[David Dunlop]

I am sure there were a number of manufacturers involved during the war in the making of the Dummy Aerials for the 19-Set. I have two NOS examples from the North American manufacturers, RCA and Zenith, and I thought I would post a photo of them for a comparison of the subtle differences. Most relate to the finish and can easily be lost over time, but a few are of a physical nature and are easily recognizable.

The item on the left was made by Zenith. The one on the right by RCA. My apologies for the glare on the RCA item.

The bodies of both were painted a near full flat Khaki Green, not including the two end insulators, which are their natural dark brown colour. On final assembly, however, RCA chose to coat the body of the dummy aerial, and the Mueller Clip, in a clear lacquer. The ends of the two insulators and the braided wire are uncoated.

The PC-Number is hand written in white paint on the Zenith product. RCA chose to use a 1/8-inch Gothic Print silk screen stencil and black paint for their PC-Number.

The central core of the Zenith unit extends 3/16-inch beyond the hex nut and lock washer assembly at the top of the Dummy Aerial. The RCA central core ends flush with the top of the hex nut.

The 5/16-inch wide connecting strap at the bottom of the body of each is identical. They both have a 1/8-inch hole bored through the centre of the end of the tab to fasten the braided wire. On the RCA, the wire is fed into the hole from the front lip and up the back of the strap for soldering. On the Zenith strap, the wire braid comes at right angles to the back of the strap, wraps around and into the hole at the front for soldering.

The same Mueller Electric Company Universal Clip No. 24A is used by both RCA and Zenith, but each company used a different fastening technique to the Mueller Clip. RCA chose to feed the wire braid over the end crimp tabs and under the retaining screw, secure the screw, solder everything in place, but did not bother closing the crimp tabs down on the braid. On the other hand, Zenith chose to drill a hole in the end of the braid, screw it in place and solder everything down, and then crimp the tabs over the braid.

I have another Dummy Aerial in my pile of bits that is still a mystery. The central core ends flush with the top of the hex nut assembly, but the two end insulators are black. Also, the end of the fastening strap at the bottom of the body ends in a 1/4-inch, 90 degree bend, with a 1/8-inch hole bored at the centre of the bend. The braid enters this tab and is fastened like the RCA Dummy Aerial here, but at the Mueller Clip end, the crimping tabs have been closed around the braid.

David