MLU FORUM  

Go Back   MLU FORUM > GENERAL WW2 TOPICS > The Wireless Forum

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 23-07-20, 20:31
James D Teel II James D Teel II is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Edmond, Oklahoma, USA
Posts: 133
Default Wire Reel

Hi all. What’s the model of wire reel that would have been found on the right front of a signals jeep and would anyone have one they’d wish to part with? From the plans in the Van Meel book, it would appear the reel is approx 6” in diameter with a 6” width. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks.
__________________
V/R

James D. Teel II
Edmond, Oklahoma
Retired Police Sergeant/Bomb Tech
1943 Willys MB/ITM jeep
1942 SS Cars No1Mk1 LtWt trailer
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 25-07-20, 12:46
Matthew P Matthew P is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: West Virginia, USA
Posts: 199
Default

Is it anything like the US reel? That's a DR8 and is about that size, maybe 8"x8" DR8-A and DR8-B reels are nearly identical and easy to obtain.

Matt
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 25-07-20, 15:57
Chris Suslowicz Chris Suslowicz is offline
Junior Password Gnome
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: England
Posts: 814
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew P View Post
Is it anything like the US reel? That's a DR8 and is about that size, maybe 8"x8" DR8-A and DR8-B reels are nearly identical and easy to obtain.

Matt
I think they're bigger than that (the DR8 reels), but I'd need to check.

For a UK/Commonwealth signals jeep, it's probably the Reel, Cable, No.1 which fitted the infantry cable layers and also the "Barrows, Drum" which would take much larger sizes of reel. That would give about half a mile of single (D3) cable or a quarter of a mile of twin (D3 twisted) per reel. They'd need to carry a cable layer of some kind to be able to reel it back in, I suspect, because the reproduction mounting doesn't appear to have a winder - it's just a round spindle.

D3 was rubber insulated with a waxed woven (linen) jacket in various colours, and is fairly thick. I don't know when the plastic (or paint (!)) insulated cables appeared on the scene, though certainly before D-Day as "Assault Cable No.1" (copper plated steel wire with an insulating coat of paint) was issued on wooden reels and considered disposable (no attempt made to recover it for re-use), while Assault Cable No.2 (7 strands steel, 1 copper, PVC jacket) was issued in hessian-wrapped doughnuts for use with Reel No.4 (and ACL No.10 - which was just an arm-hook with attached spindle).

(Wanders off to measure some reels...)

OK, DR8B is 9" diameter and 9" wide (exterior dimensions) and intended for twin cable. (I assume the DR8A was for single cable.) It has a square socket for the spindle, presumably for RL-79 and similar laying equipment. Both ends of the cable are brought out to insulated terminals on one face of the drum.

Reel, Cable, No.1 is 11" diameter and 6.5" wide (6" internal) for a round spindle with square sockets at the end for the winding handle, it has a wooden core with a recessed single terminal connected to a slip-ring on one face of the drum to allow the cable layer to communicate while laying or reeling-in if desired. (There was a strap-on heel-plate for the person carrying the cable layer to provide earth return - it probably only worked well in really wet and muddy conditions!)

D3 cable is thinner than I remember it, so a reel might have been 880 yards of twin or 1 mile of single. (I was probably thinking of D8, which was a rather thicker item for longer circuits (more copper and insulation to reduce circuit losses).

Chris.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 26-07-20, 01:10
Matthew P Matthew P is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: West Virginia, USA
Posts: 199
Default

Chris,

I can't speak to the Commonwealth Signals equipment but I know a little from being around several friends who do US Signal Corps. All the reels carried twinned wire. Need two strands to wire up a field phone. The square on the smaller reels was for a carry handle for dispensing, sometimes a harness was clipped to it as well. The larger reels went onto carriers, racks, carts etc. DR-8, DR-8A and DR-8B only vary by contract date and some details in the mounting locations for the terminal block. and in the holes in the side of the flanges.

Matt
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 26-07-20, 01:58
Bruce Parker (RIP) Bruce Parker (RIP) is offline
GM Fox I
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,606
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew P View Post
Chris,

I can't speak to the Commonwealth Signals equipment but I know a little from being around several friends who do US Signal Corps. All the reels carried twinned wire. Need two strands to wire up a field phone. The square on the smaller reels was for a carry handle for dispensing, sometimes a harness was clipped to it as well. The larger reels went onto carriers, racks, carts etc. DR-8, DR-8A and DR-8B only vary by contract date and some details in the mounting locations for the terminal block. and in the holes in the side of the flanges.

Matt
I've seen photos of American reels used by Commonwealth troops so imagine they were supplied, plus having the advantage of being much easier to find.

Point of order: WW2 British and Canadian field phones could use a single wire and ground.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 26-07-20, 02:05
Chris Suslowicz Chris Suslowicz is offline
Junior Password Gnome
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: England
Posts: 814
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew P View Post
Chris,

I can't speak to the Commonwealth Signals equipment but I know a little from being around several friends who do US Signal Corps. All the reels carried twinned wire. Need two strands to wire up a field phone. The square on the smaller reels was for a carry handle for dispensing, sometimes a harness was clipped to it as well. The larger reels went onto carriers, racks, carts etc. DR-8, DR-8A and DR-8B only vary by contract date and some details in the mounting locations for the terminal block. and in the holes in the side of the flanges.

Matt
Originally (and we're going back to the European War (later known as the Great War, and finally WW1)) they used enamelled copper wire and wooden bobbin or slotted batten insulators and single wires plus earth spikes. Twin (i.e. all metallic circuit) cable came later once it was discovered that it could be eavesdropped on from a considerable distance.

Earth return was still used (to economise on cable) where possible until fairly recently. (OK, the 1960s.) e.g. assault cable.

I have a couple of DR8B reels (full) and the cable layer + straps as a result of an incautious eBay purchase. (The seller had copied someone else's lot description and just changed the photographs - I'd bid on that lot and the courier had lost it for a month... this is not relevant, but it explains why I have some US line kit.)

UK/Commonwealth (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, etc.) all used basically the same kit which evolved (very slowly) over time. Things like cable, earth pins and cable laying equipment standardised in the 1920s and were still current in WW2, some of it until the 1980s and beyond.

It depends on what James' signals jeep is representing, if it's Commonwealth then probably Reels, Cable, No.1 and D3 cable (single or twin) would be correct. (Assault cable was mainly an infantry item, and a metallic circuit (i.e. twin cable) would be needed for any variety of remote control unit.)

I also have no idea if the repro reel carrier I've seen accurately represents the WW2 Signals Jeep version - I suspect it does because the postwar Wireless Truck had a pair of cable reels with no apparent way of reeling-in any laid cable. I assume they parked up, grabbed the free end and walked it out to where it was needed, then either cut off the necessary length and abandoned it each time they moved or had someone else collecting up abandoned cable for re-use. If you need to reel-in the cable then you need an ACL (Apparatus, Cable Laying) to do that because there's nothing on the reel holder fitted to the vehicle.

Argh! It's 0100A and I need some sleep. Good Morning.

Chris.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 26-07-20, 02:47
Matthew P Matthew P is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: West Virginia, USA
Posts: 199
Default

Chris,

Thank you for that reply. I just learned a LOT in a single post. Amazing how that internet thing works. You get some rest. Even with Covid there must be some boot sales to get to later.

Matt
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 26-07-20, 03:57
James D Teel II James D Teel II is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Edmond, Oklahoma, USA
Posts: 133
Default

Thanks all for your help. I’ve been able to source a No1 Mk1 reel from England.
__________________
V/R

James D. Teel II
Edmond, Oklahoma
Retired Police Sergeant/Bomb Tech
1943 Willys MB/ITM jeep
1942 SS Cars No1Mk1 LtWt trailer
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
WS19 vehicle cable reel Russell Boaler The Wireless Forum 6 11-07-19 21:19
For Sale: Cable Reel Frank v R For Sale Or Wanted 1 18-02-15 23:50
Reel backpack holder Harry Moon The Wireless Forum 2 03-08-13 19:58
Reel Info Needed Barry Churcher The Restoration Forum 5 12-04-13 01:37
comms reel wanted Dave Page For Sale Or Wanted 0 01-02-07 16:25


All times are GMT +2. The time now is 19:18.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Maple Leaf Up, 2003-2016