====== Wireless Set No. 19 Mark III ====== Used by the Royal Signal Corps. The British manufacturer of radio receivers [[Pye]] developed a compact transceiver in 1941, which was widely used as Wireless Set No. 19. In the first version Mk I, the entire shortwave range of 2.5 - 6.25 MHz was combined in one range; in the later variants Mk II and Mk III, the set had two switchable shortwave ranges of 2-4.5 and 4.5-8 MHz. In addition to the shortwave transceiver, the WS 19 has a second low power VHF transceiver part, the B-Set; in the range of 229-241 MHz, it allows near field communication between neighbouring units or vehicles.\\ The Mk II and Mk III variants were also manufactured under licence in the USA and Canada and supplied to the Soviet Union in large numbers as part of the Lend-Lease agreement, which explains the bilingual English-Cyrillic front panel lettering on many sets. {{:images:mil-uk-ws19.jpg?direct&600|Wireless Set No.19 Mk III}} ===== Technical data ===== * [[Principle]]: [[transceiver]] * [[Operation modes]]: [[A1|CW (A1)]], [[A2|MCW (A2)]], [[A3|AM (A3)]] * [[Frequency range]]: **A Set** 2-4.5 / 4.5-8 MHz, two mechan. Presets; **B Set** 229 - 241 MHz. * [[Frequency display]]: Analogue dial * [[Frequency memory]]: two mechanical presets * [[Signal strength indicator]]: [[S-meter]] * [[Signal processing]]: * [[Features]]: * [[Sensitivity]]: pout **A Set**: [[A3]] 1.2 -2.5 W, [[A1]] 5 - 9 Watt; pout **B Set**: 0.4 Watt ==== Power supply ==== * [[Batteries]]: Operation from 12 V vehicle battery with power supply ==== Dimensions ==== * 445 x 210 x 300 mm, weight 18 kg ==== Accessories ==== * Antenna variometer * RF No. 2 Amplifier: RF Amplifier with an output power of 70 W [[CW]], 18 W [[AM]]. ---- {{:images:mil-uk-ws19-front.jpg?direct&600|Wireless Set No.19 Mk III}} ===== Operation ===== The Wireless Set No.19 is a compact transceiver which was installed in tanks and other vehicles of the British Armed Forces in World War II. The set comprises a shortwave transceiver with an output power of approx. 2 W in telephony and 4 - 8 W CW, a low power VHF transceiver with an output power of 400 mW, which was used for close-range communication, for example between vehicles in a formation, and an AF amplifier system to be usef as an on-board communication system. The Wireless Set No.19 radio station was developed by Pye, the first version Mk I was only equipped with a shortwave range of 2.5 - 6.25 MHz, the later versions Mk II and Mk III came with two switchable shortwave ranges of 2 - 4.5 and 4.5 - 8 MHz respectively. The B set, a low power [[VHF]] transceiver that can be tuned in the 229-241 MHz range, became technically obsolete from the 1950s onwards and was then removed from the sets as part of the periodic revisions. In some sets from surplus stocks, the later owners, mostly radio amateurs, continued to use the controls of the B set for other purposes by modifying them. The right-hand side of the two characteristic metal round dials is the frequency dial of the transmit and receive section, the tuning knob with a fine tuning knob is located directly below it. The two frequency bands 2-4 1/2 and 4 1/2 - 8 MHz are switched with the switch directly below, next to it is the BFO control. The round dial on the left is the transmitter tuning dial, the tuning knob for the transmitter output stage is also located at the bottom of the metal dial. Below this are three toggle switches for activating A Set, B Set and the on-board communication system. The A.F.Gain volume control is on the right and the operating mode switch for MCW ([[A2]]), CW ([[A1]]) and R/T ([[A3]]) is on the left. To the left of this is a round instrument, which can be set with the switch below for various measurements: AE antenna current, AVC minimum display indicates optimal tuning of the receiver, LT heater voltage, HT anode voltages of receiver (HT1: 265 V) and transmitter (HT2: 540 V), DRIVE input to the power amplifier. Next to the left handle are the controls of the B set, the antenna output of the B set, the tuning knob and the volume control. The power supply unit generates the anode voltages of 500 V for the transmitter tubes and 275 V for the receiver tubes in a rotary converter. ===== Technical principle ===== ==== Components ==== The set is equipped with tubes. ===== Technical documentation ===== ==== Development ==== The British manufacturer [[Pye]] developed the Wireless Set No.19 **Mark I** with a short-wave transceiver covering a range of 2.5 - 6.25 MHz and a low-power VHF transceiver, which was intended for close-range communication between individual armoured cars, around 1940 and introduced it in 1941. The improved version **Mark II** soon followed, covering the slightly extended short-wave range in two ranges of 2 - 4.5 and 4.5 - 8 MHz. The **Mark III** version can be recognised from a larger, easier-to-use tuning knob. The **B set** was found not to be reliable in field use, and the B set circuitry was often removed during periodic overhauls, sometimes also later by radio amateurs who had acquired the sets from Surplus. It is therefore rare to find sets with a complete B-set. {{:images:mil-uk-ws19-mk3-front.jpg?direct&600|Wireless Set. No.19 Mk 3, refurbished, without B-Set}} Under the Lend Lease Act of the Second World War, transmission equipment was manufactured in the USA and Canada and shipped to Europe to support the Allies. As a considerable proportion of the sets went to the Soviet Union, they were delivered with bilingually labelled front plates. The English-Cyrillic labelled W.S.19 were manufactured in Canada and are referred to as **Canadian W.S.19**. {{:images:mil-uk-ws19-can.jpg?direct&600|Wireless Set. No.19 Canadian}} A number of sets were reused in armed forces from other countries, so you find sets with an Italian front plate that were overhauled by [[Geloso]] or DITTA. {{:images:mil-uk-ws19-italia.jpg?direct&600|Wireless Set. No.19, Italia}} ===== Technical documentation ===== * {{ :manuals:mil-uk-ws19-working-instructions.pdf |Wireless Sets No. 19 Working Instructions}} {{gallery>:images?mil-uk-ws19*.jpg&0&80x80&lightbox&showtitle&titlesort}} ==== Further information ==== * [[https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/mil_gb_wireless_set_no19_mk_iimk.html|Wireless Set No.19 on the website of www.radiomuseum.org]] * [[https://groups.io/g/wireless-set-no19|Wireless No. 19 Group on groups.io]]