Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[Chris Suslowicz]

As I understand it, the length given is that of the wire/cable only - and the length you cut off the reel to make up the assembly.

The WS19 connectors started out as an immense range of 12-12 and 6-6 leads, with the connector faces in the correct orientation (crimped and soldered in place) for the application.

The next version (with bakelite connector inserts and repositionable connector shells (remove spring clip and rear cover, rotate front of connector to desired position, replace rear cover (which locked it in position) and spring clip) made things a lot simpler, reducing the range needing to be carried) was repairable, could be modified by the installer, and reduced the range to (approx.) 16 distinct variants (Connector, 12pt, No.50A - 50P)

Post-WW2 they were referred to by the cable length, so you didn't need a manual to find out which suffix letter was required for a particular job.

This also works for wire and rod aerials: the Aerial 100-ft No.5 is made from 100 feet of Wire, Electric, R3, and that includes the loops and straps around the insulators, so the aerial never has a physical length of 100-ft (unless someone screwed up while making it up - I have a Canadian 4-section aerial that is unusable because the first section is 10-ft too long!)

Sectional rod aerials are the same: the 14-ft folding rod for WS62 is made from 7 sections each 24-in long, and there is no allowance made for the 1-in or so lost in the joints.

Best regards,
Chris.