Wireless Set No.19


The W/S No.19 was the workhorse of the Canadian Army's battlefield wireless communications during WWII. It was most often installed in tanks, universal ("bren gun") carriers, and wheeled vehicles, and was also used by the infantry. The 19 set operator's manual shows installation examples and checklists for an infantry field station and a Canadian Ram tank.
The 19 set consists of an HF "A" set, a VHF "B" set, and an IC (intercom) amplifier (essential in noisy tank crew compartments), all in one chassis. The 19 set was also one of the first "cross-band" radios - some control boxes included a "rebroadcast" feature that allowed HF receptions to be transmitted on VHF, and vice-versa.
The "A" set operates from 2 to 8 Mc/s on either R/T (radio-telephone or AM), CW, or MCW (tone-modulated CW, for communicating with receiving sets without BFO's). Range is about 10 miles on R/T or 20 miles on CW between vehicles using an 8-foot whip antenna. The "B" set operates from approx. 230 to 240 Mc/s using R/T only. Range is several hundred yards between vehicles using a 20-inch whip antenna.

(Wireless Set No.19 Mk.III background used with the kind permission of Brian Carling AF4K/G3XLQ)

For more information, check out The Wireless Set No. 19, a whole webpage dedicated to the 19 set by Bob Cooke VE3BDB.



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Last changed : 22 Feb 98