Wireless of the Week - week 2

[Chris Suslowicz]

There was a Mk.6 version of the WS62 that could be run (silently) from three WS31 dry batteries via an adapter. It was necessary to rotate the batteries between the three connectors in order to equalise the usage of the various sections. This was mainly intended for jungle use (I think) with limited radio use on fixed schedules and for the early stages of airborne operations.

There was also a 60 watt pedal-driven generator for recharging the standard accumulators used with the set: 12 volt 22AH or the lighter 14AH unit. Other options were the 12V 75AH battery, or pairs of 6V batteries with a different power lead (ending in two Niphan plugs).

The early protective cover for the front panel only had a couple of stiffeners and the later version (I think) increased this to four in order to protect against knocks.

Be warned that the dials are "lumenised" with radium paint, though the army may have cleaned them up in later years. (I heard that a lot of sets were crushed and buried rather than being sold off as surplus in the U.K. due to the luminous paint problem.)

Operator lamp is No.6B, and there was supposedly an ultraviolet filtered version, possibly for aircraft use, which I've never seen - that would have been for non-radioactive luminous paint versions.

Aerials were the "strung on a wire" type, 4-FT No.1 and No.2 (allowing 4 or 8 ft options) as used with the WS38 Mk.3, and a 14-ft collapsible whip. There was also the 100-ft No.5 wire aerial (selectable via links to give 25, 45, 75 or 100 foot options) and the 32-ft steel mast (basically the 34-ft steel vertical aerial made from Aerial Rods 'D' but with the 14-ft whip on top instead of using the earlier 'F' rods - with the advantage of not requiring the 'F' rod steel tube carrier).

Earth was usually the Lead, Counterpoise No.2 when used with the wire aerial of the 32-ft mast.

The rotary transformer (by a variety of manufacturers including Hoover, Newton Bros, Frigidaire Ltd. and possibly Black & Decker) had a design life of 500 hours. Some of the brushes and bearings, etc. are specific to a particular manufacturer. The short lifespan of the supply unit compared to the set (not to mention the audible noise level) led to the transistorised replacement.

Chris.