Wireless of the Week - week 5

[Jordan Baker]

Just had these arrive in the mail.

The left one I've seen before but the right one I've never seen. It looks to be a manufacturers instruction booklet. Comparing the two there are a number of different diagrams for setting of the antenna.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

Just had these arrive in the mail.

The left one I've seen before but the right one I've never seen. It looks to be a manufacturers instruction booklet. Comparing the two there are a number of different diagrams for setting of the antenna.

The right hand one is an official handbook and about a year earlier than the left hand one. It was presumably printed by the manufacturer rather than the government.

I think it refers to an earlier version of the mast, since although they are both described as P.C. 84295C they have a different -nnn suffix.

I'd be interested in a scan of the component list because I have a cast alloy/ceramic insulator with that PC number on it that is neither the ebonite base insulator nor the ceramic type that replaced the ebonite one for use with the WS52 - I suspect it was the original insulator and turned out to be insufficiently soldier-resistant. (The later Mast, Telescopic, 27-ft for the Larkspur range has a very similar design but a more substantial ceramic insulator in the middle.

Chris.

[Alastair Thomas]

In August I purchased a Lynx I MkIII*. This came complete with a 19 set. I have now got the vehicle in a state ready for the road and am looking at the ancillary equipment.
The vehicle has one section of an antenna fitted to the base on the near (left hand) side. With the vehicle came two more sections of an antenna.
I have two questions. Is the complete antenna composed of 3 sections?
How do I separate these two sections? I have attached a picture of the join. There seems to be a rolled thread just below the join. Does the solid top section just unscrew or should it telescope inside the lower section?
Thank you
Alastair
F60S
LynxI MkIII*

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Alastair Thomas

In August I purchased a Lynx I MkIII*. This came complete with a 19 set. I have now got the vehicle in a state ready for the road and am looking at the ancillary equipment.
The vehicle has one section of an antenna fitted to the base on the near (left hand) side. With the vehicle came two more sections of an antenna.
I have two questions. Is the complete antenna composed of 3 sections?
How do I separate these two sections? I have attached a picture of the join. There seems to be a rolled thread just below the join. Does the solid top section just unscrew or should it telescope inside the lower section?
Thank you
Alastair
F60S
LynxI MkIII*

Hmmm... that looks like the 'battle aerial' from the WS38 Mk.II (a steel plug and four feet of spring steel wire, copper plated) which was a less breakable version of the top "Aerial Rod 'F'", inserted into a middle section.

It should just pull out, but if it's rusted in place you may have difficulty extracting it without soaking it in oil and possibly applying heat. The to section can be clamped in a vice, but you can't do much about the lower section as it's thin wall steel tube and quite fragile.

(The rolled-in thread was a WW2 Canadian improvement to the British aerial rods which were just a push fit and tended work loose and fall out when bounced around.) The first (bottom) rod has a solid butt end and no threaded portion because it clamps into the aerial base (or adapter) and needs to be un-crushable, the other rods have a threaded portion at the butt end and a rolled-in thread (for retention on the move) at the top. The threaded ones are 49.5 inches long rather than the original 48-inch specification.

Chris.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Alastair Thomas

Is the complete antenna composed of 3 sections?

It depends.

The usual mobile aerial was 2 sections (less danger of being damaged by low branches), but 3 could be used if extra range was required. Maximum (sensible) length is 4 sections (base, two middles and a top), but that is strictly for stationary use - it's too fragile for driving around with and might damage the aerial base with the extra leverage applied.

Chris.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Alastair Thomas

How do I separate these two sections?

Further thoughts:

1) soak the joint with penetrating oil for a while.
2) remove the bottom aerial section from the aerial base on your vehicle.
3) fit that to the other two sections (assuming it's the type with the rolled-in thread and a solid butt), and screw it together (hand tight only).
4) clamp the top (stiff wire part) in a vice.
5) If you have an old aerial base or one of the adapters, clamp the bottom section in that (or use a clamp and wooden blocks), then pull on the bottom section and tap the clamp (or whatever) gently with a hammer towards the bottom of the aerial. (What you really need is a slide-hammer with a collet that will take the aerial, but no such animal exists.)

With luck it will separate the push-fitted top section.

Best regards,
Chris.

[Alastair Thomas]

Thanks, Chris. I will give it a go.
Regards,
Alastair

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Alastair Thomas

Thanks, Chris. I will give it a go.
Regards,
Alastair

OK, if it's beyond recovery I can probably find a couple of spare sections.

(Though shipping them to Chelmsford might prove to be "interesting.cn"!)

Chris.