g0ozs

Richard The VHF feeders are screened coaxial cables and can be clipped or tied to the inside of a metal body. The HF feed from the antenna base to the ATU is an unscreened wire - as you are metal bodied, unlike a soft top Landrover, you also need to keep it well away from the body and minimise the length inside - it may be worth researching what was done with AFV installations of the 321 or cheating and using a coax feed to a (non Clansman) 4:1 or 9:1 BALUN outside the vehicle next to the antenna base which will allow fully flexible placement of the radio. BALUNS are £20 to £40 ready made or a tenners worth of bits to build. MEL did actually make an auto ATU for the 321 that could be mounted remotely (comparable to the VHF TUUAM) and would have been ideal in cases like this but the army never bought it ! Regards Iain

There are also modern solid state 12V to HT converters intended for Nixie Tube clocks to be found on e-bay for pocket money prices - if suitable these will be much cheaper than stacking up a lot of batteries - whether they are suitable will depend on the current drawn (I discovered them initially as a suggestion for another application that needs 110v at nearly no current). A search for "nixie power supply" should turn up several options if you scroll down to items from international sellers. Some are under a tenner including postage to the UK. Together with a step down regulator module for the heaters this should allow most any small valve equipment to run from a 12V supply. Hope this helps Regards Iain

Richard The cylindrical metal spacer contains a matching transformer used with the TUUAM and a 2 metre rod antenna for VHF - it is needed with the TUUAM but should not be used for HF. For HF all you need is one of the No. 31 bases e.g item 190514803542 from the same seller) - I think the spacer 190516778101 is worth getting at the same time on account of being so cheap although I think it depends what the No. 31 base is actually mounted on whether it will be needed or not - without one to look at I can't be sure but I think it's meant for mounting directly on flat metal i.e. an AFV or a landrover wing rather than the landrover side stalks (see photo with e-bay item 261139124411 which shows the No. 31 base bolted directly to the ring of the side stalk) - for HF all that matters electrically is that the antenna is electrically insulated from the vehicle body and the wire to the ATU (TURF) is well spaced off any vehicle body metalwork as well as being insulated - the bowl insulators e.g. items 261139124411 or 190513313240 are used for this. Hope this helps Iain

Welcome in Roy Iain

Steve Thanks for confirming the details that the twin turret is the 6 pounder. I can't do anything with it until Felixtowe Museum and Landguard fort reopen on a regular basis around Easter - is there any chance of a higher resolution scan sometime between now and Easter ? I think they will need a copy of some kind of written permission to use it as well, as it is your scan - could you PM me if that is OK ? Dave C As a plan B would you be happy for me to offer a copy of your stitched photo to the folks at Landguard when they reopen after Easter ? Thanks & Regards Iain

The last one looks like a twin 6-pounder coast defence mount and may be of interest to the folks at Landguard Fort, Felixstowe where there were two of them in "Darrells Battery" protecting the entrance to Harwich - I think they have a front view on display but not the rear view. Is there any evidence with the picture to confirm what it is? Iain

Jak There was also a 14V Ni Cad pack - the range of suitable chargers was limited to the IBMS or a DCCU with the slow charger plate however. You are probably better trying to find a combination of c-cells and a c cell pack that works as the NiCad packs are all well past their "sell by" date. You will find the c cell packs have problems when using batteries with deeply recessed end contacts and metal shims may help Iain

As far as I know the only encrypted Clansman radios were RT-353 with DMU and BID-250 which (apart from the BID itself) is fairly well documented in the public domain now and the RT-351M of which very little has emerged. I would be interested in any surviving photos of the BATES radios to understand more about what else was around at the time.

Best Wishes to everyone on HMVF for a happy Christmas and a successful New Year Iain

Jak Within the limits of the RT350 tuning range yes. All Clansman VHF radios 349/350/351/352 are compatible with the 353 in "Narrow" mode within the limits of their frequency coverage. In practice for ham radio use the 353 and 350 can interwork on the 6 metre (50MHz) band only using 25KHz channels and ~ 3.5KHz deviation with 150Hz tone squelch. 6 metres is the only amateur band that both of them can tune to as the 350 doesnt cover 70MHz. The other 353 modes are for compatibility with 1950s US kit still widely used by NATO countries when Clansman came out ("Wide Tone") and for compatibility with Larkspur VHF sets on 50KHz channel spacing (Wide). Both use approximately 6KHz deviation so seem overmodulated (loud) to Clansman and civilian receivers, and the "Wide Tone" also has 150Hz tone squelch. Regards Iain 73 de G0OZS

Geoff I think the VMARS archive has a full set of the Racal mast manuals as PDF - I got mine via another source so am free to share them with people who have a legitimate need for private use - PM me if you are stuck. There are a variety of clamps but the most common type for rear mounting on a soft top vehicle may be seen on the back of Robin G0GNE's Lightweight at: http://5820-99-114.com/TCRU/?p=99 about 2/3 of the way down the page. I have most of the parts needed to make up a set of these if you need them - PM me if interested. Regards Iain 73 de G0OZS

I checked - all the 4" QF were sliding block and I am fairly sure the 5.25" on AA cruisers and Vanguard were too - I think the only interrupted screw breech around for an extended period post war was the 6" as found on HMS Belfast: http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_6-50_mk23_Breech_pic.jpg Having said that the handle looks awfully like that on some 4.7" guns on pre-war or early wartime destroyers to operate a semi-automatic rammer http://www.hnsa.org/doc/br224/part1.htm#par111 (scroll down to Fig 31) http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_47-45_mk9_Tray_pic.jpg Hope this helps Iain

There were quite a few 4" twin mounts around until the late 1960s on Loch & Bay class frigates and various support vessels - i think HMS Mermaid was fitted with a reused one as late as the early 70s - could be from one of them? The old style cruiser 6" also survived after 1960 on HMS Belfast and a couple of the Colony class cruisers that got sold on to commonwealth users. Just a thought? Iain

One of my dad's friends in the early 1970s had one that was used to carry everything needed for deer stalking expeditions into the hills behind our farm near Inverness - they were remarkably good at peat and mossy bogs as well as snow! Fond memories ..

Hi Keith & Welcome Nice to see another radio amateur in the forum Iain 73 de G0OZS

Thanks Both ! I had found the Halltech site but I think they are in Germany so it will take a few days more - they do seem likely to have what I need at: http://www.halltech.com/bellows/moulded-bellows/faltenbalg-vulkanisiert-moulded-bellows-325.html I would never have thought of the hydraulic ram people - although I think from their site they only do repairs & refurbishment and wouldnt just sell me the rubber I need I have ordered a motorbike front fork bellows off e-bay for £15 as a first go which seems to be nearly the right size and if that fails I will try Halltech Iain

Welcome Luke ! At some point next year I may need some seat covers and some repairs to a rubberised canvas tilt on my SUMB - I will be in touch ! I do have some scrap material to use if need be Iain (just South of Ipswich)

Dear All Does anyone know a reliable source of large rubber bellows gaiters - the one for the steering damper on my Simca Marmon SUMB has split and will be an MoT failure unless replaced (it's registered at 3460KG and the MoT expires before 18th Nov, long story). Most of the "universal steering rack gaiters' on e-bay are advertised without dimensions and the ones with stated dimensions are too small. I had a chat with Kerry at R&R and he has sold out of new ones so I need to search elsewhere. The Bellows dimensions are Length at least 180mm - I think it is fairly compressed in its current position and could go to 250mm Outside diameter 90mm across bellows ridges Ends 60mm o/d probably around 55mm i/d equal sizes Any suggestions gratefully received ! I will do a photo of the offending item in daylight tomorrow Regards Iain PS to Moderators do we need a parts and consumables topic to hold queries like this one ?

Clive, Tyler I think I have a Pye Westminster service manual somewhere if you end up needing to copy it. The model numbers were W + Power + Modulation type so W15AM was 15W AM and W30FM was 30W FM. Because all of the individual stages of the transmitter and receiver were separate small printed circuit boards Pye could make an infinite number of variations of AM, FM and power output to order. I dont think I have one left now - I will remember you if I do come across one - it seems like last year but must be 20 since they were in piles 10 high at radio rallies ! Regards Iain

Lauren They are just guide prices - I have seen much higher and much lower in practice. Withams do publish a table of lot numbers and winning tenders a few weeks after each sale - it's worth saving a copy of the catalogue (which disappears on or soon after the closing date) to be able to work out what went for how much. Iain

Nick Ollie G3TPJ makes LDB Oscillator boards - his details are correct on QRZ.COM. See also http://www.g0ozs.org/clansman/lsb/index.html for practical detail Regards Iain 73 de G0OZS

Dunc A couple of thoughts on the iphone mic connection - the idea is logical but there may be a few things to be careful of 1) the IB2 controlled transmit / receive switching by drawing current from the radio on pin A - the Iphone doesnt have transmit receive switching of course but there will be DC voltages on this pin coming from the IB2. The Iphone probably also provides a voltage to power modern electret microphones on that pin. I would advise a series capacitor to protect the iphone from DC - ideally a few uF non polarised electrolytic or polyester type should do since I have no idea which end is more positive ! 2) The levels from the IB2 and a normal iphone handsfree microphone may be rather different as the IB2 and crew boxes contain amplifiers. You may need to provide a level control (I'm fairly sure it will be too high rather than too low). Hope this helps ! Iain

Hi The connections on the 7 pin lead between an RT321 or RT353 radio and the interface box (IB2 or IB3) are A Mic In (to radio) + 17V DC - current drawn by interface box keys radio B Mic Shield C Not Connected D Receive Audio (from radio) E Receive Audio (from radio) F Not Connected G Ground I'm fairly sure that the received audio connections where you would input the iPod signal to the IB2 or IB3 are meant to be balanced so you would be well advised to use an isolating transformer between the iPod and the IB2 or IB3. Something like http://www.rapidonline.com/Electrical-Power/Pcb-Audio-Transformer-Vtx-101-006-88-2123 should do it Hope this helps Iain

Hi The right side box bottom row connectors SK 3/6/9/12/15 look like the normal 2 pin Clansman (15A max and circuit breakers with matching numbers are 6A). The upper two rows of 3 pin connectors I have never seen on any Clansman kit (they look a bit like the gas mask microphone plug but it can't be that on a power distribution box) so probably are for something newer or non radio - I would suggest hunting through the hundreds listed by http://www.thexmod.com for something that looks like them and then using the DSN (Z number) or Nato Stock Number to associate it with other equipment. Beware that this is a time consuming occupation leading to an expensive wish-list if successful ! Likewise 7 pin connectors SK16 and SK17 with 10A and 20A breakers are for something bigger but not as big as the 322 amplifier. I'm beginning to wonder if the equipment on the raised mount at the right hand side was some kind of data terminal rather than the amplifier. Aside of anything else the 250W Amp has forced air fan cooling and is so noisy that one would prefer to operate it remotely rather than use it in the same room as any kind of manned HQ or plotting activity which the map boards suggest this vehicle was used for (in my radio hut it easily makes enough noise to transmit 100W when I am not talking!) I cant quite read the text on the left hand boxes - it looks like the upper one has 8 of the 2 pin 15A Clansman outlets with circuit breaker ratings to match - this would fit with 4 Clansman radio bases along the front and potentially another powered item mounted on top of each radio. Seeing the circuit breaker ratings may give more of a clue - if anyone reading can interpret the handwritten "IDT1" AND "IDT2" it may help figure out what was there. The bottom left box has what looks like the master switch and some hard wired (higher current? I think all the breaker reset buttons have 2-digit ratings) connections - it would be useful to get a close up view and read the text. So more questions than answers I'm afraid ! Iain

Hi I wouldn't expect more than 2 x RT321 in a single installation - I would more likely expect one HF setup RT321 on the right hand side with an Amp 250W + TURF 250W on the raised platform. The neighbouring slot could be a 2nd RT321 used as a receiver with a separate antenna for better reception or split frequency working, or possibly an ATR (Adapter Telegraph Radio) for data traffic, and 2 x RT353 for local VHF nets on the left hand side. £325 is expensive for a 321 - I have had working ones for around £200 off e-Bay - the 353s should be £75 to £100 in good working order. An amp and tuner will probably be £500 together if not more as they were relatively rare. All of these except the 250W amplifier should run from the smaller 2 pin sockets on the distribution board (although you need to check the fuse ratings as the 353 needs 12A current so a 15A fuse). There is what looks like a large circular connector under the suspected amplifier position on the raised table to the right - if this is a 2 pin female it is likely the 50A supply for the amplifier. Unfortunately the forum seems to have resized the pictures and I cant enlarge them to read any of the writing or examine the connectors Iain