andym

I love the bit about being "restored in a shed in Bury"! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-35251312 Andy

Good stuff, Clive! I think there's also an interesting question about the aluminium fire-resisting paint. The description of 8010-99-943-4732 says "normally applied as a two-coat system", which implies that it wasn't originally applied direct to the bare metal. Some parts of my Abbot show a red primer under the silver - look at the patch on the top right: Andy

Nice one, Nic! Andy

Thanks both, and for info the fixing centres are identical to Clansman antenna bases. It would bolt straight on except that on my 432 there isn't enough clearance between the bottom of the AAMTU and the hull to clear the connectors so I've had to add a spacer ring. Andy

I recently bought a Racal VRM5080 VHF radio on eBay, which came with an antenna base with built-in 563 AAMTU. When plugged up it makes encouraging TUAAM-like whirring and clunking noises when changing frequency, but with two Clansman antenna sections in it the SWR is appalling. Does anyone know what length whip it's expecting to find? Andy

The trouble with original bimetallic units was that the bulbs didn't come on until after the strip had heated up, so there was a delay before the indicators were seen. Andy Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

Have you spoken to the "Explosion" museum in Gosport? Andy

The label on the front says "MRS" - Muzzle Reference System, perhaps? Andy

The response from my MEP (Nigel Farage): "Thank you for your email to Mr Farage, apologies for the delay in responding to you, we have had a considerable number of emails on this subject. At Mr Farage's request I have discussed this issue in detail with colleagues, and listened in person to the views of Registered Firearms Dealers. The EU Commission's draft law has not yet been discussed in the relevant European Parliamentary Committee, so we are not in a position to comment on the detail. However three points are very clear. First, the weapons used in the Paris atrocity, and more generally the weapons used in most terrorist attacks, are illegally-held weapons. Changing the law on legal gun ownership is therefore unlikely to have any significant impact on the availability of illegal weapons to terrorists. Indeed the EU is clearly the problem, not the solution. There is extensive evidence that for example Croatia, which recently joined the EU, is a hotbed of smuggling – not only of arms, but also of drugs, people and human organs. It has also been said (and it is no exaggeration) that free movement of goods and people in the EU (and especially the Schengen area) has led to free movement of Kalashnikovs. Secondly, so far as we understand it the UK already has some of the tightest regulations on firearms in the world. We do not believe that further legislation at the EU level will make any additional contribution to public safety. In any case we in UKIP are opposed in principle to any extension of competences at the EU level. Thirdly, I understand that the proposed means of deactivating weapons will prevent inspection of the moving parts, actually making it more difficult to identify a weapon with a false certificate of deactivation. I can therefore confirm that UKIP will be opposing the new EU Firearms proposal. Sadly, however, we fear it will be approved anyway. There is nothing MEPs like more than a nice piece of gesture politics in response to public concern – whether or not their gesture has any practical effect." (Note the last sentence as already stated by another MEP!) Andy

Unless it is a Cat A (such as SLR, SMG, GPMG) in which case you will have to surrender it as they will become illegal to possess. Andy

Nothing yet from my MEP, but my MP (Penny Mordaunt) says "I have written to the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, Mike Penning MP, on your behalf to ask for a response to the points raised and I will be in touch again when I have received a response". Andy

Thanks! Andy

Can someone please confirm my belief that the HF versions of the Mk. 31 antenna bases don't use the spacer with the builtin transformer? Andy

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?51834-European-BAN-for-assault-weapons-proposed-EVEN-IF-PERMANENTLY-DEACTIVATED Andy

Hi Nic! :-) Andy

Agreed, and I got my last set of adaptors from Dave Crouch. Andy

Signing the petition is all very well, but who says the EU will take any notice of it? I've pointed both my MP and MEP at the proposed legislation, explaining why it's a pointless, expensive knee-jerk reaction. Andy

Excellent piece of deduction! Yes, Abbots do have a second driver's switchboard, seen here (unplugged) on the front fighting compartment wall at the edge of the unpainted piece of Trakmark beside the fire warning light. Andy

I was thinking something very similar myself, Dougy! I see what you mean about the position of the inhibitor switch, I hadn't realised that. I wonder why they did it that way? Andu Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

Yes, there should be 24V at that point. Have you checked if there's 24V on terminal A in the engine junction box on the pack? Andy Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

Practice, I suspect! :-) The starter relay is actually an afterthought/modification. When they swapped from the old axial starter motor to the later S152 coaxial motor, the starter switch on the driver's switchboard wasn't up to the job so they had to add a relay (and 25A breaker) in the DLB. Andy

This is what the relay looks like, sitting inside the lid of the DLB so fairly easy to get at: Andy

If the starter relay is pulling in, it can't be the inhibitor at fault! Andy Sent from my SM-T310 using Tapatalk

That's what they do with the 5 inch guns on HMS Belfast. Andy

Do you get 24V on pin 21A of the DLB, when the starter switch is pressed? My guess would be dirty or worn contacts on the starter relay inside the DLB, it's pretty agricultural with contacts open to the air. (I know the diagram says not FV433, but there really isn't any difference!) Andy