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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment. |
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19th Jul 2018, 10:27 am | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: London, UK. Bury, Lancashire quite regularly :)
Posts: 611
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Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Mornin' All.
When picking up a radio yesterday, I was also offered a large, heavy piece of equipment which bore the legend... "FERRANTI Sweep Signal Generator LF MkII. It also bears the identifier 6625-99-972-1383 (1965). It intrigued me, as it bore the words "sweep generator", but I think it's far from what I thought it might be. It has six valves inside it: 3x Mullard OB2 108C1 Voltage Stabilisers. 2x STC 5B/254M Beam Tetrodes and 2x Ferranti 12AX7 High Impedance Double Triodes. The large, circular analogue meter movement on the front panel bears the military broad arrow. It has two devices inside which appear to be "Muirhead Synchro Resolvers". It has no internal power supply, and appears to require an external DC source. I can find no information on this apparatus whatsoever on line. Googling the words FERRANTI Sweep Signal Generator LF MkII, produces pictures of bloodhound missiles and aircraft, no images of the equipment. Googling the identifier 6625-99-972-1383 takes you to "natopart.com". The part number is listed but the only option is to "request pricing" - no image. I wondered if anyone had any ideas what it is? N.B. I've probably put this in the wrong area, if so, can mods please move it - thanks.
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19th Jul 2018, 10:57 am | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
As a guess, something to do with radar?
Lawrence. |
19th Jul 2018, 11:25 am | #3 |
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Mareeba, North Queensland, Australia
Posts: 2,704
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
It is as it says!!! The synchro resolvers are basically 3 phase motors that will turn in perfect synchronicity with the synchros that it is connected to.
When I worked at CSIRO, ALL the satellite dishes ( Tidbinbilla, Parkes etc) used syncros for alignment. They are supremely accurate postioning devices. I think your kit will be associated with a sweep generator that, PERHAPS Swept with a radar dish swept with a positioning system The external power supply I have no idea about, BUT syncros and positioning devices used an available AC source of power. I have a wonderful write up on them, if you will give me a chance to scan and publish here for you. From memory it was published about 1965, so "fairly recent/modern". |
19th Jul 2018, 11:36 am | #4 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
At a guess I'd say it's part of a Bloodhound missile targeting system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodhound_(missile) |
19th Jul 2018, 11:51 am | #5 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Guildford, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 1,960
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
The 23RS4a Muirhead resolvers are size 23 400Hz computing resolvers, rated at 10 to 90V. Resolvers are two phase.
They are still in the catalogue here: http://www.nasco.co.jp/cms/mark/pdf/.../Resolvers.pdf Ron |
19th Jul 2018, 11:54 am | #6 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Shropshire, UK.
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Beautifully made!
What's the component on the left of pic 2, surrounded by a heatshield or screen? It looks superficially like a dummy load resistor, but I don't see any associated heavy-current wiring. I was a bit puzzled by the meter scale, too. 10 CPS mid-scale seems too high for a radar sweep, but I then noticed that FSD can be switched to 0.2 or 2, which is more like it. Why have a meter reading 20 FSD, though - it's not as though it's an off-the-shelf scale? |
19th Jul 2018, 12:08 pm | #7 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Aberdeen, UK.
Posts: 2,853
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Well worth keeping such a lovely vintage item. If it wasn't used for Bloodhounds, it might be associated with AI23B - the Lightning Radar used for targeting the Firestreak A - A Misiles. Probably a 2nd or 3rd line item. Possibly ex 30MU RAF Sealand.
Regards, David |
19th Jul 2018, 2:29 pm | #8 |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Bath, Somerset, UK.
Posts: 1,805
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
I have a quantity of these resolvers, mine are made be Smiths Industries, otherwise commonly referred to as Selsyn Transmitters.
Neil
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19th Jul 2018, 3:10 pm | #9 |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Morden, Surrey, UK.
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Those STC 5B/254M Beam Tetrodes are, to all intents and purposes 807s on an octal base.
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19th Jul 2018, 5:02 pm | #10 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: London, UK. Bury, Lancashire quite regularly :)
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Quote:
http://www.r-type.org/exhib/aab0149.htm
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19th Jul 2018, 10:49 pm | #11 |
Pentode
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Denton, Manchester, UK.
Posts: 187
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
ZS74 or 704 1000v power diodes on the PSU boards made at Ferranti Electronics, Gem Mill,Oldham.
Almost certainly this equipment is for Bloodhound Missile system |
20th Jul 2018, 1:37 am | #12 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 18,715
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Look Graham, there's Basil going to work in his helicopter.
Or so my Dad would tell me whenever he saw one overfly our house.
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20th Jul 2018, 9:51 am | #13 | |
Rest in Peace
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Quote:
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20th Jul 2018, 7:52 pm | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Not international octal but octal nevertheless......
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21st Jul 2018, 9:25 am | #15 |
Pentode
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK.
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
I think DAVID SIMPSON is right, it has all the hallmarks of a piece of ground based but portable test equipment. Are there any other connectors? The only connections visible appear to be terminal posts on the front panel.
Orakle42 |
21st Jul 2018, 7:21 pm | #16 |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: London, UK. Bury, Lancashire quite regularly :)
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Re: Unknown (Military?) Apparatus.
Thanks for the input folks. I'll upload some photographs of the side and top panels to complete the picture, when I get a minute...
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Thermionic Emission, warms the cockles of your tubes. |