The Wireless Set No. 19 was a Second World War mobile

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

transceiver In radio communication, a transceiver is an electronic device which is a combination of a radio ''trans''mitter and a re''ceiver'', hence the name. It can both transmit and receive radio waves using an antenna, for communication purposes. The ...

designed for use by

armoured Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat ...

troops of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. First introduced in 1940, the No. 19 began to replace the pre-war Wireless Set No. 11. Two modified versions were introduced, Mk. II in 1941 and Mk. III in 1942. An improved version from Canada was introduced in 1942 for use primarily with other forces. In British service, the No. 19 was replaced in the post-war era by the

Larkspur radio system Larkspur was the retrospectively adopted name of a tactical radio system used by the British Army. Its development started in the late 1940s with the first equipment being issued in the mid-1950s. It remained in service until replaced by Clansman ...

. Canadian-built No. 19s saw continued service for many years with a variety of users.

Purpose

Designed for use in tanks and armoured vehicles, the radio provided three communication channels: *The A set provided longer range communications within the squadron or regiment.Military Training Pamphlet No.41, July 1940 *The B set or "troop set" provided short range communication between tanks in a troop. *The IC channel provided internal communication between crewmembers inside the tank. A rear-link tank in the HQ unit would join its A-set to a wider network, and relay relevant messages to the commander on the B set. This would extend a squadron net to the regiment, or a regimental net to the wider brigade/division.

Operation

A series of control boxes and junction boxes provided distribution within the vehicle. The wireless operator and commander could select the different sets. The driver and loader were on the IC only. In normal use the three channels were mixed onto the IC for monitoring. The commander or operator could then select the A or B sets to remove them from the IC and allow push-to-talk. A warning lamp would light if both were on the B set, leaving the A set unmonitored. Later control boxes allowed the commander or operator to rebroadcast A onto B or vice versa for message relay. The other crew members could only use the IC. The driver's control box incorporated a push button to activate a buzzer, allowing the commander's attention to be brought back to the IC if a situation requiring his attention arose. A high power version of the 19 set was also developed, allowing longer range use of the A set, liaising with primary command. Command and link/relay vehicles had provision to operate two A sets, one of which could be a high-power variant. Later in the war, the importance of co-operation with infantry added a Wireless Set No. 38 alongside, with new control boxes to operate both radios together. Initially the standard infantry 38 set was used with its own separate battery and ancillaries, but later the WS 38 AFV was developed specifically to complement the 19 set in a vehicle setup.

Specifications

The set was designed to allow MF and HF communication between

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s. * Dimensions ( × × ): Mk II and Mk III complete -
Sender/receiver - ; supply unit - * Weight: Mk II complete -
Sender/receiver - ; supply unit - ; carrier no. 1 - Mk III complete -
Sender/receiver - ; supply unit - ; carrier no. 1 - * Frequency range: 'A' setting 2–8

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

; 'B' setting 229–241 MHz. Master Oscillator controlled. * Modes: AM voice, MCW, CW. * VHF inter-tank communications * Crew

intercom An intercom, also called an intercommunication device, intercommunicator, or interphone, is a stand-alone voice communications system for use within a building, small collection of buildings or portably within a small coverage area, which funct ...

* Single dial receive and transmit tuning * "Flick" switch for rapid frequency change * RF output: 'A' setting 2.5–9

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s. * Range: 'A' set ; 'B' set (between moving vehicles).

History

The Wireless Set No. 19 was developed in 1940 by the

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's Signals Experimental Establishment and by Pye Radio. The Pye model was replaced with the MK II model in 1941, and the MK III model in 1942. The sets proved valuable for armoured fighting in the Western Desert. In 1942, the No. 19 Mk II was produced in Canada by

Northern Electric Northern Electric was an electricity supply and distribution company serving north east England. History It had its origins as the North Eastern Electricity Board, formed as part of the nationalisation of the electricity industry by the Ele ...

, Canadian Marconi and

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

. The British design was improved and interchangeability of components such as the valves, was instituted. A majority of Canadian sets used English/Cyrillic front panel lettering, the result of a

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

contract to the Soviet Red Army. Post-war, forward area battle group radio traffic carried by Wireless Set No. 19 nets was progressively migrated to low-band VHF using a more modern generation of radios known as the New Range, later to become known as Larkspur. This employed FM and replaced the No. 19 in this role from 1954. As a result, the No. 19's VHF 'B' section was abandoned and removed when sets were overhauled. The

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

No. 19 sets were mostly replaced in the mid-1950s with a militarized version of the PYE PTC-202 known as the C12 as an interim measure, which were subsequently replaced with the C13 from 1960. An additional RF

amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...

for the No. 19 (Amplifier, RF No. 2) increased the daylight operational range up to about . The experimental Wireless Set No. 19 TH (built for the

Dutch Army The Royal Netherlands Army (, KL) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised making the Dutch standing army one of the ...

) featured increased frequency coverage up to 12 MHz. Post-war, the Canadian No. 19 MK II and III was used in the Danish and

Italian Army The Italian Army ( []) is the Army, land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China and Italo-Turkish War, Libya. It ...

, and some Canadian No. 19 MK III sets were used by the British Army. The No. 19 Mk III in a simplified configuration was still on issue to British cadet units as an operational training station as late as the mid-1970s. Today the Wireless Set No. 19 is collected, restored and operated by

vintage amateur radio Vintage amateur radio is a subset of amateur radio hobby where enthusiasts collect, restore, preserve, build, and operate amateur radio equipment from bygone years, such as those using vacuum tube technology. Popular modes of operation include spe ...

enthusiasts.

Notes

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External links