Aerialite 'mastatic' dipole.

[Rectifithis]

I was perusing this thread:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=95890

as interested in reception kit from bygone days and saw an early post relating to the Aerialite 'mastatic' dipoles for AM radio reception. I am still using this aerial, mounted on a scaffold pole for MW reception of such as Absolute, Talk and Smooth. On MW as I get a good signal from my set up. I have just taken down my dipole as I am moving to East Yorkshire where hopefully I will be able to get Absolute etc from Moorside edge.

Hopefully my photo attached, not the best but I was photographing the snow last winter and not the aerial which just happens to be there will be of interest. If anyone knows where I can obtain replacement downlead of the original spec I would be grateful as the original cable is showing its age. I have 2 sets of both the aerial connector with coil and set back piece. The aerial as photographed was wired for severe local interference in that the aerial side of the coil was grounded at the aerial to a copper rod and the screen not connected at the aerial end therefore no risk of interfearance picked up on the screen feeding back into the aerial and therefore into the balanced feed. There are several wiring diagrams from the manufactures of suggested wiring for different conditions supplied when the aerial was new. Happy to share

Will send a better photo when it's re instated at my new home

G

[Synchrodyne]

Originally Posted by Rectifithis

If anyone knows where I can obtain replacement downlead of the original spec I would be grateful as the original cable is showing its age. I have 2 sets of both the aerial connector with coil and set back piece.

I have never seen the specifications for antistatic aerial screened downleads, and although they might have varied a little from one maker to the next, I suspect that in general they were not far off from being the 75-ohm screened twin type. Given that the (transformed) impedance presented by the receiver (or receivers) is somewhat variable both from one receiver to the next and over the tuning range, I should imagine that within reason, exact impedance matching is not critical.

One datapoint provides circumstantial evidence in favour of 75-ohm screened twin. It is in this page from a 1952 Belling Lee (B-L) catalogue, which I think had been uploaded by another forum member in another thread:



B-L number L1221 twin-screened cable was what it used for its “Eliminoise” antistatic aerial systems, its counterpart to the Aerialite Mastatic, etc., systems. But it also noted that this cable was suitable for television reception, for which 75 ohm cables, whether coaxial or balanced twin, were the UK norm at the time. Thus we may reasonably conclude that L1221 was somewhere near 75 ohms.

IÂ’d imagine that 75-ohm screened twin cable would still be available.

The theory and practice of antistatic aerials, including various earthing arrangements, was described in the Radio and Television Engineers’ Reference Book” series, pages 21-7 through 21-10 in the 3rd edition, but essentially the same text (written I think by an Aerialite staffer) was also in the 1st and 4th editions. Aerialite seems to have offered this kind of aerial for longer than most UK makers. It was still advertising Mastatic and Antistatic systems in Wireless World in 1973, and AM antistatic systems were mentioned as a sidebar in its Hi Fi Year Book FM aerial entries through to 1979, but not in 1980.


Cheers,