fv1609

Berlin wall where Pigs were useful mobile platforms! So this is a Mk 1 (in the normal useage of the term, although that isn't quite correct). It is either the APC ie FV1611 or a FFW ie FV1612 (not modified for FFR)

Frequency propgation charts? Try asking these 19 Set people: http://www.qsl.net/ve3bdb/

Good man, I knew we could rely on your integrity. I think rain must be challenge to the reliabity of radar traps. Given the principles of weather radar! As a radio amateur I found that although people would climb up mountains & the like to get a good signal out. I learnt to stay at home & wait until it rained above me. The range was extended for me from 1 km or so up to 150 km, far further than I could reach on the VHF bands under such apparently appaling conditions!

Not really, tuning forks are only used as a test source to verify the equipment is working correctly. I have been a licensed radio amateur since 1964, much of that time was spent building, modifying surplus equipment & operating on the 10GHz band ie appx X-Band. Before microwave semiconductors were affordable or even available much of my effort was directed towards modifying low power radar systems with a small klystron. Most of these worked on around 9.5GHz, but with care it was possible to adjust & distort the cavity to make them work in the amateur band. In those days amateurs operating on that band were only a handful over the whole of the UK. Given the rather line of sight nature of these communications, one was often wondering whether the equipment actually worked. As the kylstron was both the transmitter & the local oscillator for the receiver, it was possible to put the detected signal into an audio amplifier & listen to the difference in transmitted & received signals. From my bedroom window I directed the dishes to the street outside. The Doppler effect meant that as a vehicle approached there was a low pitched "woosh" and as it sped away a high pitched "weeh". With practice one could gain a fairly good idea of the speed without having to look at the vehicle. Size didn't matter whether it was car, bus or bike as long as there was some metal to reflect from. Having observed & listened to all manner of vehicles & conveyances, I never noticed any failure or distortion of the signal even on a thing that vibrates like a bus. Tony could it be that you bus wasn't going fast enough to trigger a response from the police or are you suggesting you put the safety of your passengers at risk by breaking the speed limit :shocked:

Over the years I have heard of people who knew a mate who make such claims about radar traps. I have never spoken to someone first hand. Firstly it is infra-red reflecting paint, so if it had some extension of properties into the microwave spectrum then it would only enhance reflection & make detection even more effective. IRR paint is not as some suppose a cloaking device to make the equipment disappear. It is just trying to make the object reflect IR energy in the same way as the surrounding foliage. If the paint had some IR or microwave cloaking/absorbing effect, they needn't have developped stealth bombers. They could just paint aircraft in IRR paint!

Lucky man! I have recuring dreams like that. But my ideal storeroom is full of EMERs & Humber parts! The reason I asked about age of paint is that its specification demands at least one years shelf life for the IRR component. Although it can last a few more years if stored at the correct temperature. Once its on the vehicle deteriation is more rapid. So unless it is very new paint & fairly recently applied the chances are it is only going to perform properly for a short while.

I wonder how old it was though?

Richard, have you got any pictures of the bastards? Just as well we are not on the old forum where that word was always autochanged to 'barman', which would be an even stranger name for a vehicle!

Some time ago I provided some of the pictures from manuals & some info. There are some things there I disagree with & particularly don't take the FV1600 descriptions as gospel. An interesting one is this "The first FV1611 vehicles that were used in Ulster were crewed by the RAC Parachute Squadron, who took to calling the vehicles 'Pig' as well, so the name stuck." He used to say they nicknamed it the 'Sow' initially then it got changed to "Pig". Well I spent this last weekend as I have done every year for 14 years with old comrades from the Para Sqn RAC. Given my pig tendacies I have regularly quizzed members about their vehicles & they assure me they did not use pigs, they used Ferrets & Saracens. This was confirmed by an article in Soldier in the 1970s. On a historical note the first FV1611 used on the streets was issued to the RUC in 1962 to supplement their FV1609s issued in 1958. If you talk to veterans of the Malayan Emergency they will tell you about Pigs, but to them it meant an armoured Bedford RL. The prototype pigs FV1609 were trialled in various places including Malaya. My belief is that the useage of the term pig then became assumbed by the Humber. David Fletcher once told me of a style of armoured lorry used in Malaya called 'The Bastard' which I assume was either unreliable, uncomfortable or both.

I would have thought only Borat could have dreamed this one up. But I got the link from a MOD site http://www.modoracle.com/news/Peace-Panties-To-Frighten-Military_15796.html?category=all

Foliage reflects light ie you can see it. But it also reflects IR energy either from the moon (which is reflected from the sun) or an IR beam used for surveilance. Equipment that is painted a colour to blend in with the foliage, with normal green paint eg the old Olive Drab that predated NATO Green would appear as a black hole when observed with a NOD (Night Observation Device) be that the old IR viewers or an image intensifier (passive ie no beam needed) So paint to reflect IR energy was devised with a pigment to reflect IR energy to the same degree as the foliage. Of course foliage is not uniform there will be irregularities & gaps etc. So black IRR paint is used with less IRR pigment. The 2/3 Green & 1/3 black is intended to mimick "North West European woodland" eg Germany. It is virtually impossible to legally obtain genuine IRR NATO Green paint. There are companies who supply NATO Green paint which make no claims for including IRR pigment This would add to the cost for a property few would benefit from. So most restored vehicles have no special IRR component to their paint. Some years ago genuine IRR NATO Green was available. But why was it there? Because it had expired. Not the paint, but the IRR pigment! So I suspect Tony's Land Rover was difficult to see with a NOD was that the IRR pigment was not in the paint or it had become inactive. Given as he points out the shininess of modern cars, you can see how his Land Rover was difficult to see. The definitive way to test IRR paint for its usefulness, is to use one of these:

Materiel Regulations for the Army. Volume 2. Vehicles & Technical Equipment. Pamphlet No.3. Painting of Army vehicles, aircraft & equipment. Annex B.

I made a mistake on the NSN it was redesignated from 5820-99-105-4169 to 5985-99-105-4169 NSC 5820 "Radio & television communication equipment, except airborne" was rather too vague when there was a more appropriate NSC in 6985 "Antennas, waveguides & related equipment". It is defined as "Antenna & Installation kit" Made by Racal Part No. 638-999. The 8 metre is 9 sections. I'll count the sections on the 27 ft one. Also will check I have a lot of EMERs on Clansman VHF antennas.

Well it could be: Mast, telescopic, 27 ft, No 1. I have the EMER in front of me no NSN is quoted as it is 1963 which predates the full implementation of NSNs. I have the CES, but can't find it. Or: Mast, telescopic, 8 metres. I have the IPC & CES, but can't find either.

David. The NSN shows it is obsolete. To help identify it can you tell me the extended height of the mast?

That's odd Tony because infra-red reflective paint will do just that i.e. reflect infra-red so it should have looked brighter being observed with a night observation device :???

I think a plastic grill is correct. If the paint is flaking that badly, take the grill off & bash gently & it will twist a little bit as well aiding the flaking. Paint stripper can attack plastic. I once had a rear window that was blacked out. I put paint stripper on to find it was not glass but perspex & it went rough & opaque. I would still use the stripper for the stubborn bits but watch over the process as paint stripper seems to patchy in its activity on old paint. But even if there is slight damage to the plastic, it will give a rougher surface to key the paint in. Any stubborn bits of paint just leave & paint over it. You are not aiming for a factory finish as it would not have left the factory in IRR camo. So it would be done at unit level & the quality of paintwork would not be too good anyway. I know we like to make a decent job of things, but you're just restoring it to its as service condition. So you have some latitude.

Apparently a transformer blew up at one of their servers. http://forum.emlra.org/viewtopic.php?t=3742

Mick Chris is correct it should be 2/3 green & 1/3 black. So you have too much black & it is too intricate. The pattern should be large & bold. Small patterns are pointless & things as small as trailers were not meant to be painted. Although I have seen trailers apparently painted in service where the instructions for painting were not followed, like in the case of the in service paint job Chris has described. Black should be used to break up a corners of the vehicle. Initially a vehicle would be painted in green & black added afterwards. But it was permissible to touch up areas without having to do a complete paint job in green. So you could leave some of your black & simply add green areas. Patterns should differ from vehicle to vehicle. I always found it difficult to plan out the pattern in my mind & it was very easy to hesitate as you are doing it in case any of the pattern might be interpreted as 'anatomical' in some people's minds. The star finish would be to stencil near the bottom of the vehicle "IRR DATE" I think that is the date when the IRR paint was applied, but it could be the expected expiry date of the IRR properties of the paint. When genuine paint first appeared on the surplus market one could sometimes get a good price from a dealer on the basis that the paint had 'expired'. But this was only the reliability of the IRR pigment the paint itself was perfectly ok to use.

David, it doesn't open for me either.

Yes well done.

No but is was 'comedy' with Jim Dale, Spike Milligan, Dinsdale Landen, Milo O'Shea, Bob Todd etc

It was taken with an old fashioned camera when I freeze framed the video player. Only pic I've got. British comedy of 1970s.

Yes that was the book.

No England actually:)