Help identification of a military wavemeter poss from aircraft

[Luxman1050]

HI
All just acquired this wavemeter and was hoping someone could shed some light on it obviously military not sure what central hole for connects to the shielded cable and on base looks like sort of plug fitting metal grips with centre pin. I've not been able to find anything anywhere. Hoping someone here does so I can get it up and running.
Pics attached.
Cheers Chris

[Luxman1050]

couple more pics

[Radio Wrangler]

I assume that turning the main knob screws it in and out, so that the scale that sticks out is read like a micrometer.

I think it is a micrometer moving a plunger into a cavity to tune it.

The emerging wires likely carry DC from a detector diode inside the cavity to go to a meter or oscilloscope.

This sort of thing could be used to check the frequency of magnetrons or to allow receiver local oscillator klystrons to be quickly tuned-up to get the IF right enough before peaking onto the accompanying magnetron.

I think this is ground service equipment, unlikely to go flying.

David

[duncanlowe]

Maybe ask the Imperial War Museum. They have one.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30005571
The indicating unit that it is in a panel with is listed on a sales site as being for BAGFUL which appears to be a system for finding the location of enemy radar. I guess it might have flown if that's right?
http://www.raf-surplus.co.uk/10-radi...-equipment.php

[chriswood1900]

What I think you may have there is part a device known as Boozer which was for detecting German Wurzburg gun-laying Radar used on British WW2 bombers. RAF designation ARI 5538

It would be partnered with

Main items Receiver R 1618
Rx unit 164
Indicator 177
Modulator 27
Aerial system 314, 315 & 323

Sources
https://www.blunham.com/Radar/Signal...oInstnList.pdf
https://www.qsl.net/pe1ngz/airforce/...g&warning.html

[M0FYA Andy]

The Wavemeter Type W.1617 is one of five or six units which plug into an Indicating Unit Type 230.

The Type W.1617 is intended for checking the frequency of CW or pulse transmitters over a range of 480 to 580 Mc/s.

Andy

[Luxman1050]

Em interesting but there's no diode. The dial not sure it moves up and down I'll put it back together and see.
If a micrometer why has it got wavemeter on it maybe stupid question but would it not say micrometer?
The single core outer screened cable is I think a 6v or 12v power supply not tested yet and I did not notice dial moving up and down. I'll put back together later and see.
Unfortunately I've never heard of magnetrons or oscillator klystrons before. I did not know these are to do with IF stage in receivers.

[Luxman1050]

Ah now that makes sense to me I was lost on Davids point.

[Luxman1050]

ah so its an interesting bit of kit then and was used in aircraft as I know some of these where used to scramble think radio frequencies etc to confuse the enemy. Rare bit of kit then.

[Luxman1050]

I'll try the war museum. Well made bit of kit.

[turretslug]

Beware- the wire may connect to a crystal diode within the device, in which case applying power is likely to destroy it. It functions to rectify any signal fed into it (and recover any modulation present), indicating a peak on something like a meter or indication 'scope as the micrometer mechanism tunes the cavity to resonance.

[Luxman1050]

Only got it last night so not applied any power to it. Just took apart to try and work it out. But it's gonna need a power source to work. So does that mean it needs to be connected to other equipment for power? I was just after a basic wavemeter I could actually use as bench equipment.

[Luxman1050]

This is where the single core external shielded cable goes to pic attached also can it be connected to my signal generator via coaxial cable?

[M0FYA Andy]

The Indicating Unit which the W.1617 plugs into provides any power needed, and displays the output on a magic-eye. So you either need one of those, or a home-brew circuit to emulate it.
It's probably not what you need for a general-purpose bench wavemeter, it's a bit too specialised with a limited range.

Andy

[Luxman1050]

Ah right so I'll look out for a Marconi wavemeter with the coils then.
Well made like my sig gen all Screening cans are silver plated including piping etc. Must of cost an arm and a leg my sig was nearly 20k back in 1946. So off to the selling site then as I'm not gonna use it and don't want it sitting on the shelf for 20 years doing nothing when someone can make use of it.

[Luxman1050]

Thanks for your help guys always appreciated �� wrong buy.

[Radio Wrangler]

In your second photo, that round brass disc is likely to be the flange on the back end of a packaged microwave crystal diode.

The Wurzburg radar was around 560MHz so the cavity wavemeter will be outside the range of your sig gen. So that sticky-up scale might well be in MHz... er, sorry Megacycles!

Our Radar arounf that time had moved to 3000MHz and upwards.

There's info on the Wurzburg and the Giant Wurzburg in accounts of the Bruneval Raid.. a large party on a trip to France to nick some German radar gear. Successfull, too.

Wavemeters helped you set your jammer on the right frequency.

David

[M0FYA Andy]

For completeness, there are two 'base units' which the range of wavemeters including the W.1617 can plug into - the Indicating Unit Type 186 and the Indicating Unit Type 230. The 230 succeeded the 186.

Andy

[Luxman1050]

Cheers Andy I'll give her a gentle clean few screws missing so get some new ones and put a new outer screened cable in as the one on it has completely corroded internally. Job done then new home. I'll get myself a bench job with coils. But info very much appreciated as I bought it blind as they say and thought I'd be able to use it for my needs.

[Luxman1050]

Guys is there anyway I can apply power to this unit without destroying it? Would it be AC or DC probably DC plus idea voltage. Gonna use coaxial lead just to see if I can jam any radio signals?