Hi Power 19 set
 

Here's a couple of 19 set items on ebay. I posted on the wireless forum because of the dummy aerial. Was it very common?

ebay HI power

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aerial-Dummy...item43d2074053

Not that familiar with the British 19-Set HP. Is the chassis complete inside, or has somebody wogged some of the components? Looks like a few blank valve locations.

Also looks like quite a different design approach as compared to the Canadian HP equipment.

David

The set looks complete. This is the MK 2 version that used only two valves (tubes). The MK 1 version used 4 valves so that's why there are two blank holes. The power supply was integral. Overall it looks in nice shape.

It needs the proper power cable and special dogbone for the T/R switch. Whilst it doesn't use a variometer there is a large varable Aerial Tuning Inductance #1 used in the system.

While the Canadian high power amp was being debugged the army began using this amplifier. It soon became adopted as the standard amplifier and the Canadian HP amp was never deployed.

It didn't have the same power output as the WS19HP (Can) but was considerably lighter and didn't suck the batteries dry.

Bruce. Thanks for the inspection report. Much appreciated.

If I am understanding the 19-Set HP correctly then, the Canadian version required two main additions to the standard 19-Set: power supply located immediately above the transceiver assembly of the 19-Set and the Amplifier itself located over the 19-Set PSU.

By comparison, the British design was a one piece integrated unit mounted above the 19-Set transceiver.

My brain tells me the British design makes more sense, but my heart tells me the Canadian design was, well…Canadian.

Wish I had lived in the Toronto area in the late 1940's and early 1950's. I vaguely recall running across an old advert in an electronics magazine from a company in the Toronto area at that time flogging complete 19-Set HP Installation sets somewhere in the $300 range.

Too soon old. Too late smart. Even later rich!


David

The Canadian and British ones are not all that apart on configuration. Both have the Mk.III set and supply unit on the bottom. The British RF No.2 sits directly on top of the sender/receiver whereas the Canadian one chose a space-taking frame. The Brits used an aerial tuning unit not much bigger than a variometer but we Canadian made that big square box on the top left instead.

Thanks, Bruce. Now the light bulb is fully lit. Much appreciated with the shorter days setting in.

David

That big square box on the upper left in Bruce's photo is the actual amplifier itself. The other box beside it is only the power supply. The Canadian set had more power output compared to the Brit's unit but like I said it was quite bit heavier and loved to drain batteries. Somewhere in my files I have a memo from Ottawa telling the Canadian Army Overseas that the amp will not be deployed.

The aerial tuning for the Canuck amp when transmitting was built into the amplifier box itself but you will notice that the variometer is mounted on the right. It was still needed for receiving. You needed two aerials, one for transmit and one for receive. The variometer also had a relay assembly to protect the 19 set when transmitting.

These were never used during WW2 but there is a painting in the Canadian War Museum by a war artist during the Korean war and in the background of one painting you can see the amplifier section. I suspect the amps were used then.

One more question (I think)
 

Based on when the Canadian HP setup reached maturity, was it designed for use only with the Mk III Canadian 19-Set? By comparison, it seems the British version may have been compatible with both the Mk II and Mk III, both British and Canadian.

David

The Canadian amplifier was designed to work with both British & Canadian MKII & MKIII sets (this would also include the MKII sets made in the US and sets made in Australia).

Thanks, Bruce.

The dummy aerials shown are not part of any specific equipment, and just general purpose test gear. (The stores code "WY" is a division of "Electric Light and Power" that accumulated a lot of test equipment along the way.)

Chris.

There's a specific dummy antenna for the RF Amplifier No.2 listed in the EMER for the unit, complete with construction details for any workshop that required one. They were not an issued item due to the small quantity needed.