Aerial mast base

[Dave Page]

Hi, amazing job you are doing! The slide-on, brass grease nipples are available at:
www.vintagecarparts.uk - part number 107
Cheers,
Dave

[Grant Bowker]

I think the web site is actually:
http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/
If it isn't the same company,they also sell a grease fitting as part # 107.

[Dave Page]

Hi Grant,
yes, that's them.
Dave

[Philliphastings]

Just a thought on the grease nipples - have you tried uncle Tim Vibert - the are similar to the later style used on Centurion, Ferret, Saracen etc. The main difference being in that the later pattern had a machined flange, often cut to the same profile as a bolt head near the screw in base.

You may have to do a little tweaking on the lathe or use then as is.

Also does anyone have a clear image of the toothed base - I think I may have found a broken one only days after this post was begun !



Cheers

Phill

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Philliphastings

Also does anyone have a clear image of the toothed base - I think I may have found a broken one only days after this post was begun !

Phil ,

Pics of this stuff isn't easy to find . BTW what is different about a "scout carrier" ?

I noticed your Austin K9 ..those are rare over here. I think a contemporary of the MRA1 .
Mike

[cletrac (RIP)]

Is this what you're looking for?

[Philliphastings]

Thanks for the pic.

No what I picked up is something different again. might even be a base for a vice !

Mike - the scout carrier is the mirror reverse of the early original Mk1 British Bren Carrier, fitted with WS No 11, Boys Anti-tank Rifle, Bren Gun and crew of three. Seems to be the only one still in existence (so far) and it must have been one of the luckiest days of my life to stumble onto it in a Western Australian farm rubbish dump.

As for the K9 Austin, it seems to have been roughly the same model as Bob Dimer's Radio truck about 1952 I guess, but this one had the Steel GS/ Cargo body. mechanically complete and may even still run but the body is useful only for straining the tea leaves from the bottom of the billy !

Cheers

Phill

[nigel ward]

Hi All

Please find photos attached of the first aerial base folded and welded.

There are a couple of small issues to be ironed out but all in all I am happy with the result.

In the production run I will include the 4 rivets holding the handle to the top plate and the welding will be oxy and not tig. A couple of minor adjustments with the laser cutting of the sections and all will be in order.

On a sadder note, I am unable to work on the project for a couple of months as this Thursday I fly to Istanbul to start a driving holiday that will see me at the 65th D-day events. If any of you are attending the D-day events, please call in on our camp. Just ask for the mob of Australian ww2 vehicles camping with the MVT group. I'm driving a chev (blitz) cmp 4 x2 with 2 tone camo.

I will be back home on the 24th of June and will kick off again once back.
Sorry for this but I promise to confirm prices and availability once back.

Kind Regards
Nigel

[nigel ward]

Hi Again
I thought I would add some photos of each item

Nigel

[Lynn Eades]

It lookls like production is coming together nicely.
There is a small Kiwi contingent going with you.
We wish you all a safe and enjoyable trip.

[Philliphastings]

Your workmanship speaks for itself Nigel.

Please take your time and enjoy the Holiday.

Good things come to those who wait...

Cheers

Phill

[nigel ward]

Thanks Lynn and Phil.
Thanks aslo to those who have responded to this thread. I'm looking forward to completing the bases when I get back.

Nigel

[lssah2025]

I think there might of been a aerial base No 2 on Ebay recently. I was wondering what it was (since I don't have a carrier and didn't know what exactly it was) it was metal and looked just like the drawings. I don't think it sold and he wanted like $30 for it. The guys ebay name is BC-191 out of Holland, I buy a lot of 19 set stuff from him.

Lance

[Mike Kelly]

Is this the base in question ? A fellow MLUer emailed these AWM pics to me

BTW the 11 set pictured would be a EK Cole British one, not the el cheapo AWA Aust. clone.

For those who have the cheap Aussie power suppies, the genemotor casings are made from a terrible, nasty pot metal that tends to crack and expand, probably from impurities in the base metal ( zinc ?) . The best solution is to squeeze super glue into the cracks. Sometimes the casings are distorted to the point of jamming the rotating armature .. the ball races each end , are out of alignment. I cannot imagine why or who was responsible for AWA making such a botch up of the job. During the war ,the sets were not issued to units until many faults were worked out. At wars end here, the first set the Aust. army junked and declared surplus was the 11 set . With around 6000 made , think of the wasted man hours of labour and huge cost.

[Ron Pier]

Hi Mike Kelly. Long time no speak. As you know I have an 11 set in my PU that you helped me with. Hopefully here is a picture of my ariel base. The bacolite mushroom was turned down from a ground station ariel mast, and fitted into an alluminium base that I had cast from a wooden pattern that Rory made.

Ron

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Ron Pier

Hi Mike Kelly. Long time no speak. As you know I have an 11 set in my PU that you helped me with. Hopefully here is a picture of my ariel base. The bacolite mushroom was turned down from a ground station ariel mast, and fitted into an alluminium base that I had cast from a wooden pattern that Rory made.

Ron

Hello Ron

Yes, been ages hasn't it . The antenna base on your PU looks the part I must say .. well done. Would you be so kind to post some photos of the 11 set mounted in your truck .. would love to see it installed where it was intended to be. I guess the rubber watershed is next ... maybe try a soccer ball cut in half , painted black !
Mike

[Philliphastings]

Hello Mike, thanks for the pics and info on the WS No 11. Please read the following and take it with a grain of salt.

'Having carefully read your comments on the quality of the Australian No 11 sets ( which my grandfather proudly assembled during the early war years), I went out to the shed and scooped up all three sets I had and smashed them !

No sense saving something so abundant and of such poor quality as you have pointed out now is there ?

Now I have more room on my shelf to collect rusty Landrover parts...'

Seriously though, None of the above is true.

I still intend fitting my Australian manufactured No 11 set into the Mk1 Scout carrier because:

1/ I have at least one complete working set in excellent condition.

2/ The scout carrier was discovered in Western Australia and shows obvious signs of having seen Australian Service, including having been rebuilt at 5BOD Nungarin prior to disposal.

3/ The only Genuine British EK Cole and Co manufactured Wireless set No 11 I have ever seen is still crumbling to white powder in a blackberry bush invaded shed belonging to a well known military hoarder in Perth. It may once have been a proud, top quality Military communications set but is now too light to be a boat anchor and too heavy to be a paperweight.

Having said all that I hope you will forgive me for being proud of the Aussie made set afterall. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Cheers

Phill

[Ron Pier]

OK Mike. I hope it's alright to talk PU's on this forum, but at least it's related to the wireless theme. Enclosed a couple of pictures of my 11set station( Thanks again Mike) Manned as usual by my operator, Private Spoons.

Ron

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Philliphastings

Hello Mike, thanks for the pics and info on the WS No 11. Please read the following and take it with a grain of salt.

'Having carefully read your comments on the quality of the Australian No 11 sets ( which my grandfather proudly assembled during the early war years), I went out to the shed and scooped up all three sets I had and smashed them !

No sense saving something so abundant and of such poor quality as you have pointed out now is there ?

Now I have more room on my shelf to collect rusty Landrover parts...'

Seriously though, None of the above is true.

I still intend fitting my Australian manufactured No 11 set into the Mk1 Scout carrier because:

1/ I have at least one complete working set in excellent condition.

2/ The scout carrier was discovered in Western Australia and shows obvious signs of having seen Australian Service, including having been rebuilt at 5BOD Nungarin prior to disposal.

3/ The only Genuine British EK Cole and Co manufactured Wireless set No 11 I have ever seen is still crumbling to white powder in a blackberry bush invaded shed belonging to a well known military hoarder in Perth. It may once have been a proud, top quality Military communications set but is now too light to be a boat anchor and too heavy to be a paperweight.

Having said all that I hope you will forgive me for being proud of the Aussie made set afterall. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Cheers

Phill

Yep OK .

The early AWA built sets ( 11 etc.) used cotton covered wireing ... imagine this scenario - tropical moisture and humidity to levels we cannot imagine down here and the cotton factor. Ideal for fungal growth . One unit up there devised a clever solution, they built a wooden box..housed the wireless inside it ..lined the box internally with light globes and kept them on - the only way the radio was kept going ...keeping the set dry and warm . In that case it was a AR7 receiver .

Usually, the 11 set genemotors would last about 7 days before expiring , moisture intrusion a major factor . Plus, can you imagine lugging it around the jungle terrain. I couldn't carry the heavy thing 20 yards , let alone up and down hills and muddy tracks . Reading accounts of the Malayian campaign ,wireless communication was hopeless.. the 8th division had AWA 101 and STC 109 sets .. they had better luck shouting at each other from hilltops. The sets were low powered, .5 watt for the 101 and 10 watts for the 109.

The reason so many Aust. 11 sets have survived is: many of them were not even issued ..they spent their life in storage. On some of them, you will see a red 'TP' stencilled on the case..this stands for Tropic Proofed . All they did was spray the insides with shellac , a natural varnish stuff made from Beetle wings.

Around 43 or 44, PVC insulated wires arrived here . Before that the British used cotton, and a cheap rubber insulating coating e.g., on their 22 sets , with age it cracks and falls off....leaving bare wires ! Nasty.

In the desert.. it's a different story.. dry and so on . Wireless was more effective there.
Mike

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Ron Pier

OK Mike. I hope it's alright to talk PU's on this forum, but at least it's related to the wireless theme. Enclosed a couple of pictures of my 11set station( Thanks again Mike) Manned as usual by my operator, Private Spoons.

Ron

Looking great Ron, I see you have gone to some trouble to 'get it correct' . re: the wooden battery boxes . Did you use my drawings ? I found those batteries out at Hughes, in Sydney rd , years ago. I realised what a rarity they are, 1942 dated lead/acid wireless batteries... and British ones as well.

The info is from the British 11 set manual
Mike

[Mike Kelly]

For a comparison: pics of the Aust., Canadian and Brit sets . The British set features their own peculiar valves ..apparently only made for the army ... the set was a late 30's pre-war design, got into production around 1939 ... The Aust .version uses the U.S. derived battery valves , made here by AWA ... The Brit set has in general, far better components ,and a higher level of finish in engineering terms...it has a lightweight alloy case. Of the 18,000 British sets made ( Meulstee figure) , only a tiny handfull have survived . As opposed to the approx. 6000 Aust. sets , of which many are still around today. Another rarity is the Canadian built 11 set ... the set features a green front panel and it appears to have been made in very small numbers.

[Ron Pier]

Thanks for those pictures Mike. I especially like the one with the crinkle finish, and the fob watch in place. Give you 50 quid for it ha ha! There's a British 11 set in the Signals museum at Blandford Camp here in Dorset. The only other one I've ever seen was about 12 years ago at The War and Peace show, it was waiting to be picked up by it's new owner, who had just paid £1000 for it!!! You mentioned the wooden batteries. The one in the foreground is an original 6 volt dated 1942. Would you believe I paid £2.50 for it at a show at Popham Airfield, that Dave and Rory had been at, at least 4 hours before me. Rory is still smarting about it. I have found another 6 volt box, but it is larger. I have dismantled it, and a friend is going to rebuild it the correct size for me, some job though. He has your pictures and measurements to work from.
Ron

[Philliphastings]

Hi,

Thanks for the pics and info. Being a military radio restorer as well as my many other interests, I appreciate any source of info.

There seems to be quite a few Australian No 11 wireless sets surviving in WA these days. I am told that the fire brigades used them in the 50's. I was lucky to have been able to rescue a few and some spare power supply units over the years. Also the climate here is predominantly dry so I guess thay gave good service.

Wireless sets No 19 Mk 111 seem to have been over here in good numbers, though I have seen many go to the eastern states over the years...

as for the batter boxes, occasionally a corroded 'Nifen' connector turns up or some hardware but the boxes fell prey to our rampant termites decades ago.

I wasn't even aware of the Canadian No 11 set - very impressed with it too I might add.

Perhaps MLU could host a new Military radio and signals equipment forum...

Cheers

Phill

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Philliphastings

Hi,


Perhaps MLU could host a new Military radio and signals equipment forum...

Cheers

Phill

What a good idea. There are a few hams lurking here on the MLU forum as well. What does the esteemed forum master think ? Nah, he was a foot slogger ... wires and electrons are for the birds . Enough pressure may produce a result though.

[Bruce MacMillan]

Here is another Canadian set. This is made by Canadian Marconi and the colour is original. I wonder who made the Canuck set in dark green above?

If one sapper can have his own forum surely the wireless people deserve one.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Here's my 11 set, made by Canadian Marconi in 1941. The serials are C-692 for the set, C800 for the low power supply unit and C198 for the high power one.

Does anyone have a spare, or can anyone help me find an ammeter and the plastic ammeter cover for one of these sets? I bet Oz ones would fit...

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

Here's my 11 set, made by Canadian Marconi in 1941. The serials are C-692 for the set, C800 for the low power supply unit and C198 for the high power one.

Does anyone have a spare, or can anyone help me find an ammeter and the plastic ammeter cover for one of these sets? I bet Oz ones would fit...

Bruce, Nice set..the vehicle mount frame is a rare item .. do you have the lid ? The numbers indicate a fairly low production run... maybe less than 1000 . The thermo couple meters come in HP and LP ...many of the LP ones are burnt out as people use them when the set is switched onto HP mode ( a whopping 4 watts ) . The Aust. sets have a larger diameter meter and plastic cover than the British sets ..not compatible.
The Aust. meter may fit your set..but hard to tell from the pic. I had many of the Aust. meters here . The covers are usually discoloured and scratched ..but I did see a box of new ones many years ago..

Would be interested in knowing what tubes the Canadian set has inside it .
Mike

BTW a friend here in Adelaide made up some of the 11 set mobile mount frames .. not 100% accurate but not bad.. Ron bought one for his PU .

[Bruce MacMillan]

The Canadian valve lineup in the WS11 is the same as the British unit.
It has 2 ARTP1, 5 ARP4 and a ATP7.

Bruce P - I may have a spare rf ammeter. I'll dig through the junk bins this weekend.

All this neat stuff could be talked about in our own forum as these sets belong on many vehicles!! Right Geoff!

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Anything you could do would be great.

And I agree, Geoff should consider a wireless forum (heck, maybe even include line equipment) so we don't have to hijack vehicle threads just to throw in pictures like this:

[Philliphastings]

Well I think we have established enough hard-core interest in all things wireless and signals related to justify a new forum area -

What's the next step / a PM to Geoff?

Cheers

Phill