19 Set Cable Gasket

[Chris Suslowicz]

I think the coaxial cable (long) grommets are to protect the cable where it goes through a metal plate (e.g. vehicle bulkhead or roof).

The No.23 grommet has a much smaller hole and is most likely for the wire aerial feeder (No.9?) on the truck and ground station. It looks about right for P11 cable between the aerial base on the vehicle and the rigid aerial base on the Carrier No.3 mounted set.

Chris.

[David Dunlop]

Hello Chris.

The Ground and truck Installation instructions are a bit vague. Only reference is that if grommets were not supplied, use electrical tape to protect the cables, but not at all clear what grommets, what cables or where. Must, as you suggest, be where passing through sheet metal structure, not heavier plate. Somewhere I have a detailed Parts List for the Installation Kit. A big 8.5 inch by 14 inch sheet of paper. I will try and find it and see if any type of grommets are listed.

David

[Chris Suslowicz]

I suspect the grommet is a water seal that goes under the aerial base No.8 or 10 on a vehicle roof. It's shown in EMER FZ256/3 of 1st October 1944 for the Canadian WS19 Mk.III, but I've not seen where it's supposed to be fitted. Probably need a late set of installation instructions for one of the "house type" radio bodies to be sure - they had a flat plate on a stand-off from the roof (two or three on each side) and I have an adapter plate to convert a 6 hole mounting to 4 bolts for the 'B' set aerial base mounting. I would imagine the grommet plugs the hole in the roof and is high enough to stop water getting in - the central hole is far too small for co-ax and I think Aerial Feeder No.9, which is P11 rubber covered multistrand like the battery leads with a ring terminal on one end for the connector plate under the aerial base and a plug to mimic the end of an aerial rod for the set end.)

[Chris Suslowicz]

I have been reading the Truck & Ground Station working instructions.

Paragraph 42:

"(42) Place the Waterproof Cover No.5 over the equipment ensuring the Leads, Aerial No.3 passes through the grommeted hole provided. Fix the rubber grommet on the Leads Aerial No.3 into the hole in the waterproof cover, also pass the lead of the Aerial Feeder Assembly No.9 through the hole provided for the Antenna Rods G [This is almost certainly a typo for 'F'] at the rear of the supply unit and plug into the socket immediately below."

OK, so that's the grommets on the coaxial cables sorted (they fit to the canvas covers to stop rain running off the canvas and through the cable entry holes). Simples! (Squeak)

Grommet No.23 is not mentioned in this pamphlet (which is the 1943 Canadian one), but appears in the 1944 Parts Identification EMER FZ256/3. My suspicion is that that fits into the cable/aerial rod 'F' hole on top of the waterproof cover at the rear of the supply unit, and is intended to keep rain from running down either the Aerial Rod F, the Leads, Aerial No.5 (when used to connect the set to the 34-ft mast), or the wire aerial feeder, and shorting out the paxolin aerial base, etc.

If Roberta could check her grommet (to coin a phrase) I suspect she'll find the bottom 'F' rod or a wire aerial feeder cable is a good fit for the central hole. Also the grommet should be a tight fit in the hole on top of the waterproof cover No.5.

I don't have a Grommet No.23 or I'd be able to test this; anyone got a spare?

Chris.

[David Dunlop]

Chris. You have been doing some nice detective work. One quick question. The No. 5 Cover. Is that the big one intended for use with the large wooden carriers? If so, I had always wondered about the large hole to the rear of the PSU. It is fitted with a square of brown leather but the opening is still quite large for inclement weather. If the No. 23 Grommet of Roberta's fits that opening, that is a great discovery and something to keep an eye out for in the future.

David

[Chris Suslowicz]

That's the one, the sort of tent arrangement for Carrier, Set, No.3 (or 23).

Chris.

[universalgrl]

The rubber grommet # 23 is a perfect fit for the large opening in the # 5 cover. It's the correct size fit for the F rod. but I don't think it would fit the cable going out to the mast.
If you are lucky enough to have both pieces use a good rubber or O ring lubricant (not ky HA HA), the grommet was good but the cover piece was starting to crack.

Here's another question. I have the # 16 ZA 28542 and # 17 ZA 28543 control box for my 38 AFV installation, but I found another # 17 ZA 24891 box that is marked 510 not 38. Would that be for the CDN 510 set.

Both of the first 2 boxes are tropicalized which is a good thing on the west coast as it's currently coming down in biblical sized buckets right now.