g0ozs

I did ponder if it was some kind of spare or safety 'chute because of the size - my other thought was that it was for dropping objects rather than people! Thanks Iain

Thanks very much - I found the suspected money belt and a modern rifle cover in the same bag as the leather 1903 pattern bandolier so included it as I wasn't sure which it belonged with.

Are any of these even military ?

Dear All Please can some experts let me know what these items from my late father's collection are and what the "going rate" is ? Someone has first refusal but I would like to know what I'm selling ! Regards Iain

Camouflage Covered Helmet Are the cuts in the sides damage or intentional to allow addition of foliage for camouflage ?

Helmet with net covering

Dear All I have 2 helmets from my late father's collection to identify and guess a value for. Someone already has first refusal but I would like to know what I'm selling ! Hopefully they will be of interest as pictures to some here and may yet find their way to the for sale sub-forum. My daughter has become attached to the net-covered one so I would rather not sell it unless of great value (and I can find a cheaper replica for her to use!) Regards Iain

@Moderators: I couldn't decide if this belongs in clothing or weapons/accessories (and I considered "I may be stupid but" )so please move this where it belongs if you thing I chose the wrong sub-forum.

Not a parachute - I think this is a red + marker for indicating an air drop target or helicopter landing point (I dimly remember partly unpacking it a few years ago when clearing my dad's apartment) - can anyone confirm ?

A USAF parachute with 1960 and 1973 markings - what was it for ? Which date is correct ?

A 1992 dated parachute by GQ of the UK - what is its intended use ?

A small parachute (is it too small for a person?) in a sand coloured bag with a 1944 date stamp - the label printing is faded but may say "size 22" near the stamp.

A green chute and another bag/harness

A red and off-white chute and an empty bag/harness (do they belong together)?

Dear All As I get further through the items from my late father's collection I find I have at least 4 parachutes - I would welcome help with ID and valuation (someone has first refusal on them but I dont think either of us are parachute experts!) I havent unpacked the chutes mainly because I don't have a large clean open dry area to do it (and secondly because I am not sure I could re-pack them well enough to go back in the bag - I think my dad had the same problem as 2 are in non original bags! Thanks in advance Iain

Hi The mast would only be used vertical - they are easily damaged if extended horizontally without support and bent (I did that and wrote one off back in the '90s). I expect it was carried for use when at a fixed location to get wire antennas for HF off the ground in places with no convenient trees. Vehicle mounted HF antennas aren't nearly as efficient as the right length of wire. In pre-319 days patrols would have used either the Clansman UK/PRC-320 or Larkspur A14 ( http://www.wftw.nl/a14t.jpg ) with morse code if safe (from enemy detection) to do so or the Larkspur A16 (later transposed to the Clansman range as UK/PRC-316 http://www.wftw.nl/a16t.jpg ) with an American AN/GRA-71 high-speed morse tape sender for secure communication. The A14 was mounted on the wheel arch with four holes (at least in series rovers) but the antenna mount differs from your description see: http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/548_A14_Clip-in_kit.pdf The A16 was never a vehicle set (and a much lighter manpack than the 319) but had a limited number of channels and low power so needed large wire antennas. See: http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/889_PRC-316_EMER_F202_pt1.pdf Another set found in vehicles of that era was the Larkspur A43R UHF ground to air set (which I believe was still current for several years after the rest of Larkspur until the Clansman RT344 arrived). The usual clue to an A43R installation is an insulated holder, often between the front seats, because the A43R was a positive earth design with a "live" case when used in a modern negative earth vehicle! See: http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/2981_EMER_F532pt1_SR-A43RMk2_Technical_Description.pdf and http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/2980_EMER_F530_SR-A43RMk2_Data_Summary.pdf - I wonder if the apparent jerrycan holder between the seats is really for the A43R? Regards Iain

Another odd thing is that the telescopic mast across the back is rusty - it looks like the old 27 foot larkspur mast which was plated steel (and a menace to fingers when taking down) - Clansman VHF antennas only fitted the lighter, safer and stronger RACAL aluminum masts. The Larkspur masts were however quite common as surplus in the 1980s. If original this would tend to date the radio fit in the late 1970s when the Larkspur to Clansman transition was still incomplete - it was rapidly completed after the Falklands campaign in 1982. Also worth noting that while the main Clansman range (certainly 351/352, 14V charger and 320) were around in the late 1970s the 319 wasn't around until 1985 at the earliest. Regards Iain

I assume the vehicle is GS rather than FFR (12V rather than 24V system) - I'm not aware of an official vehicle installation for the 319 - normally a GS landrover with a 14V DCCU charger as pictured would have a 351/2 VHF connected to the TUAAM via an Initiate box and a 320 HF Do you have a picture of the non standard HF side mast or any residual mounting hardware in the back of the vehicle ? There were various non standard sets around in the 90s for specific purposes (certainly Harris Falcon and MEL PRC2000 have appeared via the usual surplus outlets) and any residual mounting hardware or rust may give a clue. Regards Iain

Luke What voltage system and what is the power rating of the brake and indicator bulbs ? The current actually drawn is found by dividing the bulb power by the voltage - so a 21W 12V bulb needs just under 2 amps. If there are multiple bulbs fed by the same wire add up the total current. For safety the wire should be rated well above the calculated current, and to avoid excessive voltage drop in the wires I would advise over-rating the wire by a factor of 5 to 10 above the calculated current, especially if it is long and there is space. Regards Iain

Graham Sure. When is best time & day to call ? Iain

Further to the comments on modern "plastic" coats and jackets I would add cheap shirts - I once had one ignite from the sparks from an angle grinder and looked down to see a widening hole with glowing edges around where the spark hit - the stupid thing I did was try to extinguish it with my gloved hand after putting down the grinder - the hot plastic then stuck to what was underneath ... I am careful to choose workshop clothes of 100% cotton now Iain

Hi Welcome here ! Most of the Larkspur era manuals are on the WS 19 group site ( http://www.royalsignals.org.uk/lark.html ) - VMARS also has the C13 user and service manuals available without joining: http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/642_C13_EMER_H642_pt2.pdf http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/661_C13_User_Manual.pdf http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/663_C13_EMER_H162_Pt1.pdf Hope this helps ! The various accessories do turn up on UK e-Bay from time to time. Iain 73 de G0OZS

Hi There is a chap at Melun in France used to have a fair range of NOS parts ( http://www.melun-retro-passion.com ) - I don't think he shows the SUMB bits on his web shop (only French E-Bay as seller "data974") and on E-Bay he doesn't ship to the UK though. See: http://www.ebay.fr/itm/Simca-Marmon-V8-Cable-de-bougie-blinde-cylindre-n-4-BROIS-62920142371723-/161276080544 Mr. P4 has some at Montpelier: http://www.leboncoin.fr/equipement_auto/755199881.htm - again you may need to find someone in France to receive them and forward them to the UK. Googling for "[h=1]Cable bougie blindé SUMB" may help find others.[/h] RR must have sold out recently as I had some leads (he did say he hadnt got a full set left) last year. My first SUMB had been converted to ordinary unscreened leads and plugs and was quite OK (I never did try wading in deep water or using a radio on the move, though!) - they had reused the original connectors at the distributor cap end. Regards Iain

Welcome Here. Do you own a SUMB or have you escaped and survived the experience ? Iain (currently working on two of them having regretted selling one in 2013)