Chris Suslowicz

I suspect that the No.1 Mk1* aerial base was renumbered and became the No.2 fairly early on, as the Universal Carrier was initially fitted with the WS11. The 1940 VAOS included a lot of ancient (but still on the books) kit, including the MA, MB and MC tank wireless sets from WW1, which I doubt were still being used, even for training. I need to fish out the Signal Training Volume III "pamphlets" for Wireless Sets 1, 2, 3, 9 and 11 and see what they have to say about aerial bases - they may even have photographs! (The Steel Vertical Aerial rods are used "upside down" compared to the earlier ones, I suspect. i.e. with the socket end of the rod inserted into the base or Insulator W/T 'B', and the reduced-diameter threaded portion upwards - so that stayplates and the 'F' rod adapter can be screwed on easily.) Best regards, Chris.

Okay... 1940 VAOS section Z1 has some detail. The early mast sections were 3-ft by 5/8-in 16 SWG duralumin by the look of it, later masts used Aerial Rods 'D' from the 34-ft Steel Vertical Aerial (the "Golf Bag"), I think. First column is 'Stores code" with ZA as a prefix, second is "List of Changes" reference number to entry in Army Orders, third is the detailed description (no photo's, it's all text I'm afraid). This is very early and the base(s) were specified for WS1, WS7 and WS9. It's a start, anyway. Best regards, Chris.

That right hand base is for a different diameter aerial rod, and I suspect it's a very early one. (Maybe taking the rods made from "electron metal" (a magnesium/aluminium alloy for light weight) that was discontinued due to its cost?) I'll have a rummage in Wireless for the Warrior Volumes 1 & 2 and the 1940 VAOS later to see what I can find out about them. (Maybe we need a thread on aerial bases - I have a lot of different ones but lacked the time and space to do it before I retired.) Best regards, Chris.

From memory, there were different versions of Aerial Base No.1, depending on the application. I think that three of them are detailed in the kit lists for the Wireless Set No.1 (or 11) in the appropriate Signal Training Volume III pamphlet - they were certainly different for the light tank and ground versions of the set. Chris.

I agree it's part of Aerial Base No.1 - I'm trying to remember if I have any details of the missing parts. The original insulator material is Vulcanite - rubber that was hardened using extra sulphur in the compounding process. (It doesn't need to be flexible, that's handled by the tension spring in the mounting, so you could make it out of almost any modern plastic: ABS or Delrin. The usual colour would be dark brown or black. (The 34-ft Steel Vertical Aerial used Insulator W/T 'B', which had a similar looking top but tapered below the rain groove (rather than being cylindrical) and had a threaded socket on the bottom (same as the 'D' aerial rods) so it could be screwed onto the base spike. Later (WW2 and postwar) versions of the W/T B insulator were made from rubber and polythene and other plastics (frequently mixed in the same unit). Best regards, Chris.

It's boxed up, I just need to find the sticky labels and go for a walk... and be back by noon when the next parcel delivery is due! This week has been non-stop appointments and staying in for stuff arriving, sorry. Chris.

Breaking down the NATO Stock Number a bit... 5965 = 5965 is a Federal Supply Class that contains components such as headsets, microphones, handsets, and speakers that are used for aviation purposes. 99 - is the code for UK categorised items. (i.e. we own that entry.) 330 2287 - is the specific item within that class. LHS appears to have a 3.5mm audio jack fitted (which is very odd for the military), RHS looks like a Clansman multiway connector with a cover fitted - maybe for a microphone or the connecting cable... is there a connecting cable in the pack with the headset? They're obviously for a noisy environment, but not _that_ noisy... maybe helicopter passengers rather than flight deck crew (which had extremely large hard-shell earpieces with liquid-filled seals to keep jet noise out). :-) It's 16 years old, but might be worth asking Selex if they have any information that would help. (The £300 price tag is typical for MoD kit - it covers all the costs of the design, build, transport and storage, etc.) Best regards, Chris.

A quick rummage on t'Internet finds a possible hit and photograph of an eBay lot (long expired), apparently made by Davies Communications - who now appear to be part of SELEX. That's not much help, but the photo (assuming Google is not lying through it's Artificial Stupidity teeth - it can no longer be trusted, I'm afraid) shows something with twin jack plugs for aircraft use (Like the David Clarke pilot headsets) in Olive Drab. Have you got a photo of the beast (or are all the boxes still sealed)?

I may have some 3-pin connectors - what are the body and pin diameters? (They were made in several power ratings, but being brass are targeted by the scrappers.) Chris (Wishing it would stop BLOODY RAINING.)

Looks very much like the connectors used for the tent lighting kit I've got, but with a screened cable to keep electrical noise out of the nightscope and inverter whine from the nightscope out of the 432. Cable will be male to female so that the scope can be inserted/removed in an existing cable run. Chris.

I have one off the later steel-clad version, with cables intact, and it looks like all the screw holes will line up with your brass plate. Will post it later today (I hope). I can't find the Chatterton's Compound (used as a sealant, but maybe the existing cables will do - they look like they're from a 12V 22AH. Best regards, Chris. (Still trying to complete the retirement paperwork!)

I've got some drums (free-standing reels actually) of co-ax and Lightweight Quad that were backloaded into a skip from a great height, then left out in the rain for months. They're bent and rusted to the point I'm not sure where to begin - some of the folding handles are immovable. (I only bought them for the contents, though some might be repairable.)

Ah, they're a cunning "sandwich" construction and the outer layer is basically armouring of the joint. The actual joints are waterproof and very strong if properly made. (Far better than the old "Self-Soldering Sleeve type which were time consuming, messy, required manually insulating after the cleanup, and couldn't be posted because... firework composition. Bound-In joints were even less fun and very hard on the fingers as I discovered in the Cadet Force, decades ago.) I've not seen the Hellerman jointing sleeves for sale anywhere, but then I haven't been looking - I think I have a couple of boxes of them tucked away somewhere, but no D10 to use them on! Best regards, Chris.

Looks a bit used to this gnome. (Or badly stored.) I have a couple of them, the original red handled ones and the later "low observability" version like that one. Did they ever issue the carrier in DPM, I wonder? (I have the dark green cotton webbing version, and a lightweight synthetic one with the same NSN, but nothing more recent than that.) Chris.

The jointing sleeves and a Hellerman tool are so much easier than doing bound-in or soldered joints - assuming you can get the crimp sleeves, of course. :-)> Best regards, Chris. (Recently discovered the Belt, Linesman was discontinued around 2011. End of an era.) :-(>