Larkspur 'cold war' test set

[Mike Kelly]

I had one of these No. 1 Oscillator test sets years ago, I thought it had a fault because its signal output volts were very low. Now I read they were only meant to put out 100 millivolts max. I have this example now plus the No.2 model which is for the higher frequencies. I found the EMER manuals in the VMARS list which will help.

write up: http://www.tuberadio.com/robinson/museum/CT212/

more: https://users.monash.edu.au/~ralphk/airmec.html

[Philliphastings]

Hi Mike,

I just spotted a full seat of test leads and plugs for thus unit recently on Epay.

Although overseas, the starting price was quite reasonable

Cheers

Phill

[Mike Kelly]

Thanks Phil I will have a look.

I hope to use the 'Test oscillator No. 1' set for general radio repair work.

My collection of Larkspur transceivers is limited to a C13 set , I have managed to find nearly all of the essential kit in order to set up a on-air station. The hard to find C13 item is the antenna tuner, I had to pay a decent sum for one. The short dog bone lead from the PSU to the set is also very scarce, some C13 owners have salvaged the long test leads from the Larkspur test set and cut the leads down to the correct short length. I was lucky and found a ebay seller who had NOS C13 PSU plugs in stock.

Years ago, I did have what appeared to be a unused C13 , a hamfest buy, I swapped it and a second spare C13 for a MCR1 biscuit tin receiver that has gone.

I had a few B47/48 sets too, used one on the 6 metre ham band on 52.525 MHz, the old FM channel in Victoria.

This will have you crying . I recall going by train into Ham Radio Supplies in the back streets of Richmond, the Melbourne inner suburb, the building was an ancient structure, the roof leaked. No sign out the front just a small single entrance door, the first time I went there I walked past it a few times before I woke up it was the entrance door ! The building looked like an old 1920s storage shed. As you walked in the door a big pile of C42 sets were there, sitting untidily on the rough wooden floor boards, $5 each , this was 1983.

On one of the shelves I found a box full of NOS 19 set 'B' antenna rubber mounts , the whole box full was $5. Also bought a box full of the rubber feet for the 19 set $5. They had a few hundred NOS in the box, control harness for the 19 set, the mic, headphones, these were dated 1956 and had NYLEX brand on them, these were $2 each ... 2 bucks each. They had many 1942 dated NOS headphones for the 11 sets and other wartime sets , also $2 each. And I forgot about the 19 set spares boxes, these were scattered under shelves, just picked them up off the floor . I gave away all of the B set mounts, some went to the UK some to Canada some to people here - all gone now, don't have one for myself

The chap on the counter at Ham Radio Supplies was a real old time character, Ted VK3UU, he used to give me the key to the upstairs storage facility and I would go up there and I found thousands of NOS valves, I bought spare tubes for the 11 set and 19 set, these were 50c each. Ted said he was wireless op in the navy in WW2. The business moved a few times over the years, they were in Hawthorn at one time. a chap called Snowy Milburn was the owner.

And, the find of the century, wartime dated NOS 19 set Morse keys with the cotton leads. Aussie Disposals had these for $15 each ,late 1980s. There were various brands, even some USA made. Same story , I think I kept one, sent them all away to other collectors . Also found a stash of 19 set control boxes at their Dandenong warehouse, I got the lot but dont have any now.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Thanks Phil I will have a look.

I hope to use the 'Test oscillator No. 1' set for general radio repair work.

My collection of Larkspur transceivers is limited to a C13 set , I have managed to find nearly all of the essential kit in order to set up a on-air station. The hard to find C13 item is the antenna tuner, I had to pay a decent sum for one. The short dog bone lead from the PSU to the set is also very scarce, some C13 owners have salvaged the long test leads from the Larkspur test set and cut the leads down to the correct short length. I was lucky and found a ebay seller who had NOS C13 PSU plugs in stock.

The problem with the C13 ATU is the large amount of radium paint on the internal scales - so a lot of them were dumped rather than being sold. The aerial coupling unit (variable capacitor and meter) is OK, but the cable is special - with a red sleeve at one end marking the fixed capacitor that substitutes for the ACU when used as a 'local' set.

I have a near-complete C13 but the terminal nuts have been stolen from the ATU and the threaded spindles bent when it was hurled into the skip.

Chris.