Menu
What's new
By:
Filters
Army Rumour Service

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Crystal sets, POW radios, spy sets & radio related thread

Joshua Slocum

Joshua Slocum

LE
Book Reviewer
Tedsson said:
Not played with crystal sets since about 1966/67. Used to love them.

If you look at old spy movies and read books about SOE agents the radios they had always seemed to be the size of a suitcase.

And they were always draping long aerials over a rooftop or a tree.

I don't suppose there was much they could do about the size of the radio.

But as for the aerial, would it have been possible to use a steel pylon or even the metal pipework/framework of a building?
Click to expand...
Steel pylon not much use as its earthed
pipework in a building likewise earthed

you could run a cable into a corner of the room and take it up through the attic clipped tightly to the joists
also many older houses had an external radio aerial, so they could simply link into that
one that I did hear about was in the Channel Islands, the telephone line to a house was disconnected by the Germans, and the end left loose on the pole, a late night visit saw it coiled up neatly and insulated
then the radio receiver was simply connect to the old telephone cable, the other one being an earth
older telephone systems always had an earth wire going to a spike or length of pipe to remove the build up of interference and protect them in case of electrical storms
 
endure

endure

GCM
Just found this on the toob. SDRPlay's middle model at ~£200. My credit card is twitching.

They actually do three models, the RSP1A(£100), the RSPdx (as above) and a model with 2 separate radios in it for about £230.

E2A he has the obligatory beard as you can see...

 
Last edited:
supermatelot

supermatelot

LE
Joshua Slocum said:
Steel pylon not much use as its earthed
pipework in a building likewise earthed

you could run a cable into a corner of the room and take it up through the attic clipped tightly to the joists
also many older houses had an external radio aerial, so they could simply link into that
one that I did hear about was in the Channel Islands, the telephone line to a house was disconnected by the Germans, and the end left loose on the pole, a late night visit saw it coiled up neatly and insulated
then the radio receiver was simply connect to the old telephone cable, the other one being an earth
older telephone systems always had an earth wire going to a spike or length of pipe to remove the build up of interference and protect them in case of electrical storms
Click to expand...
I know it breaks every safety rule in thebook but- having had no luck with radiator pipes etv-I ust use a wire connected to a pug only wired to earth and plug that in.
 
CutLunchCommando

CutLunchCommando

LE
Joshua Slocum said:
Steel pylon not much use as its earthed
pipework in a building likewise earthed

you could run a cable into a corner of the room and take it up through the attic clipped tightly to the joists
also many older houses had an external radio aerial, so they could simply link into that
one that I did hear about was in the Channel Islands, the telephone line to a house was disconnected by the Germans, and the end left loose on the pole, a late night visit saw it coiled up neatly and insulated
then the radio receiver was simply connect to the old telephone cable, the other one being an earth
older telephone systems always had an earth wire going to a spike or length of pipe to remove the build up of interference and protect them in case of electrical storms
Click to expand...

Is the set up that "Polar Bear" (the Irish guy working as a german agent ) uses in "The Man Who Never Was" realistic?
 
supermatelot

supermatelot

LE
Joshua Slocum said:
perfectly safe
I use a safety lead like that when testing
Click to expand...
Yeah but you then end up finding old spitfires and roman forts behind cavity walls...

I don’t think I’ve the room... ;)
 
Joshua Slocum

Joshua Slocum

LE
Book Reviewer
CutLunchCommando said:
Is the set up that "Polar Bear" (the Irish guy working as a german agent ) uses in "The Man Who Never Was" realistic?
Click to expand...
Yes I rather think it was
the film being made so close to the end of the war, and with Euan Montague having a cameo role it it, was very accurate, dont forget plenty of men who worked with such equipment were still around working in the industry, so accurate information would have been to hand
did you know that the voice of Winston Churchill was provided by Peter Sellers ??
 
Border_Reiver

Border_Reiver

ADC
Joshua Slocum said:
Yes I rather think it was
the film being made so close to the end of the war, and with Euan Montague having a cameo role it it, was very accurate, dont forget plenty of men who worked with such equipment were still around working in the industry, so accurate information would have been to hand
did you know that the voice of Winston Churchill was provided by Peter Sellers ??
Click to expand...



My bold ... Every day is a learning day .
 
Last edited:
Joshua Slocum

Joshua Slocum

LE
Book Reviewer
our sets were not much different
I used to speak to a chap at Imperial College when my father worked there in the 1960s, his was a member of the RSGB and a keen ham
he brought in a wartime set built into a suitcase, it had a transmitter and morse key a tune-able receiver, a small power supply unit that would work on different voltages, and a coil of wire for the aerial and a set of headphones
I dont think they could be operated from batteries very easily as you need high tension and low tension, but you could connect it to a car battery through the power pack

identical to this one

Type 3 Mk. 2 (B2) spy set

cryptomuseum.com cryptomuseum.com
his one was an origional wartime unit as he had worked at stonebridge park

much interest stuff here

Intercept

cryptomuseum.com cryptomuseum.com
 
Conniesdad

Conniesdad

LE
If have an Android device, this is worth a quick play, I didn't find it particularly intuitive but I know nothing.
play.google.com

Pocket RxTx Free - Apps on Google Play

NOTE: This application contains non-intrusive Ads but only when you are off-line. If you like the App please consider downloading the Pro, ad-free version (Pocket RxTx+). This is the most significant upgrade to date. Please check my web site or read the application user guide (from the HELP...
play.google.com play.google.com
 
endure

endure

GCM
Conniesdad said:
If have an Android device, this is worth a quick play, I didn't find it particularly intuitive but I know nothing.
play.google.com

Pocket RxTx Free - Apps on Google Play

NOTE: This application contains non-intrusive Ads but only when you are off-line. If you like the App please consider downloading the Pro, ad-free version (Pocket RxTx+). This is the most significant upgrade to date. Please check my web site or read the application user guide (from the HELP...
play.google.com play.google.com
Click to expand...


It's free. If you don't like it you can remove it.
 
Tedsson

Tedsson

LE
Joshua Slocum said:
his one was an origional wartime unit as he had worked at stonebridge park
Click to expand...

I used to work at Stonebridge Park (in the big black tower block near the station).

What were you referring to?

Did you mean the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill?
 
Border_Reiver

Border_Reiver

ADC
.... and continuing the theme with LA6NCA he has a YouTube video of the British WW2 Clandestine Radio Type 3 Mk. II (B2) ....


... for its time a much better and very well designed and constructed piece of kit .
 
Last edited:

New Posts

Latest Threads

Top