Chris Suslowicz

Hmmm... I started out with Pipex until they laid off everyone with a clue (putting their mailservers into an address range declared to the world as "ADSL Dynamic Dialup" was the final straw), then switched to Demon. That was OK apart from problems with the local BT hardware until they were swallowed up by Scottish Telecom (who laid off everyone with a clue), and I'm now with Be (for connectivity) and Gradwell (for email). This works Very Well Indeed for what I want to use it for, though it's not (when you add everything up) the cheapest solution. Someone I know with Virgin has endless problems with their offshored "technical support" - his current problem is connecting to GoDaddy in Arizona - it works for _everyone_ else, including other Virgin users, but not from his connection and "technical support" are denying there's a problem. There may well be someone in possession of a clue working for Virgin, but if so they are very well hidden. Your mileage may vary, contents may settle in transit, close cover before striking, prohibited where void, void where not prohibited, not for sale to miners, may contain traces of humour, etc. Chris. (Dinosaur Herder and free-range cynic.)

Note the word "tried". 8-)> I suspect that when the laughing stopped they wrote back and explained that Legal Aid wasn't available for private prosecutions and that the inquest had not found anyone apart from the late unlamented at fault. Nowadays it'd probably be a different matter of course, but getting yourself turned into a crispy critter while trespassing on the railway having cut through/climbed over fences to do so ought to see any claims throw out with great force. <grumble> Chris

That's seriously unwise for all kinds of reasons, the main one being that there are few enough Dibbles to go around at the best of times, and that sort of call is going to get large numbers of them involved in a wild goose chase - what if they're needed for something really serious in the meantime? It's also likely to get you done for "wasting Police time", since they will know who you are and where you live (the 999 switchboard will want loads of detail when you call). Something really does need to be done about the scrotes but that's not it, I'm afraid. Chris

During the Miners strike and three day week, some enterprising scrote decided to help himself to a lot of copper piping at a builder's yard in Birmingham. All went as planned, and he was walking back across the railway tracks with his bundle of loot on his shoulder when they reckon he stumbled on a loose bit of ballast and received rather a nasty shock. His widow apparently tried to sue British Rail for failing to turn the 25kV overhead lines off during the scheduled power cuts. Evolution in action, I call it. Chummy should have realised the signal lights were still operating normally even though the entire district was in darkness.

I asked "someone who would know" and got this back: "Yes, I know precisely the "thinner/lighter" mast you refer to, it was a very well made item, held together with an elastic shock cord down the centre, and was the elevation kit for the UHF antenna for the late Larkspur UHF beacon, the one with a valve PA, and a motorised coder disc inside it, that came in a green bondage style carrier. TRA something, and ran off of an external 12V battery, and was used for DZ set-up by Pathfinders amongst others. Can't recall the number, but had a little diplexer box on the front panel to link the tx and rx connections to the BNC output socket. Also had a DC meter to measure the 12V battery. These units were about in large quantities in stores, and I think never worked well enough to be trusted, but people used to snaffle the very nice lightweight mast, and use that to elevate the discone for the A43R initially, and then the Bob Marley for the 344 later on, as it went up single handed very quickly." I can't find anything on t'internet between the A43R and the PRC-344, but if it started TRA, it would be Racal kit (and hence well-made). That may get you a bit further forward, and I'll have a look in the Racal Antennas brocure to see if I can spot it. Chris.

Ah, if it's 6 fibreglass poles measuring 98.5 x 3 cm, then that's the Clansman 5.4 metre mast. The pouch will be for all the bits you need to actually put the thing up (stayplates x2, pegs x 5, guys x 6, top piece with wire for use as vertical antenns, plastic ring with toggle for use with wire aerial...). Chris.

1st one: if the hoop at the top has a piece cut out of it (i.e: it's not a complete ring), it's a "crookstick" for laying and reeling in telephone cable. 2nd one: could be an aerial support, or part of a support kit for camouflage netting. Chris.

Why there is only one Monopolies Commission.

Carrier telephony equipment. At a guess it's "Balance Filter Unit !+! Mk.1*" and probably rather heavy - full of soft iron cored inductors and block paper capacitors. The "1 + 1" means 1 audio plus 1 carrier circuit on the same set of wires. The "Phantom" part refers to a separate circuit, usually between two pairs or one pair and earth, used by the engineers for testing and fault reporting (the "order wire'). Best, Chris.

Not half as annoying as the "Go Compare" t*ss*r, who would be vastly improved by a couple of belts of 50 BMG, along with everyone else involved in that series of adverts. Chris.

A brief bit on EW: http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/army/mipb/1996-1/mcpeek2.htm

There are a couple of people out there with Vampire (radio direction finding stations built into a 101 FC land rover, and I think someone may have a "Bromure" radio jammer outfit. (For fairly obvious reasons the jammers tend not to be released intact...) Chris.

Not Andy, but... EW = "Electronic Warfare", (later divided into ECM - Electronic Countermeasures, ECCM - Electronic Counter-CounterMeasures, and possibly Radio Deception.) Intercept receivers for listening to enemy radio signals (radio traffic, radar systems). Direction finding equipment to locate enemy positions. Radio (and radar) jamming transmitters to disrupt enemy communications. Monitoring receivers for listening to your own side's traffic to check everyone is observing proper security procedures. That sort of thing. Chris.

Norn Iron is politically/economically part of .uk so it should be just the same as buying a used car from your next-door neighbour.

Nonono! It's the Wireless Sets No.1, 2 & 3 that had Signal Data EMERs issued pre-marked as "OBSOLETE" the big charging sets carried on forever, being used for battery exchange where charging sets could not be used without giving the position away - a "milk round" would operate, collecting discharged batteries and delivering fresh ones together with any other supplies that might be needed. (I did chuckle over the Ron Larby memoir of the Korean war and the anecdote of David "Lord" Kitchener arranging all the discharged batteries in front of the switchboard as if on parade, and haranguing them.) Chris.

I think the range started very early and that a different number was allocated to each engine manufacturer in order to keep any confusion over spar parts and manuals to a minimum. The Signal Data EMERs are all dated 1944 because the REME were formed rather late on in WW2 and before that it would have been repaired by RAOC, etc. - there are 1944 EMERs for WS No. 1, 2 & 3, all labelled OBSOLETE. Anyway, Charging Set 1260W No.1 - 2-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine, made by Norman Charging Set 1260W No.2 - no data to hand Charging Set 1260W No.3 - Single cylinder vertical engine, made by Petter. Charging Set 1260W No.4 - 2-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine, made by Douglas Charging Set 1260W No.5 - Single cylinder vertical engine, made by JAP. They appear to use the same generator design (manufactured by a variety of companies) and also the same charging switchboard (something of a relief). The data (Part 0) EMER just lists the size, weight and specifications but has a line drawing of the unit if that's any help. (I may be able to scan them at some point. The Petter manual (for No.3) is on the WS19 group website and can be requested in the usual way. (Doc 1612 - Charging Set 1260W No 3 - Working Instructions, 3rd Edn, ZB11923, May 1945) Best, Chris.

It's one of the transportable battery charging engines, certainly. You need the switchboard that goes with it in order to make it work, because the field regulator rheostat is part of the switchboard. (pause for rummage) Now that is _damned_ annoying! I've got the Signal Data EMERS for the No1, 3, 4 & 5 but not the No.2... I suspect the WS26 one (Tels F320) was filed in place of Power F320. Anyway, all the others are 0 to 35 volt, 0 to 36 amps, for charging btteries up to 24 volt and 100/125 AH maximum capacity. The switchboard provides 4 independent charging circuits of up to 20 amp capacity so that a mix of battery sizes can be charged simultaneously. Chris.

May you have a safe journey and a successful Run. This is probably the most outstanding piece of restoration I've ever seen[1]. (What does the Dennis company think of it? (I believe one of you works there?)) Chris. [1] From rust and wreckage to something that looks like it's just rolled out of the factory gate.

It's not a "proofed" part, so you don't need a licence to possess it in the UK, but it will probably be next to impossible to import one legally (economically, anyway) due to the ITAR rules, etc. You may have to scour the UK dealers or see what's available at something like Beltring.

Switchboard and other wireless truck fittings currently on eBay: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/taystogs70/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562 Not mine, though I have bought stuff from tis seller. Chris.

Not mine, though Ihave bought stuff from the seller in the past. Radio table, battery frames/clamps, Switchboard Charging No.5, etc... http://shop.ebay.co.uk/taystogs70/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562 (I know someone was looking for one of those switchboards recently...) Chris.

The tag is genuine, the "FA.27004" is the stores code for the item, and the tag gives the short description. FA is the "Hand Tools" (I think) section of the Vocabulary Of Army Ordnance Stores. Chris.

This is absolutely stunning. :wow:

The (not so) humble barometer has two uses in Artillery circles: 1) Surveying. The trusty Baromec is accurate to less than a metre under normal conditions, and you will get clearly different readings from table-top and floor level. 2) Accurate gunnery requires the knowledge of the precise location of gun and target, the range tables (corrected for barrel wear) for each gun in use, and the air density, wind velocities at various altitudes, temperature, pressure and humidity. For that they have the trusty meteorologist with sounding balloons (a free-flying balloon carrying a radio transmitter and various instruments, thermometer, barometer and a radar reflector so you can track the thing (during WW2, LORAN post-WW2, and a GPS receiver to the modern ones) . (The locating troop will also need survey and weather data in order to locate enemy guns for counterbattery purposes.) Chris.

Would Sir care for some cheese[1] with his whine? Right now I have a scanner to repair (again) and some documents to scan.... Chris (Junior Password Gnome and occasional Bad Influence.) [1] Possessed, of course (we have standards to maintain).