UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Pre-war television aerial spotting

SteveCG · 7th Jun 2017, 1:12 pm

Slightly off topic,

Emeritus,

The Telerection 'Multimus' you have in your photo used the screw-in element mounting that is typical of the early designs, but the Delta match of the later designs. Those screw-in element mounts are impossible to take apart due to corrosion. Also the bakelite junction box is usually a corrosion disaster area. So the aerials look impressive but really cannot be 'resurrected' without serious hacking. The 15 degree tilt to the heavens make them look as if they are 'sniffing the breeze' for a signal. Certainly later 3 element designs used the 'plate' type mounting for the elements- so are dismantleable, but the junction boxes are still the same disaster area design.

More to the point the gain claims are a little, on the large size, shall we say. Also on a channel B4 example, the reflector element length is a tad too short, and the directors a tad too long - so I've got my doubts about them.

I reckon there is still a dipole (1DB/SO) 'in the wild' screwed to the side of a house on the West Malvern Road, on the West side of the Malvern Hills. The challenge is whether it is a B4 for Sutton Coldfield or a B5 for Wenvoe - both were equally feasible in terms of signal strength.

7th Jun 2017, 1:12 pm	#52
SteveCG Nonode Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Herefordshire, UK. Posts: 2,495	Re: Pre-war television aerial spotting Slightly off topic, Emeritus, The Telerection 'Multimus' you have in your photo used the screw-in element mounting that is typical of the early designs, but the Delta match of the later designs. Those screw-in element mounts are impossible to take apart due to corrosion. Also the bakelite junction box is usually a corrosion disaster area. So the aerials look impressive but really cannot be 'resurrected' without serious hacking. The 15 degree tilt to the heavens make them look as if they are 'sniffing the breeze' for a signal. Certainly later 3 element designs used the 'plate' type mounting for the elements- so are dismantleable, but the junction boxes are still the same disaster area design. More to the point the gain claims are a little, on the large size, shall we say. Also on a channel B4 example, the reflector element length is a tad too short, and the directors a tad too long - so I've got my doubts about them. I reckon there is still a dipole (1DB/SO) 'in the wild' screwed to the side of a house on the West Malvern Road, on the West side of the Malvern Hills. The challenge is whether it is a B4 for Sutton Coldfield or a B5 for Wenvoe - both were equally feasible in terms of signal strength.