1930's M3A1 White Scout Car (Wireless Set No. 19) The Muckleburgh Military Collection.
The M3A1 reconnaissance scout car, first introduced in 1939 is better known as the ''White Svout Car'' named after its U.S manufacture. It comprises a strengthened chassis with all-wheel drive, surmounted by an open-topped armoured body. This open design made it vulnerable to attack from above.
It carried a crew of two seated forward and had space for up to six passengers seated in the rear compartment. A ''skate rail'' was fitted around the vehicle for mounting 0.03 and 0.50 calibre machine guns, thus allowing for all round defence, the guns being quickly removed for dismounted use.
The windscreen was of shattered-proof glass and could be further protected by a hinged steel plate with vision slots. A detachable canvas top was provided for non-combat use. The roller at the front was used to assist crossing ditches and banks such as those encountered in Normandy in 1944.
Specifications -
▪︎Engine: Hercules JXD 6-cylinder petrol, 110bhp
▪︎Speed: 50mph
▪︎Range: 250 miles
▪︎Transmission: 4 forward, 1 reverse
▪︎Weight: 4 tons
▪︎Armament: 50 or 30 calibre machine guns
▪︎Armour: ¼ inch armoured steel
▪︎Crew: 2 plus 6 passengers.
Information from The Muckleburgh Military Collection.
Wireless Set No.19 -
The designs for this transceiver were developed by RSRE and Pye in 1940 and after producing a number of Mk.I equipments it then continued in development, emerging as the Mk.II in 1941 and finally the Mk.III in 1942. The sets were used by the British Army up to the early 1950's and by Canadian Divisions during WWII. Besides being built in the UK, the sets were also produced by a number of different manufacturers in Canada and the USA. Once designs had been customised for ease of sourcing American components, by liaison between Pye and a four man Canadian team, the firms selected to manufacture the sets were Northern Electric, Canadian Marconi and RCA Victor in Canada, and Zenith, RCA and Philco in the US.
Many Mk.II versions were made for the ''Lend-lease'' program in which much military materiel including not only smaller items such as these but also aircraft such as the Spitfire were sent to Russia to combat Nazi aggression. As a result of this programme many of the No. 19 sets still around have dual English and Russian legends on their front panels. Physical dimensions are 17.5" x 8.5" x 12.5" and it weighs in at 40lb. A range of ancillary equipment was used with the set, including dynamotor based power supply, ATU and whip aerial, combined headphones/mic and sometimes a high power amplifier.
Performance wasn't wonderful, as the set used grid modulation which reduced the range, compared with the more beefy technique of plate modulation. However it should be remembered that the set had a limited design performance in keeping with its intended operational use. As the set covered three amateur radio bands (160, 80 and 40 metres) it was popular in the 1950's when the availability of commercial equipment was limited and expensive and of course the norm was amplitude modulation in those pre-SSB days.
Using the set on ''Top Band'' the high end of which was just achievable, the set provided HF inter-tank and tank-to-HQ R/T, CW and MCW comms, over the band 2-8MHz and had a range of 10 miles R/T or 15 miles CW. The VHF inter-tank set used the ''super-regenerative'' technique and had a range of 1000 yards using a small band centred on 235MHz.
There is also an intercom facility, using a pair of 6V6's, for the tank crews. The HF part, the ‘A’ set, has an integral mechanical feature enabling, by means of a ‘flick’ switch to rapidly change between two frequencies. Use of the VHF part, the ‘B’ set, was phased out in the 1950's as the Larkspur range of VHF FM equipment came into service. The Royal Armoured Corps replaced their latest modified No. 19 Sets with the very similar C12 in the mid-50's and this in turn later by the newer C13.
Information sourced from - www.radiomuseum.co.uk/ws19.html
1930's M3A1 White Scout Car (Wireless Set No. 19) The Muckleburgh Military Collection.
The M3A1 reconnaissance scout car, first introduced in 1939 is better known as the ''White Svout Car'' named after its U.S manufacture. It comprises a strengthened chassis with all-wheel drive, surmounted by an open-topped armoured body. This open design made it vulnerable to attack from above.
It carried a crew of two seated forward and had space for up to six passengers seated in the rear compartment. A ''skate rail'' was fitted around the vehicle for mounting 0.03 and 0.50 calibre machine guns, thus allowing for all round defence, the guns being quickly removed for dismounted use.
The windscreen was of shattered-proof glass and could be further protected by a hinged steel plate with vision slots. A detachable canvas top was provided for non-combat use. The roller at the front was used to assist crossing ditches and banks such as those encountered in Normandy in 1944.
Specifications -
▪︎Engine: Hercules JXD 6-cylinder petrol, 110bhp
▪︎Speed: 50mph
▪︎Range: 250 miles
▪︎Transmission: 4 forward, 1 reverse
▪︎Weight: 4 tons
▪︎Armament: 50 or 30 calibre machine guns
▪︎Armour: ¼ inch armoured steel
▪︎Crew: 2 plus 6 passengers.
Information from The Muckleburgh Military Collection.
Wireless Set No.19 -
The designs for this transceiver were developed by RSRE and Pye in 1940 and after producing a number of Mk.I equipments it then continued in development, emerging as the Mk.II in 1941 and finally the Mk.III in 1942. The sets were used by the British Army up to the early 1950's and by Canadian Divisions during WWII. Besides being built in the UK, the sets were also produced by a number of different manufacturers in Canada and the USA. Once designs had been customised for ease of sourcing American components, by liaison between Pye and a four man Canadian team, the firms selected to manufacture the sets were Northern Electric, Canadian Marconi and RCA Victor in Canada, and Zenith, RCA and Philco in the US.
Many Mk.II versions were made for the ''Lend-lease'' program in which much military materiel including not only smaller items such as these but also aircraft such as the Spitfire were sent to Russia to combat Nazi aggression. As a result of this programme many of the No. 19 sets still around have dual English and Russian legends on their front panels. Physical dimensions are 17.5" x 8.5" x 12.5" and it weighs in at 40lb. A range of ancillary equipment was used with the set, including dynamotor based power supply, ATU and whip aerial, combined headphones/mic and sometimes a high power amplifier.
Performance wasn't wonderful, as the set used grid modulation which reduced the range, compared with the more beefy technique of plate modulation. However it should be remembered that the set had a limited design performance in keeping with its intended operational use. As the set covered three amateur radio bands (160, 80 and 40 metres) it was popular in the 1950's when the availability of commercial equipment was limited and expensive and of course the norm was amplitude modulation in those pre-SSB days.
Using the set on ''Top Band'' the high end of which was just achievable, the set provided HF inter-tank and tank-to-HQ R/T, CW and MCW comms, over the band 2-8MHz and had a range of 10 miles R/T or 15 miles CW. The VHF inter-tank set used the ''super-regenerative'' technique and had a range of 1000 yards using a small band centred on 235MHz.
There is also an intercom facility, using a pair of 6V6's, for the tank crews. The HF part, the ‘A’ set, has an integral mechanical feature enabling, by means of a ‘flick’ switch to rapidly change between two frequencies. Use of the VHF part, the ‘B’ set, was phased out in the 1950's as the Larkspur range of VHF FM equipment came into service. The Royal Armoured Corps replaced their latest modified No. 19 Sets with the very similar C12 in the mid-50's and this in turn later by the newer C13.
Information sourced from - www.radiomuseum.co.uk/ws19.html