|
Vintage Test Gear and Workshop Equipment For discussions about vintage test gear and workshop equipment such as coil winders. |
|
Thread Tools |
6th Oct 2020, 10:43 am | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 659
|
GPO Detector No 4 with military crow's foot.
I've got one of these meters with a military crows foot marking on the top of the leather case. There also seems to have been a plate riveted inside the lid which has been removed, 3 of the rivets remain. I thought this plate may have been the same as the one on the back of the meter, but it was larger. The front plate
on the meter has 4GPO.TRA55/10 so assume it dates from 1955. I was wondering if anyone knows if this meter was used much by the military and what was on the missing plate. Mike. |
7th Oct 2020, 8:43 am | #2 |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,648
|
Re: GPO Detector No 4 with military crows foot.
If you go to this page: https://www.brundrit.co.uk/galvanometers-test-meters - there is one of these meters shown (though you have to scroll down a long way to find it!). The photos are small, so its hard to be certain, but there appears to be a blank metal plate inside the lid. Can't see any rivets, though that may be the small photo.
Usually with military kit, there is a "CTxyz" number somewhere on it, or some other military style reference. I've never seen one or a reference to one in any military docs that I hold, but of course that doesn't mean the military didn't use it. The military sometimes bought commercial kit in small quantities for a particular job, and perhaps it failed to get into the normal military technical documentation system. Richard |
8th Oct 2020, 12:04 am | #3 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 659
|
Re: GPO Detector No 4 with military crow's foot.
Thanks for your reply and the link, Richard. The meter pictured , according to the text below it, does have a plate in the lid giving info on the settings and plug in shunts, in the photo all I can see seem to be horizontal and vertical lines, the rivets do seem to be visible.
The meter I have does have a series of letters and numbers on the leather above the meter scale which are difficult to make out, something like C3OPHO (upside down compared to scale), also it looks like an attempt has been made to scratch out the marking GPO on the lid below the broad arrow. Mike. |
8th Oct 2020, 12:39 am | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 9,637
|
Re: GPO Detector No 4 with military crow's foot.
Many years ago there was an article in PW on modifications to make a general purpose meter, as was done in the days of plentiful and cheap surplus. I seem to recall the meter mounted on the outside of the case to gain a little room.
|
8th Oct 2020, 2:04 pm | #5 |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,648
|
Re: GPO Detector No 4 with military crow's foot.
Mike,
I wonder if its worth re-asking your question in the telephones section of this forum? Because the item is GPO in origin and telephone engineers certainly need what appears to be a multimeter type instrument at times. They might have come across this - but may well not be reading posts in this test gear section. Richard |
8th Oct 2020, 3:07 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
|
Re: GPO Detector No 4 with military crow's foot.
Mods permitting....For research/ID purposes only....There's a photo of a label inside the case of a No.4 meter that can be read here.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-G...p2047675.l2557 The TRA prefix on the OP's meter so far as I can figure out denotes Ernest Turner Electrical Instruments Ltd. Lawrence. |
8th Oct 2020, 10:18 pm | #7 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 659
|
Re: GPO Detector No 4 with military crow's foot.
Thanks for that, Lawrence, the information on the cover label repeats that on the back of the meter in a different format with more details.
Thanks to everyone who posted replies. Mike. |
9th Oct 2020, 1:37 am | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 5,549
|
Re: GPO Detector No 4 with military crow's foot.
I have grabbed a copy of the label for when the listing has disappeared.
|
27th Oct 2020, 5:08 pm | #9 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flintshire, UK.
Posts: 707
|
Re: GPO Detector No 4 with military crows foot.
Quote:
it was common up to the late 1950's to find GPO property marked with the 'broad arrow' - often small tools (that were useful & could easily be 'purloined' ) and can still be seen on the roadside concrete joint marking posts. See attached. |
|