Edmonton, has started a restoration/clean up of his 52-Set and sent me the attached two photographs of what he discovered. Reg has had many years of military vehicle restoration work behind him and has developed an eye for detail. He is working on his Carrier No. 4 at the moment. His was a lucky one. No aggressive strip down of the original paint (wrinkle No. 2 Brown in this case), just a simple spray over of NATO Green.

When he removed the Coil, Aerial Tuning No. 2 mounting rails on the right hand side of his Carrier No. 4, he noticed a lettering shadow underneath the NATO Green. A little careful sanding later and the attached stencilled ID turned up sitting on top of the factory original wrinkle No. 2 Brown. This marking would be hard to spot with the Coil rails in place and utterly impossible to see once the Coil box was mounted on the side rails.

I was delighted Reg found this marking as I can now look for it and replicate it if necessary, if and when I find my own Carrier No. 4. It is also now referenced for anyone else in the future.

It was also nice to see this marking, as it is very similar to what I recall seeing once on a 52-Set Remote Receiver Case. The identifiers, of course, would be different for the Remote Receiver Case, but I am pretty sure now that marking was also centred on the side of the case, below the handle.

David

[David Dunlop]

This past weekend, I was able to replace the Handles, No. 72, and its related Screws, Clamping No. C2, on the Tuning Dial of my Main Set Receiver. Their original look can be seen in the left hand photo in Post 149 of this thread.

I had mentioned in an earlier Post that the Handles unit was badly chipped and dented and the Clamping Screws were really showing their age now. So replacing them all with the ones from my spare receiver made a lot of sense. A side project spun off of this related to the Slow Motion Drive Assembly on the Main Set Receiver, but I will deal with that in a separate Post shortly.

Any work on the tuning dials of the 52-Set (or even the 19-Set and any other wartime wireless equipment using this style of tuning dial) can be a very intimidating task. The four Clamping Screws operate the Flick Mechanism that enables the Wireless Operator to preselect two different operating frequencies, that once set, can be dialled in very rapidly. These are the ‘A’ and ‘B’ (Red and Blue) frequencies highlighted on the front panel of the wireless set. Typically, one frequency would be for daytime use and the other for nighttime.

To make all of that work, there are four separate components behind the Handles, the Clamping Screws pass through or screw into. Two of these pieces are Washer, Clamping, Front and a Washer, Clamping Rear. The 19-Set Manual refers to these as ‘Plates’ for some reason. I have added a photo of the Washer, Clamping, Front.

There is a bit of free play as to how these two pieces sit in the tuning assembly. They can move around a little and it only takes a little movement for the holes to shift out of alignment once the Clamping Screws are removed. So you do not want that to happen. You want gravity to work for you, not against you when doing this work and to that end, I would strongly recommend you lay the receiver on it’s back, on a couple of supports to protect the rectangular connector on the back. Once the receiver is lying flat on its back all the fiddly bits will stay put. If you are still nervous about doing this work, another great tip I got from Jacques Fortin, is to get hold of an early version of the Clamping Screws used on the Mark II Wireless Set No. 19: The straight ones with the slot in the end. These were designed and intended to allow the Handles No. 72 to be removed and replaced without losing the hole alignments inside the Flick Mechanism. Simply installing one of these older Clamping Screws and running it home will prevent serious hole misalignment.

To remove the Handles No. 72, first unscrew the grub screw on the lower side of the handle. This will require a small jeweller’s slotted screwdriver, not a Bristo or Allan Key. Then unscrew and remove the large screw in the centre of the Handle No. 72. Then comes the tricky bit.

There is a pair of Springs, Steel, Wire No. 1 (ZA 14271) located in slots on either side of the Handles No. 72. These springs were designed to put tension on the sides of the Clamping Screw shafts to prevent them from accidentally falling out of the Handle if they were completely unscrewed. There is a very small pivot pin located centrally along each Spring. These create the tension against the Clamping Screws when they are installed in the handle. When the tension is gone (the Clamping Screws removed from the system) these small pivot pins are free to fall out of the bottom of the Handles No. 72 when you try lifting it off the tuning dial. To prevent this from happening, grab the ends of one Spring with the index finger and thumb of one hand and do the same with the other hand on the other spring. Then pull the ends of both springs outward slightly from the centre of the Handle, while maintaining enough grip on the handle to lift it clear of its mounting shaft. As it comes clear, keep the tension on the springs and turn the Handle No. 72 on its back before putting it down on your workbench. This will keep the pivot pins safely in their two holes. See the attached photo of the back of the old Handles No. 72 I replaced. The two holes are at the ‘9’ and ‘3’ positions and clearly these pins have been lost more than once over time with my spare receiver. The one at ‘3’ is too long and the end of the pin shaft has been punched to permanently retain it. The pin that came out of the ‘9’ position is not an original pin but a section of screw shaft cut down to fit. Wow! The stories parts can tell sometimes.

For reassembly, make sure the holes for the four Clamping screws all line up. A small knitting needle can be used to tweak any slightly. From it’s upside down position on your workbench, do the same finger trick with the tension on the springs to pick it up and turn it over to drop onto its shaft. Only release the tension when it is down all the way. It is a good idea at this point to replace the four Clamping Screws. There will be a slight bit of resistance when the screws first encounter the spring but they easily push past that point. When you know they are all run home, replace the large central screw. Once the Handle No. 72 is fully seated, retighten the grub screw.

Last photo is the Main Set Receiver with the nicer looking Handles No. 72 and Clamping Screws installed.

And that’s all she wrote this time,

David

[David Dunlop]

In my last post I mentioned some spin off work for the Slow Motion Tuning Drive turned up while I was replacing the Handles No. 72 on my Main Set Receiver.

I had noticed a while ago the Slow Motion Drive seemed a bit stiffer than it should have been to operate and when the Flick Control Lever to the right of the tuning dial was in it’s lower FLICK position, I needed two hands to turn the dial, which by rights should turn very freely with one hand with the control lever turned to that mode. My thought at the time was that since the Slow Motion Drive worked, but was very stiff, the problem was probably with one of the tuning shaft support bearings, fore and aft on the tuning condenser assembly. While working on the Handles No. 72, I decided to take advantage of the strip down and remove the large tuning dial to give it a proper clean. This necessitated removal of the Slow Motion Drive Assembly at the bottom of the dial. This is another of those tasks that can be intimidating because of the Bracket and Spring Assemblies No. C1 (ZA/CAN 0233) the Slow Motion Drive is mounted in and the fact there is a lower arm of the Flick Mechanism connected to the Slow Motion Drive one has to be aware of while removing and installing the drive unit. Again, this is another bit of work that you should let gravity help you with. Place the receiver on its back before you start.

The first two photos are of a standard drive and a Slow Motion Drive assembly. The stud on the lower right hand side of each it what engages into a large, self-locating V-Slot on the end of the lower Flick Lever. When everything is installed, and you turn the Flick Control Lever to the ‘FLICK’ position, the lower Flick Lever (which is spring loaded to keep it under tension, pushed the right hand side of the Drive Assembly away from the rim of the large tuning dial. The allows the operator to grab the Handles No. 72 and turn the dial rapidly to one of the preselected frequencies. When that position on the dial is reached, an Upper Flick Lever, coming from the Flick Control up to the two Indicator Flags Mechanism drops the appropriate Indicator Flag down for either the A or B Frequency being selected.

Because of the orientation of the Lower Flick Lever, and the fact it is under spring tension, if there is no Tuning Drive in place for it to engage, it will automatically swing to the left, across the small rectangular opening in the panel behind the drive assembly, when you remove the drive. Don’t look for it on the right side later. It won’t be there.

Before you start, make sure the Flick Control Lever is in its middle SET position and leave it there. First step it to remove the knobs from the drive. Then remove the long pivot screw at the left side of the Bracket and Spring Assemblies. It is a good idea to keep a thumb on the assemblies, just to the right of the pivot screw as you remove it. To keep everything in place until you are ready. You will notice as the screw comes out of the panel, the Bracket and Spring Assemblies relaxes and a small bend shows up along the lower edge. At this point, slowly lift the Assemblies away from the panel. About 1/8-inch away from the panel you should feel the locking stud, about ½-inch to the right of the pivot pin pop free of the panel. When it does, slowly move the Assemblies up and to the left at a shallow angle. You should notice the Lower Flick Lever following along for a while and then disengaging and swinging off to the left of the rectangular hole.

To replace the complete Drive, Bracket and Spring Assemblies No. C1, start by putting the long pivot pin in place to keep the two parts together. With a small little hook, retrieve the Lower Flick Lever from the left side of the little rectangle. As you move it slowly to the right, you will see the large V-opening appear with a rounded apex to the V. Insert the stud on the lower left end of the tuning drive into the V-opening, left the lever engage it and move the entire assembly into position such that the long pivot screw can be engaged in it’s hole and threaded home. The manuals will tell you to run the pivot screw completely home before the next step, but that just make the next step that much harder for you to complete.

The small locking stud to the right of the pivot screw rests very quickly on the top of the panel face. If you run the pivot screw completely home first, that small stud really digs in and you are making a lot more work for yourself. Don’t worry about getting the rim of the large tuning dial into its slot on the central pin of the drive assembly. If you miss it initially, it should pop into place as you tighten to pivot screw.

The last step the manual will advise you to do is insert a small slotted screw driver under the Bracket and Spring Assemblies, engage the end of the small locking stud and push it up about one half inch until it pops into its locking hole. I find a much better solution is to use a thin steel putty knife as shown in the third photograph. If you have to, remove any switch knobs in the area to make things easier for you. I usually tighten the pivot screw down just far enough I can slide the putty knife blade under it easily. The really nice thing about the putty knife is it has a wide blade and you will not miss finding the small locking stud. That spring on the Bracket and Spring Assemblies No. C1 has a surprising amount of tension in as you move it closer to its panel hole. The bottom edge of the assembly should be perfectly straight when you get to the hole. Once it has dropped in place, remove the putty knife, finish tightening the pivot screw, reinstall the tuning knobs and any others you had to remove and you are good to go.

Sorry for the length of this. Hope it proves helpful.

David

[David Dunlop]

The Crystal Calibrator Panel on my Main Set Receiver was very badly scratched up, including several across some of the lettering, so I decided to replace it with the panel from my spare receiver, which had only a couple of small visible paint chips and a few larger ones around the perimeter that is hidden under the upper receiver front panel. The first three photos show the original panel, the original replacement panel, and the refurbished replacement panel. It turns out that Testors 1139 Semi-Gloss Black Model Paint is a near perfect match to the black paint Canadian Marconi used on the calibrator panel here.

The Crystal Calibrator is a complete, self-contained sub assembly that is mounted to the receiver chassis at some point on the receiver assembly line, by means of four small angle brackets, two either side of the rear chassis plate of the calibrator. See the fourth photo in this post. Swapping out the calibrator panel is, fortunately, a purely mechanical task, that is easy enough to do with a little forethought.

The first step is to lay the receiver on its left side on your bench as this makes access to all the necessary hardware much easier, and if any hardware falls loose, it will not disappear into the bottom of the main chassis. Then remove the calibrator switch knob. You should then notice this switch has a small key tab just to the left of the switch shaft that sits in a small hole in the panel just above the ‘FR’ of “FREQ CHECK”. Then, carefully unscrew the large hex nut securing the switch. It should have a large, external tooth lock washer behind it. Be gentle as this has been tightened against 75 year old paint that might have been bruised and you do not want large chips to pop off if you can avoid it.

The next step is to undo the ground terminal at the lower end of the 5 Watt 8 Ohm Lamp Resistor. Shown in the first two photos of the following post. You can then remove the two slotted, pan head self-tapping screws on the underside of the calibrator panel, shown in the third and fourth pictures of the following post.

Next remove the two screws on the upper front of the calibrator panel, above the Holders, Lamp Assembly. You can now gently pull the panel assembly forwards just enough to access the centre screw terminal on the back of the Holders, Lamp Assembly with a small socket. There is a small trick to this, however. Loosening the hex nut on the centre terminal to remove the connector also loosens the Lamp Socket inside the Holder and it will start to turn with the hex nut you are trying to remove. So before you start trying to undo the hex nut, remove the red lamp cover from the front of the Holders, Lamp and place a fingertip on the bulb inside with enough pressure backwards to hold the bulb and socket still while you undo and remove the hex nut.

To reassemble, do everything in the reverse order.

David

[David Dunlop]

Here are the remaining four photographs related to the previous post.

David

[David Dunlop]

The HOLDERS, Lamp, No. 1 (ZA 4201), is a very common item found on a great variety of Second World War Era Wireless Equipment. To this point in time, the only real variation I had ever run across when dealing with them was the variety of different coloured cover caps they could be equipped with across all the equipment that uses these Holders.

While recently working on my Main Set Receiver, and with subsequent help from Bruce MacMillan and Jacques Fortin, we have realized two versions exist. The difference is quite subtle but can have a profound impact on ones wireless restoration project, if any of the relevant hardware bits go missing.

It would appear the original design of these holders, whenever that was, made use of a 6BA x ½ inch central terminal screw at the back of the Holder, fitted with a chunky looking 6BA hex nut. This hex nut requires a 3/16 inch socket to work with it. At some unknown point, for some unknown reason now, production of these Holders changed such that the central terminal screw became a 4-40 x ½ inch screw with its thinner and wider hex nut which requires a ¼-inch socket to work with it.

It seems unlikely this difference is a result of two different manufacturers running concurrently with one another, only because any available documentation we can find on these Holders is dated up to and including 1944 and it all refers solely to the 6BA version. The 4-40 screw version is likely a later replacement or upgrade. It has no real bearing on the working capability of the Holder, just one’s ability to service it.

I have 6 of these Holders (two each) fitted to my three 52-Set Receivers. Two are 6BA Pattern and the other four are 4-40 Pattern, Two of the receivers have one of each.

Thought I would put this information out there to minimize other people being surprised by this hardware variation down the road.

David

[David Dunlop]

It has been a very good weekend for getting things done on the Main Set Receiver. One huge three part bit of work and a couple of detail items accomplished.

The first small item was getting the blue paint daub reapplied to the top of the Crystal Calibrator Chassis to denote all valves therein had be properly aged in prior to installation of the calibrator. One small piece of the original paint had survived. It is nothing fancy, just a random daub (more correctly a grouping of daubs of blue paint) just smaller than a 5-Cent Piece.

I could not find a 1944 Nickel in my coin bin for the photo, so a 1945 had to step in.

Before I forget, again, the paint I found that was a close match to the original is ‘TREMCLAD GLOSS MEDIUM BLUE’. I sprayed some in an empty cat food tin and daubed it on with a cotton q-tip. It is an enamel and with take several hours to dry to the touch and about 24 hours to cure under normal household temperatures.

David

[David Dunlop]

The biggest chunk of work on the 52-Set Main Receiver this weekend involved, three separate, but interconnected tasks, with a small extra one tossed in for good measure.

The collective objective was to finish off replacing all rusted or damaged components and hardware on the lower front panel, and the items being attended to were the Voltmeter, Holders ,Lamp, Loudspeaker and lower right Mounting Bracket.

The Voltmeter needed to be replaced with the one from the spare receiver as it has a cracked Lucite face and I need to send it off to be repaired. The original three mounting screws are also badly rusted. Rusted screws and a needed cleaning were needed with the Holders, Lamp and rusted hardware again with the Loudspeaker. Both the lower mounting bracket and its two screws were rusted and to be replaced.

Accessing the hardware for the Holders, Lamp and Loudspeaker is very bad, unless the Voltmeter is removed from the panel, and that is the primary reason all three bits of work were combined. The Voltmeter on the 52-Set, however, has its own challenges. Unlike the 19-Set, the hardware for the 52-Set Voltmeter does not screw directly into the front panel assembly. It has its own independent hex nuts behind the panel to contend with. Before you start that, however, it is a good idea to remove the two meter leads from their terminals at the back of the meter, while the meter is still secure.

I found the best way of getting the meter hardware off was to jamb a fingertip against the back of the hex nut to hold it in place while you unscrew and remove the mounting screw. 6BA screws and hex nuts were very likely the original hardware. I found one of these top dead centre. The other two were 4-40 items. Once the screw was out of its hex nut, I moved the nut along the back of the panel to a point where I could capture it with a small shop magnet.

Once you have removed the three hardware sets, you can give the meter a little nudge from the rear so you can grasp the front rim and slide it out of the panel. He aware, the fit is snug and I found the years of dirt accumulation on the top of the back of the meter was sufficient to bind the meter. But you can wiggle it free.

The thought of reinstalling the meter was a daunting one until I bounced the topic off Jacques Fortin. He suggested gluing the hex nuts in place first. Brilliant ,and I modified that by using clear nail polish instead. I reinstalled the good hardware, but slightly loose initially. It is extremely important to ensure the flats of the hex nuts are lined up perpendicular to the circumference of the meter opening in the panel. Looking directly into the meter opening, the hex nuts must be completely invisible, otherwise the body of the meter will hang up on them. And if you have glued them in place…

Once I had the hardware set up correctly, I applied the nail polish to the outer edges of the hex nuts, making very sure to keep the polish away from the screw threads at all costs. Then give it a full 24 hours to cure before carefully removing the screws. Insert the meter back into the panel and replace the screws. Again, at this point do not try forcing the screws into the hex nuts, You may push the nuts off the back of the panel. Let the threads on each find each other. If you want, cafefully jamb a fingertip back onto the backs of each nut until the screw is all the way through, for a little extra insurance. Once all three screws are installed, reattached the meter leads to the rear terminals and you are good to go.

While the meter in out, I used the extra space to replace the top two Loudspeaker screws. Kept a finger on the hex nuts at all times. While removing the old screw and installing the new ones. The lower two can easily be reached from the bottom of the chassis and for this, just lay the receiver on it’s left side. Same goes for the lower right side mounting bracket hardware.

The two photos are of the new meter hardware curing in place and of the Main Set Receiver with all its new and improved bits. It has come a very long way in the past year.

David

[David Dunlop]

When I cleaned up the meter needing repairs to its Lucite face, I was surprised at how much more readable the various stamps on the back of it were, compared to the same type of DeJur Company Voltmeter I commented on back in Post #140. I was, however, expecting the same 5-digit number to show up on the bottom half of the back of the meter, but this one had ‘150 14’ on it, not ‘150 24’. No clue at all at this point of the significance of these numbers.

There is also a small error to be accounted for in that earlier Post. The yellow stencil on the top edge of the meter body is a much larger font on this meter and clearly reads ‘MI4’ The smaller font I earlier posted about looked like ‘ASA’ to me back then, but on closer examination after cleaning up this meter, I can see it also reads ‘MI4’. Again, yet another mystery.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Nice work Dave. 52 sets have to be one of the prettiest out there.

[David Dunlop]

The Main Set Receiver and Remote Receiver are finally now running pretty much parallel to each other in their restoration process. It took a little longer to get the Main Set Receiver up to match the Remote Receiver than I had initially anticipated, but we are there now.

The next thing I plan to do is clean all the switch contacts on all the rotary switches of each receiver. I know the meter switches on both receivers are not as responsive as I would expect them to be, and a few positions on both require a bit of fiddling to find their sweet spots in regards to getting a good connection for the electrons to travel through. Some oxidation of contacts is to be expected, but it has to go.

Once that is done, my British Valve Adapter will finally get its workout and all valves will be tested in both receivers. While testing the valves, I thought I might as well take advantage of that opportunity to clean all the contact surfaces in the valve sockets and the pins on the valves themselves. If oxidation can build up on the inactive switch contacts over time, there is no reason it could not have built up in the socket connections as well, so best get rid of any that is present. I should be able to complete all of that work in the next couple of weeks or so.


David

[David Dunlop]

Thanks, Bruce.

You are right. When I first saw a colour photo of one years ago, I fell in love with it. Always thought a restored one sitting on a bench with some 19-Sets beside it, would be like it had had 'puppies'!

Rhett is not amused by my having just said that, but our cat is smiling!

David

[Wayne Hingley]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Thanks, Bruce.

You are right. When I first saw a colour photo of one years ago, I fell in love with it. Always thought a restored one sitting on a bench with some 19-Sets beside it, would be like it had had 'puppies'!

Rhett is not amused by my having just said that, but our cat is smiling!

David

It does look nice David, but I really think you should have it mounted in an M42 command truck. Then you can take your show on the road, with the dog, cat and puppies too.

[David Dunlop]

Funny you should say that, Wayne. I almost bought one at Shilo in the early 1980’s, when they auctioned off dozens of long term storage vehicles. Later bought an ex 2PPCLI M37 that turned out to have been converted for Wireless. It had a Canadian designed wireless shelf mounted across the upper front of the box, two ceiling lights mounted on the wood top bows, all sorts of steel fittings welded to the box floor, and that delightfully classis Driver’s Door Spare Wheel Mount. It was a great truck!

David

[David Dunlop]

The Illustrators that worked on the 52-Set Parts Lists did an amazing job, both in the accuracy/detail of their work but also in getting the background scale for each drawing correct. A good example of this is in the attached drawing of the ¼-pound tin of Kesters Radio Solder that was part of the kit in the Spare Tools Box.

Based on that drawing a few weeks ago, I started monitoring eBay for possible matches to that drawing. Some very similar ones popped up almost immediately, but the wording in the little ribbon was wrong. I started to doubt the accuracy of that particular feature of the drawing until 10 days ago when these items turned up. Spot on to the drawing, and it was even more interesting to find Kesters had a plant in Brantford, Ontario, which was noted on the back of the tin. Seems Kesters colour coded the tins of their solder line to make it easier to recognize the correct solder for a particular job, and that policy continued well into the 1970’s, long after they had switched to small cardboard boxes for their solder products.

David

[David Dunlop]

Well, the plan had been to start the switch and socket contact cleaning next, for both the Remote Receiver and Main Set Receiver, but when I sat down and reviewed my project notes, I remembered a more important task needed to be done first. The big bakelite Socket, 7-Point on the back of the Remote Receiver had to be replaced. I had forgotten that earlier in the project I had discovered it had some sort of interior shorting issue and the Terminal Leaf Assembly for the ‘R’ circuit on the socket had been snapped off, which meant potential loose hardware rattling around inside the assembly. I had also noted that one lead on the S5A Relay Switch, mounted on the back of the Socket had broken free and another on the No. 7 terminal of the socket was close to coming off.

As shown in the first three photos of this Post, the Socket 7-Point on my backup receiver was minty and still sporting the original Terminal Identification label on the back of it. For comparison, the 4th photo is the sad looking Socket, 7-Point on the Remote Receiver. So the first phase of this task was to figure out how to carefully uninstall this Socket, undamaged, without making use of wire cutters at the very least, and hopefully not having to do any unsoldering either. It was going to be good practise sorting this all out on the backup receiver, as it was vitally important not to screw up any aspect of this work on the Remote Receiver.

The easy part was the first step: removal of the three countersunk slotted screws that secure the socket backing plate to the receiver chassis. Two are located at the top corners of the plate, attaching it to the upper chassis cross frame. The third is located in the bottom right corner of the backing plate, attaching it to a long support post. Once these screws are removed, the socket assembly will drop away from the chassis slightly, along its top edge.

At this point, it is important to remember one is dealing with 75 year old wiring that for the most part was stuffed into a particular position and has stayed that way largely undisturbed. Soldered connections can develop a degree of corrosion and the small bits of exposed wire at these soldered connections have grown comfortable sitting still. They may, or may not, react well to suddenly being tugged and twisted (as I eventually discovered). In order to create a little more manovering room to do further work behind the socket backing plate, you can carefully pull away part of the wiring shown in Photo 5, which has been tucked back between the large three capacitor mounting panel on the side of the chassis below the socket, and the chassis corner. That section of harness has only been laced up to the bottom of the cap panel. The wires you need to release are easy to identify and as they come free, the socket assembly will relax downward to allow you a good view behind it.

To be concluded.

David

[David Dunlop]

With the wiring loom released from the left side of the chassis, the Connector Socket Assembly should relax enough to sag down and you can carefully rotate the top edge towards you to expose the rear portion of the socket and the attached S5A Relay Assembly. You will see the thick, brown, phenolic resin backing plate for the connector, sandwiched under the base of the relay and the four spacer posts for the relay. First photo.

The two spacer post assemblies on the right hand side can be easily removed with a slot head screw driver and a ¼” very thin spanner. There will be a lock washer under the forward post hex nut and none under the rear one as there is a wiring connection there with a locking ring terminal. Once that hardware is removed, you can access the ¼” hex screw holding the connector in place to remove it with the same spanner. Second photo.

On the left side, things are a little bit trickier. These two post screws are spot welded in place on the connector mounting plate. The front hex nut has a lock washer under it. The rear one does not as it also has a wiring terminal located under it. Because the two screws are fixed on this side, the hex nuts will ride up the screws as you undo them. You need to apply some tension to the backing plate to keep it directly behind the hex nuts as you unscrew them. If you don’t, the nuts will ride up and jamb against the two round head slotted screws on either side of the relay return spring. Photo three.

Once you have the hardware removed, you have full, but careful access to the terminal strips inside the connector, for whatever maintenance you need to perform. In my case, in Photo four, you can see the broken screw and nut assembly roughly in the centre from the terminal the leaf connector had been broken away from. I also found a fine coating of dirt and oil inside the connector. I am almost certain the oil came from copious amounts of it being sprayed on the back of the Remote Receiver case when somebody drilled a series of holes under the Connector Socket to add a modern aerial coax cable socket. I found oil and metal shavings everywhere inside the case and lower parts of the chassis when first cleaning it up. The crud inside the connector was actually acting as a high resistance conductor and is likely the cause of the weird shorting out I was experiencing. Once everything was cleaned and replaced. The problems went away. Photo five,

When it comes to reassembly of the connector and relay assembly, get the backing plate portion done first with the two ¼” hex screws. Then replace the two right hand relay post assemblies, but only tighten the hex nuts a few turns onto their screws, leaving lots of wiggle room for the time being.

Then go to the left side of the relay, lever the bottom of the relay up enough that there is just enough screw thread for the front screw to catch the hex nut and run it down a couple of turns only. You still need the wiggle room.

Next, carefully slide the top spring loop off its stud at the top of the relay contact plate and let the spring drop to the right, over the hex nut you just installed. Then remove the round head slotted screw on the lower left side of the spring location. This will give you more access to get the rear hex nut started on its screw. Once it has been started, keep tension on the base plate of the relay to keep both hex nuts snug and alternate running them home, carefully to tighten them down, replace the round head screw and reconnect the spring carefully. You can then tighten the two hex nuts down on the right side of the relay.

Final step is to rotate the complete assembly back up to the rear of the chassis and replace the three mounting screws and tuck the wiring back in the left side chassis frame.

David

[David Dunlop]

This large gem was a surprise addition to the project a week ago when I got a call from Reg Hodgson, in Edmonton, that he had found a pair locally.

Only two coats of paint on the entire case. The first is the factory original flat or semi flat OD Green and a shadow of some of the stencil markings are still visible. Photo one. Hopefully more markings will be revealed when I get to restoring this case. This has all been done over in a gloss battleship grey overall with a funny green band on the right side of the lid. Photo two.

Several ‘cracks’ are visible in the wood, as a result of this case being stored in a damp environment at some point. Also, the putty filler used to cover the perimeter screw holes has fallen out of several of them. One of the really interesting bits about this case, however, is on the lid. The handle assembly is original. All factory rivets are still there as originally installed. But take a close look at the left side handle bracket. It is incorrect. It is a right hand bracket installed there. The correct bracket should be a mirror image of the right side bracket. Interesting mystery as to why that might have happened. Whoever installed it realized the bracket had to be flipped around for the handle to still function correctly.

The third photo shows the bottom of the case where a lot of putty plugs have fallen out and a large ‘crack’ runs full length across the bottom of the case. The wood is slightly humped at that point and I was rather concerned about that until I had a closer look at the left side of the case in Photo four. This photo shows the excellent finger jointing work done on this case. It also revealed another feature I had not expected, but upon discovering it, it made a lot of sense. What I though were cracks, are in fact the tongue and groove joints used to connect various strips of pine together to get the board sizes they needed to craft these cases. Animal glues would have been used in these joints and the damp conditions this box experienced were enough to dissolve the glue and allow the boards to separate a bit from one another and from the bottom edge of the case, resulting in the slight hump.

The last photo is of the interior of the case. The KimPak lining on the right side has some serious damage. My suspicion is the damp caused the padding to swell and it was subsequently pushed down a bit. Again, likely caused by dissolving glue. There would have been a newsprint paper label on the inside lid listing the case contents, this has fallen off and been lost. In the left side compartment, the wrap of KimPak around the sides has fallen off but the pad at the bottom is still in place.

My current thought for both cases so far, is to restore the exteriors and leave the interiors as original as possible, thereby saving a bit of their history.

As for the items inside the case? Reg tells me both cases he found had the same contents. More on those later.

David

[David Dunlop]

I was absolutely amazed to find a set of these connectors came with the Spares Box Reg had found. In the back of my mind, I was wondering if and when I ever found the Supply Unit for a 52-Set in complete condition, how to safely connect it to a suitable DC Supply for testing. Even more important, how to do it safely to operate the set?

So far this connector seems to be in dirty but near complete condition. The only missing item I can currently identify is one of the four corner screws holding the main body together is missing. Hopefully that will be an easy fix. There is a bit of sulphate deposit on the two banana sockets on the back of the plug assembly and the large mounting screw has some surface oxidation that should also clean off easily. All the raised letter identifications cast into the bakelite are intact and still have their white paint highlights.

The Parts List states the two leads should be black and red. The ‘red’ one on this item looks more tan/brown, but that just might be decades of dirt accumulation. I took a look in the manuals to see where this item was normally stored and it took me a few moments to realize it was an active part of the 52-Set and would always be fitted to the front of the Supply Unit. Doh!


David

[David Dunlop]

This was the other item found in the bottom of the Spares Box. It is in rather rough shape, but is the first one I have ever seen up close. Not sure at this point, just how important it is, since the same chart is printed in the Instruction Manual for the 52-Set.

There is a paint line around the edge of the front of this plate, so it was clearly mounted and in use somewhere in its working career. The paint is either white, cream or that funny pale hospital green one used to see a lot of, decades ago.

Still also a mystery how somebody came into possession of two differently painted Spares Boxes decades ago, and both still had the Plates and Connectors still tucked away inside.

David

[David Dunlop]

I stumbled across this item locally over the weekend while looking for something completely different. Since it was actually the Satchels, Signals listed in the Master Parts Listing for the 52-Set, I figured I might as well pick it up.

It has some dust marks on it, but the overall condition of it suggests it was never issued/used. It does seem to be a much lighter weight strap, and although the strap is adjustable, it is a much plainer design with no extra shoulder reinforcing. The canvas used for the bag also seems to be a lighter weight than other satchels I have on hand.

David

[David Dunlop]

This last week I was able to go through both the Remote Receiver and Main Set Receiver and clean all the accessible switch contacts.

Immediately after the cleaning, there was a noticeable improvement in the operation of the meter switch in both receivers. I am going to let everything dry for 24 hours before powering up the receivers to see what other changes become evident. Not an actual requirement of the process, but I have enough other things to do (Insert ‘yard work’ here) to keep me occupied in the interim.

One other thing I took the time to look at more closely was the FREQ. ADJUST. Control situated directly above the Frequency Dal. The one on my Main Set Receiver, as I think I mentioned a while back, is very stiff. I discovered the one on the Remote Receiver has a ring of heavy grease around the perimeter of the tension and locking disk. The one on the Main Set Receiver did not. The first attachment is the Master Parts List illustration of this item. The photo attached is of the offending piece in situ.

After cleaning the disk assembly and adding some grease, there was about a 25% improvement in the operation of the control. Still a little too much tension on the disk itself and I will explore this issue eventually.

Other than that, the dandelions keep calling my name.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

I was absolutely amazed to find a set of these connectors came with the Spares Box Reg had found. In the back of my mind, I was wondering if and when I ever found the Supply Unit for a 52-Set in complete condition, how to safely connect it to a suitable DC Supply for testing. Even more important, how to do it safely to operate the set?

So far this connector seems to be in dirty but near complete condition. The only missing item I can currently identify is one of the four corner screws holding the main body together is missing. Hopefully that will be an easy fix. There is a bit of sulphate deposit on the two banana sockets on the back of the plug assembly and the large mounting screw has some surface oxidation that should also clean off easily. All the raised letter identifications cast into the bakelite are intact and still have their white paint highlights.

The Parts List states the two leads should be black and red. The ‘red’ one on this item looks more tan/brown, but that just might be decades of dirt accumulation. I took a look in the manuals to see where this item was normally stored and it took me a few moments to realize it was an active part of the 52-Set and would always be fitted to the front of the Supply Unit. Doh!


David

I've cast up some bodies for the Connector, Twin No.17 and am sourcing out the guts and cables (any idea where I can get the proper fabric covered cable?). One had your name on it but I think you're OK now. Good find!!!


A couple of details I've noticed. The face plate on yours has rounded corners and my original is square. Your screws may have washers but aren't the star washers on mine. This connector was used for the 52 set but also the No.9 Mk.1 and No.9. Both those manuals have pics that show one cable darker than the other so I expect 'red/black' cable colours were from the beginning. The British No.9 set must have had a similar plug and I wonder what it looked like.

[David Dunlop]

Hi Bruce.

Just came up from trying to tune the 19-Set to 3.615Mc. Thunderstorms in the area. Not very productive. Was hoping to natter a bit on the air tomorrow.

The Connector No. 17 cables are No.3 B&S stranded copper cable, rated at 125 Amps and rubber covered. Up to that point in their description, they would appear to be standard automotive battery cables of the day. From what I can see at the lug ends of mine, the rubber on both is black. Red and black cotton cloth loom was then slipped over the rubber cables and the ends on mine were then bound with a heavy cotton cording and lacquered to hold them in place. The loom at one lug end has started to unravel a bit due to moisture, but should be an easy repair when I get to it. The loom binding just peeks out from under the Bakelite head about 1/8 inch on mine.

My thought process leads me to wonder if red and black cloth looming might have been a common item on automotive battery cables at some point in the 1930’s and 40’s. If so, it might be replicated today by some of the antique auto electrical suppliers.

David

[David Dunlop]

Nice looking repro’s of the connector head, Bruce, by the way.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

I've had mine apart. The hard bits to make will be the sockets for the trouble light and of course the knurled clamping screw. Luckily I have a great big spool of the original cotton binding thread. The plans is to make two, one for my No.9 and one for the No.9 Mk.1. And if economical a small run for fellow radio enthusiasts. Cosmetic 'non-runners' would be a snap.

I just went back to the manuals. The British No.9 shows a square face plate thought the lettering would of course be different. The Canadian No.9 Mk.1 shows rounded corners so I expect those represent the early version.

Ain't this stuff fun?

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Hi Bruce.

Just came up from trying to tune the 19-Set to 3.615Mc. Thunderstorms in the area. Not very productive. Was hoping to natter a bit on the air tomorrow.

The Connector No. 17 cables are No.3 B&S stranded copper cable, rated at 125 Amps and rubber covered. Up to that point in their description, they would appear to be standard automotive battery cables of the day. From what I can see at the lug ends of mine, the rubber on both is black. Red and black cotton cloth loom was then slipped over the rubber cables and the ends on mine were then bound with a heavy cotton cording and lacquered to hold them in place. The loom at one lug end has started to unravel a bit due to moisture, but should be an easy repair when I get to it. The loom binding just peeks out from under the Bakelite head about 1/8 inch on mine.

My thought process leads me to wonder if red and black cloth looming might have been a common item on automotive battery cables at some point in the 1930’s and 40’s. If so, it might be replicated today by some of the antique auto electrical suppliers.

David

[David Dunlop]

Not much time for the 52-Set Project right now, with the Summer season here. The addition of outside chores to the routine, along with an endless stream of heat waves this year, has a significant limiting factor on what one can get motivated to accomplish indoors.

Related projects have been the norm recently. I was able to more closely evaluate the accuracy of my tube tester. It does need a new tube itself, but the type needed falls into todays ‘pricy tubes’ category. However, by letting it warm up and stabilize for 15 to 20 minutes before testing any tubes, and by going through a number of tubes with known values from another tester, I have been able to determine it currently runs about 16 points lower in readings than it should. So it can be worked with until a suitably priced NOS tube shows up for it.

The second outside project has been getting my oscilloscope up and running, as it will soon be needed for the 52-Set Project. More on the scope later on a separate thread.

I did recall the other day that the Microphone, Hand No. C3 for my 52-Set had some duct tape wrapped around the lower handle at some time in its history. The fabric of the tape had eventually fallen away, but the glue base had remained, firmly in place.

One of the advantages of working part time at an auto dealership detail shop is one has access to some marvellous solvents and cleaners. I decided to see what a spray bottle of our ‘Safe Solve’ could do with the glue residue. It is a very friendly solvent with paints and plastics and before long, the glue was starting to soften and come off with a solvent dampened cloth. After about 20 minutes of work, the glue residue was completely gone and the only thing still on the back of the microphone was the small yellow C-Broad Arrow stamp on the upper back.

So a little bit of progress.

David

[David Dunlop]

I found an interesting anomaly in the Wireless Sets, Canadian No, 52 Working Instructions Manual this morning.

While looking through the tables of parts at the back of the manual, I found that under the Kit No. 2, Operating Kit listings on Page 158, 2 Satchels, Signals No. 1 were noted under the ANCILLARIES Column.. That struck me as very odd since no other wireless set manual I have in my possession shows more than one Satchels, Signals listed. Never any spares. If what you had needed replacing, you simply requisitioned a new one from the Supply chain.

A quick look at the Master Parts List showed only one Satchel, Signals issued.

To double check, I went to the photo of the Major Items of Complete Station on Page 33 of the manual. Just one satchel noted in the photograph. That would be sufficient for the usual contents of 3 headsets, a Microphone, Hand No. C3 and a Morse Key for the main set.

To be certain, I took a look at the photograph of the items issued with the Case, Operating, Remote Receiver on Page 114. No second satchel there. The two headsets for the Remote Receiver have their own storage compartment at one end of the case so do not require a satchel.

I suspect therefore, that the listing in the 52-Set manual for 2 Satchels, Signals is a typographical error that was missed when the manual was rewritten from its original Wireless Set No. 9 Mk II Canadian Status to the unanticipated new Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian. This type of error is consistent with the large number of parts referenced in the Master List as having part numbers that are incorrect, which should be ignored.

David

[David Dunlop]

Here is another example of how the detail in the illustrations from the 52-Set Parts List provide valuable information to help correctly identify parts.

If one starts researching this torch with the Working Instructions Manual, the photograph on Page 124 shows the torch to be an angle head item, with a small diameter clear lens. The description on Page 160 simply is “Torches Hand 2 Cell” and notes that either it, or, “Torches Hand 2 Cell, Eveready No. 9250” can be issued with the set, but not both.

I tried searching for more information on the Eveready torch but have yet to find any images of one. I am assuming it might be a similar design to the other referenced item.

Then I took a closer look at the illustration and description of the torch in the Master Parts List. The text provided another clue; the torch had a plastic body, not painted brass. A closer look at the illustration finally revealed a possible model number cast inside the circle on the side of the torch by the neck: TL-122-B. A web search for that model number produced a flood of results. Too many really. It was quickly evident a number of manufacturers were involved in the production of these torches during the war.

I did notice, however, that a number of manufacturers placed their name in the circle on the left side of the torch and the model number was on the right side only. So I started by ruling them out. Then I noticed whenever a torch showed up with the model number cast on both sides of the neck, the manufacturers name was cast into the bottom cap of the torch. That helped narrow things down even more.

Another look at the illustration showed a very distinct shield shaped switch plate, with the slide switch below the button switch. Over four months, only two shield shaped switch plates ever showed up on line. Most were rectangular of some style. Of the two shield styles, one was a perfect match. Any torches with it also had the model number on both sides of the head. Turns out the maker of this torch is GITS (GITS BROTHERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY), and their logo is cast into the bottom cap.

Again, I could not have sorted this all out without the details in the Parts List illustrations.

David

[Bruce MacMillan]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

That struck me as very odd since no other wireless set manual I have in my possession shows more than one Satchels, Signals listed.
David

You must not have the WS11 manual then.

Depending on CES the set was issued with 7 or 8 satchels !!