Wireless of the Week - week 52

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

I said at the start I’d go until I ran out of radios, and with this week’s installment, I have. I began with a venerable 19 set and will finish with one.

This last week’s feature is a Canadian Wireless Set No.19 Mk.III on a wooden Carrier No.23. The features of the 19 set are by now familiar: 2 to 8 MHz A set with an 8 to 10 mile range, 229 to 241 MHz B set with a 1000 yard range, an intercom and two pre-set ‘flick’ positions. This particular set was made by Northern Electric in 1944.

The 19 Mk.III is the culmination of wartime improvements. It had slow motion control for tuning, improved netting, the ability to independently switch on and off the A, B and IC functions and a 12/24V No.2 Power Supply Unit that operated a rotary transformer as well as a vibrator for lower power consumption and less noise. Bilingual Russian/English face markings were standard though these were often replaced by English only lettering on post war rebuilt sets. Another post war modification was the removal of the plastic clock case on the Supply Unit. This was reputedly because a Signals Warrant Officer became fed up with the sloppy appearance of these as they became chipped and broken so ordered their outright removal. No matter, by that time all the actual time pieces had already been pilfered for personal use.

The wooden carrier with its waterproof cover was versatile allowing the set to be used as a ground station or, with quick release Mounts No.1, as a vehicle station and quickly moved between the two. Its wooden handles allowed the set to be easily carried by two men and the protective face guard protected it from damage. Everything including the variometer, No.3A or 3B Control Unit and power cable was attached so it only required hooking up batteries, aerials and headsets to get it going. The set on its carrier was 37” wide, 11” tall, 14” deep and weighed 105 lbs.

Next week I will post an index of the communication equipment I have presented to help find items of interest should you ever wish to revisit them.