g0ozs

Tugger That would be fun sometime - I guess the Foxhall Heath vehicle shows are a bit infrequent and not really a social event ! Richard I will wait for your PM or a call tomorrow - at the moment I have the van available Tuesday morning if needed Regards Iain

I was at the truck this afternoon - would have checked if I had seen the question ! I believe it is a separate box. The Dynamo (DC generator) and its regulator are quite different to am alternator/rectifier set as used in modern vehicle systems - the dynamo contains a weak permanent magnet to get it started but most of the field comes from an electro-magnet powered by its own output - the regulator controls the output (mostly) by reducing the field current when the output gets too high - but because the regulator is based on electromagnets and relay contacts it can become sticky or have bad contacts after periods of disuse leading to charging problems (in the best case) or damage to the dynamo (in the worst case). The Marmon seems to have the field winding in parallel with the generator ("shunt") rather than in line with the generator current going to the regulator and battery ("series") - as such it is more like a Lucas than a Bosch system. This article is about the best I have found: http://matchlessclueless.com/electrical/how-it-works/lucas-voltage-regulator/ I plan to build one of these circuits adapted for 24V, when I need a regulator ... http://ludens.cl/Electron/dynareg/dynareg.htm Regards Iain

Here is the list of fuses with my attempt at translation (can any Francophones confirm that "prise de baladeuse" is the accessory power socket on the dashboard - that's what the wiring diagram seems to confirm) Hope this helps Iain

If it does seem to be the generator, check that the regulator is supplying field current. It is a shunt wound generator and the field winding is controlled by the regulator - unfortunately the diagram does not show the wire colours so you will need to trace it - the field wire should be the thinner one. 24V Dynamo regulators seem to be rather scarce - Clive FV1609 may have some suggestions - I have been looking because mine does charge but seems rather less enthusiastic about it than I would like (max 10A into brand new batteries and then only at high revs) Iain

Wiring diagram attached. As vehicles go it is actually quite clear and simple. I do have the fuse list but will need to dig it out later. You can fit two batteries but they are small (038) and oriented fore and aft connected in series - positive is rear passenger side; negative is rear driver side and a link goes across the forward ends of the batteries - I can do a photo next time I am at the barn with the truck Regards Iain

Richard It seems like I should collect Monday (or do you need to make an appointment after they open on Monday ?) I will wait for your PM Regards Iain

Richard Yes sure. I am in the office Monday through Thursday next week so can do it any of those mornings on my way to work (strangely I am always out of time between work and school runs in the afternoon ..... ) and will await your PM. It may be worth saying which company has it, here in the public forum, so other forum users are forewarned of the issue when considering using them Regards Iain

Richard I work about 5 miles away from Felixstowe Iain

Howard there is (or was) one at the IWM in London - is that the one at Woolwich now ? http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30020779 http://www.starbase1.co.uk/pages/Reference/Thunderbird%20Missile/index.html# East Fortune and the Finnish Army have surviving Mk 1 missiles Regards Iain

Looking at the block diagram in http://www.fv432.co.uk/manuals/fv432manuals/2350T254/5895-H-515-302%20fv439%20electrics.pdf page B4 (Chap 1 Page 4) it occurs to me that you could, if you have two UK/TRC-471 heads for the same band, connect them via a suitable attenuator (2 x 60dB units in series would do nicely) without the antennas to get a local connection between the two halves of the station sufficient for the EOW handsets to communicate and without radiating. This is the same principle as the Test Set, Condition for the Clansman radios, although the TKC probably wouldn't work up to UHF. Suitable 60dB 50W or bigger attenuators with N-type connectors are readily available and not hugely expensive however. Regards Iain

A few more Triffid links http://www.qsl.net/gm8aob/pages_2/triffid.htm http://armyradio.com/UK-TRC-471-Transportable-UHF-Radio-Relay-Equipment-Triffid.html (updated) http://www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0085.html#PTARMIGAN http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/topics/spectrum-strat/future/strat00/chapter3.doc Look at 3.3.6 It's also worth reading Alistair Mitchell's article on the BAOR BRUIN system as it was in many ways a proof of concept for Ptarmigan/Triffid even if more a "quick fix" while waiting for Ptarmigan/Triffid than a direct evolutionary predecessor http://www.royalsignals.org.uk/articles/bruin/bruin.html regards Iain

Hi See this which I researched previously http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/archive/index.php/t-23340.html? You might also find the installation guide for the FV-432 version useful http://www.fv432.co.uk/manuals/fv432manuals/2350T254/5895-H-515-302%20fv439%20electrics.pdf Unfortunately the Triffid doesn't work on the amateur bands as far as I know. The system was based on Siemens technology and had three operating bands with different RF heads and antennas. The bands were low UHF, High UHF and low Microwave and the documented frequency ranges do not include anything available for amateur use (I think Ofcom might sell you some of the high UHF channels in a 4G mobile spectrum license auction soon, however). The Triffid is only the radio link part of the much larger Ptarmigan system which was a transportable early cellular radio system. So you would likely also need the separate telephone exchange and the "single channel radio access" (SCRA) base station equipment and antennas providing VHF local access, before a complete setup could be reconstructed in anything like a useful form. As far as I know each exchange had triffid links to SCRA base stations so you would really need a minimum of 4 vehicles, a field telephone and a SCRA "mobile" connected telephone-exchange-wire-triffid-UHF-radio-triffid-wire-basestation-VHF-SCRA to get a complete working demonstration of a Ptarmigan call (and that just to a fixed line wired to the exchange) If it can be retuned I suspect the best useful standalone demo station for a show would need to be fitted out with a scaled replica antenna optimised for 70cm or 23cm and probably all that would work in a reasonably standalone way without using excessive bandwidth or several more Bedford-loads of kit is the "engineering order wire" voice link between the Triffid stations themselves or the wired link between the Triffid and a co-located access node or exchange. If it is just desired to have lights on and signs of life, then because of the licensing / frequency issue I'd strongly recommend connecting adequately rated dummy loads via good quality coax to all the RF ports on the equipment in the TRC-471 before powering up if you want to get to the point of at least having the lamps and dials active for show purposes. If it's desired to actually communicate off site and a licensed amateur radio operator is available, probably the best thing is to build a scaled antenna for 70cm (probably about 1/4 smaller than the low UHF or 1/3 bigger than the high UHF) and fit an amateur transceiver (or ex PMR radio tuned for 70cm) somewhere out of sight in the cabin, because even if the heads could somehow be retuned to 70cm and 23cm the modulation is likely incompatible with much else than another Triffid and requires much wider channels than are usual in amateur service. If a license is not available then a scanning receiver can be used to copy (for instance) APRS location tracking data on 433.800 to get some relevant sounding noises Regards Iain

I now have the V5 (having submitted a V62) and am in a position where I could sell it - after today's disappointment and given that I don't have unlimited time and energy I'd rather try and get the other SUMB working first - I dont really want this one to end up decaying outside so if someone is interested in taking it once I have retrieved the parts I bought I would be happy to discuss terms. It's nowhere near as bad as some of the Matadors and Bedfords people on this forum bring back to life but I'm not sure if anyone loves the SUMB that much ? And I don't really need two of them long term ! The main issues I see with this one, in the interests of there being no surprises are: 1) V5 still says Petrol but it has a Volvo/Volkswagen D24T diesel fitted with a Volvo auto box 2) Brakes don't work - the air system was Ok last time I could start it but fluid has run dry - on all SUMBs I have worked on it was just leakage via the wheel cylinders 3) No electrics - I salvaged the dashboard boxes last year (thankfully!) and they are dry at home 4) The engine no longer starts - I would have expected a solenoid click even if the battery was quite flat, but there was nothing 5) The cab floor was cut and refitted to get the D24T in - it is further back than the V8 - and needs replacing (I have a spare panel) 6) Main fuel tank not connected still using small gravity one (and I may need the fuel tank straps for 17310) I suspect it will be fairly easy, if time consuming, to get back to a state that is safe for off-road use; the engine change will make MoT and road licensing more of a challenge than the engineering. One of the other things I asked the garage for, but did not get, was a letter to use notifying DVLA of the change, as the previous owner had failed to keep a record of the donor vehicle.

Near the barn and cleaned up (a bit) Fortunately I removed the dashboard boxes for rewiring last year so they have been in dry storage!

Some photos as found - the oil drum and small tyres arent mine!

Not a good day. I had arranged to recover 18595 to the barn today - after great difficulty I was able to contact the garage which was working on it since I retrieved the vehicle from a smallholding near Sudbury last October. When I last saw it in January they had it in an industrial unit away from their main garage and had completed the welding and fitted the doors and windows I brought back from a SUMB being broken up at Aldershot last year. It turns out that they had done little since then (which explains their not asking me to come and see progress, and lack of any further interim bills even when requested). Furthermore it appears that the industrial unit has a new tenant and the truck has been stored outside, with spares I supplied in open topped boxes now full of water, and of the 5 tyres I supplied none are fitted and only 3 can be found (for 10.5R20 that is not a trivial loss!). No one from the garage was there to meet us, but as I had made an appointment to do it, phoned them and the new tenants were keen to help get it out of the way from their yard, we removed it anyway while I had the flatbed truck at my disposal and I will negotiate for the final bill and the missing bits later (possibly with a little help from trading standards as I believe I should have been told if it was moved out from dry storage - at least 6 months ago I was told by people from other units at that yard). It wouldn't start - which it did when I bought it from the smallholder - and there was no one around who I could have asked why - so we had to winch it onto the flatbed and unload it straight backwards in a field near the barn where there is a slope to help as there is no way to manouvre it into the barn (needs a 90 degree turn) without power or a winch inside the barn. At the moment I now intend to recover the parts I can use for No. 17310 and leave it under a tarpaulin until that one is roadworthy and can leave the barn - if anyone reading is interested in a SUMB as a rolling restoration I am happy to discuss the opportunity with them - I plan on recovering the good doors and windows but can offer the ones from 17310 - drivers side is OK passengers I can get welded. The cab folded up on the way to the barn - it looks like the bolts securing it to the top of the window were not tightened after the window was replaced

Sorry for lack of progress reporting! We got the vehicle moved from my back garden to the barn today (no doubt to the relief of the neighbours!) so it is now dry stored and I can work on it in the evenings. Three more things to add to the defect list: Parking brake (cable operated shoes and drum operating on back of transfer box) not effective on flat bed recovery vehicle when tipped - suspect needs cable adjusting or worn shoes replaced Idle Mixture wrong - even when starting it feels like I should push the choke 1/2 inch inside the dashboard ! I suspect this may be linked to there being an electric fuel pump fitted - possibly getting too much fuel at low revs ? I think I shall be soon referring to the Zenith Carburettor info I dug out for someone else on HMVF - I have a French colleague at work so if I get it translated I will post the results here for the benefit of others Exhaust manifolds look very rusty. I see used and NOS Ford V8 ones on E-Bay but I don't know enough to be sure they will fit the French V8 block - does anyone know a company in the UK that can make them to match a removed part as a pattern ? Somewhere in East Anglia preferably ! What is a bit odd is that the electric pump is 12V - how it gets a supply in the 24V SUMB I have yet to discover - I suspect it may be connected (literally and logically) to an observation that the 0 to 12V battery of the pair goes flat overnight I need to look inside the modified main switch box on the dashboard soon - I just disconnected the batteries for now. I have a welder lined up to fix the rust and will borrow the doors and windows from the other SUMB No. 18595 in order to get this one working. I also got back some of the tyres and brake parts for that one today so am better placed to progress with 17310. Next time I am at the barn with a flash camera I will do some photos. Iain

Do you mean a manual telephone exchange ? At that time it would likely have been a 10 line magneto switchboard see: http://www.qsl.net/pe1ngz/army/army-uk/uk-line-img/switchboard-magneto-10line.jpg or http://www.qsl.net/pe1ngz/army/army-uk/uk-line-img/uc10.jpg You can request much documentation from royalsignals.org.uk - I guess it isn't in the WftW books because it isn't wireless ? Regards Iain

Jean-Baptiste Thank You! I still need MAT2844 - I have MATs 2719, 2347, 6042 and 4155 so far. One thing I always wanted to ask was the purpose of the black bags often attached to the vehicle ? Best Regards Iain Moffat

The Kipling bag (which I think it is - someone may know for sure) usually goes for £15-£20 at shows or on e-Bay and the computer inside (even if gutted) I have never ever seen with it, so is probably worth preserving. I think the actual computer is one of the DVW Husky family which are now rare and collectable even in their civilian form. As a package the bag and computer are likely of interest to someone doing a SAS/SBS/SRR display/reenactment - I am really only interested in things I can repurpose for use on air on the amateur bands so would rather leave it to someone who can make use of it. As an old computer enthusiast a few more pics and in particular a pic of any labels would be of interest however! Thanks Iain

Welcome to HMVF. Your English is much better than my French. I have the same problem in reverse with two Simca Marmon MH600BS SUMB trucks to restore - there are never enough parts over here and I must learn more French in order to understand the MATs ! Regards Iain

What are the radio control boxes and cables from ? I am sure most of them will find homes if you publish a list, unless they are mechanically damaged beyond salvage! Iain

There are some good photos of the original carb at: http://public.fotki.com/carsntrucks4you/my1952-ford-f1/239-cui-flathead/zenith-32ndix-carburator/ Iain

Nick Thanks. What is most interesting is the things still there in small numbers such as the Wessex helicopter and Jet Provost, or FH70 Iain

Welcome here, Matt!