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The ballast resistor is inside the filter box & that will be a few inches away from the coil, given that the screened cable is quite short. If you are getting sparks at the points it shows that there is continuity through the filter box & the ballast resistor is likely to be ok. You shouldn't really be getting sparks at the CB points, it is the job of the condenser to minimise this & maybe you have the signs of a failing condenser. This would not only show itself by allowing sparks but the spark will erode the points (think of how an arc welder works). The consequence of a spark is that it slows the collapse of the magnetic field of the coil thereby producing reduced HT. For maximum HT you need an abrupt switching off of the voltage to the coil & a good condenser should provide this.

Sam do not buy an official B Series condenser. Even unused it will be quite old & will have deteriorated internally. Even years ago I remember people paying around £50 for the "proper condenser" an utter waste of money. Use any new 0.2mfd distributor condenser that will fit inside. You must use a distributor condenser as it will be rated at 500v, do not use 0.2mfd condenser other than one designed for a distributor.

Yef you need to apply the anti-lifp cweam.

Andy indeed & a lot of support needed at times. This for the Army in Ireland 1789, you need to put the correct teef in to fully grasp the text.

Finally getting my teeth into this I've been meaning to read for a while.

That sounds a fantastic resource Wally.

All good stuff Wally. In this treasure trove are there any pictures of that Hornet model when it was intended to be the Orange William launcher? I have a picture of it, probably at the changeover period to Malkara when there is a strange hemisphere over the controller's windscreen. But there is some labelling that has been deliberately obliterated that I suspect may have referred to Orange William? On the subject of OW are the any models of the other proposed launcher FV426 I wonder?

All sold now.

Thank you Nick, well that is encouraging.

Field repairs on the showground can be a challenge. "Have you broken it mate?" "Do you want a hammer?" On such occasions I wish I had one of those workman's tent/shelters you used to see when carrying out repairs to cables/pipes at the roadside. I found wearing headphones or ear defenders gave some discouragement to the passing comedians & greatly satisfying when their companion would say "He can't hear you, he got his ears covered". Humourless this may sound but it can be a source of great stress worrying whether you will be able to effect a repair to get you home, without having to provide material for passing comedians. An additional anxiety is the tool box, if on the ground, kids rummage & try to walk off with bits. I have noticed that a raised bonnet & a tool box can quickly draw a crowd. If I am doing some minor adjustment or repair, I'm quiet happy to provide chat but not if it is a crisis repair, I just want to be left alone. I carry in the vehicle a comprehensive range of electrical test equipment (5kV Megger, multimeter, inductance meter, HT tester, cable fault tracer, DC clamp ammeter, coil testing device etc). If I see a raised bonnet & a tool box as I pass, I mention that if it is thought to be an electrical fault I have a range of test equipment which may help, then walk on. The response from the distressed owner can be quite varied from bluntly dismissive to an invitation to help. In the former category if I see a distributor condenser that has been removed, I do poke my nose in & ask if they would like me to test it. Frequently I am told that it has been tested on a multimeter & there is no short circuit. But you cannot effectively test a condenser like that. It is a difficult decision to press the issue knowing that you can be of help if the owner had a more open mind or to walk away. There have been occasions that having walked away some time later the owner, having explored all advice from their group of experts that they are prepared to hear what might else be tried.

Was that any help?

The main cause of failure is the bearings packing up due to lack of lubrication. The generator gearbox needs to be primed with a quarter of a pint of engine oil if the engine has not been run 3 weeks or more. Many owners fail to do this & boast that they have as yet had no failure, but when failure comes messing around with the generator gearbox & clutch is a nightmare that requires special tools.

Champs in that Sale No. 93 were selling for around £50, as were Humber Pigs!

b) It seems that you can get away directly fitting a Gen Panel No.2 in place of the Gen Panel No.1 c) The FFW engine will be fitted with an engine oil feed to lubricate the gearbox in the Gen No.2 & a drain out to the sump. Not sure whether the Gen cradle may be different. d) I am not a Champ expert, but it would be very difficult to find either type of Gen Panel No.1. They are very rare & I suspect more troublesome. The reason for the greater abundance of Gen Panel No.2 was that large numbers were re-manufactured for Pigs in NI. Of course not all Pigs had Gen No.2 but on failure those that had Gen No.1 were fitted with Gen No.2 & matching panel.

Much appreciated it is too Wally. Lovely to see that High Gloss DBG twinkling in the Sunshine, so very British 60s. The trailer went through quite a bit of change, not seen such an early example before.

GDSF have taken payments from the public for camping but are offering a carry-over to 2021 or a refund. WPR still seems to be off line, it will be interesting to see if the same sense of fair play exists at least as far a carry-over to 2021 goes. If it does not it will generate a vast amount of ill feeling & a suspicion that even swallowing your loss for this year, could they ever be trusted again should you decide to pay again for next year if some no refund cancellation occurred again? A scenario could be a few enthusiastic & trusting exhibitors paying again to enter next year, for the organisers to realise there has been such a breakdown in trust, that they have relatively few entrants that it is no longer viable to run it again next year & those trusting exhibitors get stung a second time? Such a cycle of mistrust would be the end of the event & nobody wins.

That is a shame, but I suppose if it is nice that week I could park my Land Rover in the field, throw some dust over it, throw some straw over myself & get my wife to come along & ask me silly questions?

Here's another one for the list: RAC Equipment Trials Wing. FV431/Stalwart Comparative Trial Interim Report No.1. July 1964

Mark that is only part of the identifier, it has no meaning by itself. I'm afraid EMERs are widely misquoted if they don't include the EMER Part as P 400-409 would apply to a whole range things. So the publications required are EMER COMMUNICATIONS INSTALLATIONS P 400-409 Without defining the EMER Part it would be like going to a library asking to see a Chapter 7 of a book. There are some further explanations here:

Another one: EMER COMMUNICATIONS INSTALLATIONS P 400-409 Clansman, net radio installation, HMLC, Stawart Mk 2

Another one to look for: Army Code No. 61389 Provisional Working Instruction, Tanks & Equipment for Carriage of Bulk Fuel on Bedford MK & Stalwart Mk 2 Vehicles. 1975

Maybe make an FOI request https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/mod It might be worth searching with various terms in case there has been a similar request before. Bear in mind the MOD is being swamped with requests at the moment whilst during lock-down the request levels have risen substantially I understand. Request the AESPs, not the FAESPs that I have as these are fiche versions!

Harry I have founds some more sheets FAESP 6115-H-500-101 Purpose & Planning FAESP 6115-H-500-201 Operating Information FAESP 6115-H-500-512 Failure Diagnosis & Repair Instruction Before you get too excited transferring from fiche is a nightmare, it is hard enough to read on the screen, taking a photo makes it worse. Some of the pages are hard enough to view on the original as they are rather indistinct. I see that the shots have got clipped rather. I hope there might be some clues here, if you can read anything, then I can take some more pictures but the clarity won't be any better.

I only have FAESP 6115-H-500-821 Generator Set, 16/24 KW (Newton Derby) Gen. Instr & Index. Was there any particular issue you wanted to cover? I would have to take photos which will not be the easiest to read though.

Excellent stuff Wally, keep it coming please!